update-dependencies

name

update-dependencies

description

Use this skill to update Android library dependencies via refreshVersions. Invoke when the user asks to update, bump, or refresh dependencies or a specific library version, asks what updates are available, or hands over a dependency-update task from the Asana backlog. Covers running refreshVersions, judging which bumps are safe, handling libraries blocked by the project's Kotlin version, running the E2E suite, and the PR/Asana conventions for the change.

Updating dependencies

Dependencies are managed via versions.properties using the refreshVersions Gradle plugin (its version is pinned in settings.gradle). The only file that should change in a dependency update PR is versions.properties.

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Running refreshVersions

./gradlew refreshVersions

This populates versions.properties with ## # available=X.Y.Z comment hints after each entry. After deciding on versions, strip the noise:

sed -i '' '/^##/d' versions.properties

IMPORTANT: The #### header block at the top of versions.properties must never be removed. It is required by the refreshVersions plugin at build time. If missing, the build fails with: Unable to find the version of refreshVersions that generated the versions.properties file

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Kotlin version compatibility check

This is the most important judgement when evaluating a library update.

Read the project's Kotlin version from version.kotlin in versions.properties; languageVersion is pinned in the root build.gradle. Some libraries publish releases compiled with a newer Kotlin than the project targets, which fails the build at KSP time:

Module was compiled with an incompatible version of Kotlin.
The binary version of its metadata is <newer>, expected version is <project>.

A library needing a Kotlin newer than the project's is a blocker, not something to work around.

What to do when a library requires a newer Kotlin version

Do not auto-revert. Instead, ask the engineer:

"Library X update from A → B requires a newer Kotlin than the project currently targets. Do you want to:

1. Skip this update for now
2. Include it as a separate task to upgrade Kotlin first"

The engineer may decide to batch multiple blocked libraries into a Kotlin upgrade task, or simply defer them. Either way, document the decision in the PR and Asana task.

Do not keep a list of blocked libraries here — it goes stale as soon as the project's Kotlin moves. The live source of truth is a # Cannot update … because it requires Kotlin … comment on the entry in versions.properties; check for one, and add one when you defer a library for this reason.

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Library Classification

Generally safe to update

• AndroidX libraries (androidx.*) — backward compatible, Java/Kotlin mixed
• Pure Java libraries (zxing, org.json, robolectric, desugar_jdk_libs)

Needs Kotlin version check

• Any Kotlin-first library (Square, Cash App, JetBrains, etc.)
• Check whether the artifact's .kotlin_module metadata is newer than the project's Kotlin version

Defer — requires dedicated migration

• Kotlin itself
• AGP (Android Gradle Plugin)
• Room
• Dagger / Anvil
• Coil
• Compose compiler
• kotlinx.collections.immutable
• RxJava (rxjava2.rxjava, rxjava2.rxandroid) — kept at current versions intentionally

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Testing

Use the E2E Nightly Full Suite GitHub Actions workflow to validate updates:

• Workflow ID: 223981529
• Workflow name: "End to End Tests - Full Suite (Nightly)"

gh workflow run 223981529 --repo duckduckgo/Android --ref <branch>
gh run list --repo duckduckgo/Android --workflow=223981529 --limit=3

The workflow uploads internal + release APKs to Maestro Cloud and runs UI test suites. Runtime ~1h30m. Uses appId: com.duckduckgo.mobile.android (release build).

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PR Conventions

• Only versions.properties should differ from origin/develop
• PR description must list exact version bumps (e.g. androidx.appcompat 1.7.0 → 1.7.1)
• Explicitly list deferred libraries and the reason (Kotlin 2.x, migration required, etc.)
• Link to the Asana task and the E2E workflow run

Asana

Before starting a dependency update, read the canonical process task:

• Task: https://app.asana.com/1/137249556945/project/1202552961248957/task/1199899332680683?focus=true
• Use the Asana MCP to fetch task GID 1199899332680683 for the full checklist and process notes

Each dep update task should be a subtask of [Doc] Update dependencies (GID: 1202236475215890). Document updated libraries, deferred libraries, and Kotlin version blockers in the task notes.