stream-android

name	stream-android
description	Build and integrate Stream Chat, Video, and Feeds in Android apps. Use for Jetpack Compose, Android Studio, and Gradle project work — including Stream package setup, auth and token wiring, screen blueprints, and any follow-up Stream UI work such as adding screens, navigating between channel list and channel/message screens, channel tap handling, deep links, push routing, theming, custom channel/message UI, video calling flows (joining/starting calls, ringing, custom call controls and participant tiles), and Feeds surfaces (timeline, activity composer, threaded comments, follow graph / profile, notification feed, stories).
license	See LICENSE in repository root
compatibility	Requires an Android Studio / Gradle project (Kotlin). The `getstream` CLI (binary name `getstream`) is the default path for the credentials flow (API key fetch, token mint, and any product-specific setup - see `credentials.md`); only optional when the user pastes the API key and token themselves.
metadata	{"author":"GetStream"}
allowed-tools	["Read","Write","Edit","Glob","Grep","Bash(ls *)","Bash(grep *)","Bash(find . *)","Bash(cat **/settings.gradle)","Bash(cat **/settings.gradle.kts)","Bash(cat **/build.gradle)","Bash(cat **/build.gradle.kts)","Bash(cat gradle/libs.versions.toml)","Bash(command -v getstream)","Bash(getstream *)"]

Stream Android - skill router + execution flow

Rules: Read RULES.md once per session - every non-negotiable rule is stated there, nowhere else.

This file is the single entrypoint: intent classification, local project detection, and module pointers for Stream work in Android apps.

---

Step 0: Intent classifier (mandatory first - never skip)

Before any tool call, decide the track from the user's input alone - no probes first.

Signals -> track

Signal in user input	Track
Explicit product/framework token: Chat Compose, Chat XML, Video Android, Video Compose, Feeds Android, Feeds Compose, etc.	C - Reference lookup
Words "docs" or "documentation" around Stream Android/Compose work	C - Reference lookup
"How do I {X} in Compose/XML/Android?", "What does {SDK type/Composable/View/Fragment} do?"	C - Reference lookup
"Build me a new Android app", "create a Compose app", "new Android app" + Stream product	A - New app
"Add/integrate Stream into this app", "wire Chat/Video/Feeds into my Android project"	B - Existing app
"Install Stream packages", "set up Stream in Android Studio", "wire auth/token flow" with no broader feature request	D - Bootstrap / setup
Request carries a target appearance - a screenshot, a Figma frame, or "make the chat look like WhatsApp / Telegram / Slack / <app>"	B (or A) + the styling-depth flag below -> design-matching.md
Bare /stream-android with no args	List the tracks briefly and wait

Disambiguation flow

If the request is ambiguous between build/integrate and reference lookup, ask one short question and wait:

Do you want me to wire this into the project, or just map the Android SDK pattern and files?

After classification

• Tracks A, B, D -> run Step 0.5 (credentials) first, then Project signals once per session, then continue in builder.md and sdk.md. Do not probe the project before credentials.
• Track C -> skip both steps if the product + UI layer are explicit. Only run Project signals on demand if the SDK or UI layer is ambiguous.

Styling-depth flag (orthogonal to the track)

If the request carries a target appearance - an attached screenshot, a Figma frame, or "make the chat look like WhatsApp / Telegram / Slack / <app>" - run design-matching.md before writing UI code. It sits on top of the Track A/B work (it is how you build the requested UI), not instead of it. A reference is a checklist of regions (header, composer, where the timestamp + read receipts sit, bubble shape/tail, channel-list rows, date separators, attachments...), and most differ from Stream's Compose defaults structurally, not just by color - setting the accent + wallpaper and stopping is the known failure. Classify each screenshot to its screen (channel list vs message vs thread - Step 0), decompose every region capturing dimensions not just colors, then route each difference to one of the two axes: a theming token (StreamDesign.Colors/Typography) or a ChatComponentFactory slot (structure - padding / corner-radius / bubble-shape / composer layout live here; Android has no Styles axis, so those are structure, not theming). Recurring traps the doc guards against: overriding a composite slot (MessageContainer, the header, MessageComposer) silently drops the sub-features the default drew (incoming avatar, grouping, reactions, replies, status, send/voice) unless you reproduce them; the message-header trailing slot defaults to a channel avatar (override it for action icons); the composer differs by row count / field shape / alignment far more than by icon set; DMs must not be prefixed with # in the list or titled "Channel" in the header. The match is not done until you build, seed data that triggers every region, compare region-by-region on the real navigation path, and iterate - implement every region, the composer included; a region left at the SDK default is a FAIL, not a footnote.

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Step 0.5: Credentials, token, and seed data (tracks A, B, D only)

Order: intent classification -> Step 0.5 (this step) -> Project signals probe -> track work. Do this before running the Project signals shell command, even if a track table below lists "Detect" as phase 1. Run once per session for tracks A, B, and D. Skip for Track C.

Follow credentials.md to:

• collect the Stream API key from the dashboard (or from the user)
• generate a user token via the Stream CLI (or accept one from the user)
• run any product-specific setup (Chat: optionally seed channels; Feeds: confirm feed groups; Video: nothing — calls are ephemeral)

Wire the API key from getstream env's output (e.g. BuildConfig.STREAM_API_KEY) and use the real user token in code snippets - never placeholder strings. If a track A/B/D task reaches code work and credentials haven't been collected yet, return to credentials.md before continuing.

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Project signals (tracks A/B/D - once per session; Track C on demand only)

Read-only local probe. Use it to detect whether the user is in an Android Studio / Gradle project, a Kotlin module, or an empty directory.

bash -c 'echo "=== GRADLE ROOT ==="; find . -maxdepth 2 \( -name "settings.gradle.kts" -o -name "settings.gradle" -o -name "build.gradle.kts" -o -name "build.gradle" \) -print 2>/dev/null; echo "=== APP MODULES ==="; find . -maxdepth 3 -type f \( -name "build.gradle.kts" -o -name "build.gradle" \) -path "*/*/build.gradle*" -print 2>/dev/null; echo "=== VERSION CATALOG ==="; find . -maxdepth 3 -name "libs.versions.toml" -print 2>/dev/null; echo "=== MANIFESTS ==="; find . -maxdepth 4 -name "AndroidManifest.xml" -print 2>/dev/null; echo "=== EMPTY ==="; test -z "$(ls -A 2>/dev/null)" && echo "EMPTY_CWD" || echo "NON_EMPTY"'

Hold the result in conversation context. Don't re-run it unless the user changes directory or the project shape clearly changed.

Use the result to produce a one-line status, for example:

• Compose app detected - app/build.gradle.kts - libs.versions.toml present - ready for Stream wiring
• Multi-module Gradle project detected - preserve existing module layout
• XML / View-based app detected - keep current UI layer unless the user asks to migrate
• No Gradle project found - user needs to create the app in Android Studio first

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Module map

Track	Module(s)
A - New app	builder.md + sdk.md + relevant reference files
B - Existing app	builder.md + sdk.md + relevant reference files
C - Reference lookup	sdk.md + relevant reference files
D - Bootstrap / setup	builder.md + sdk.md

---

Reference layout

Shared Android/Kotlin patterns live in sdk.md. The curated procedure for reproducing a reference design with the pre-built Compose components (the region -> ChatComponentFactory-slot map and the build/verify loop) lives in design-matching.md - loaded via the styling-depth flag above, on top of whichever track applies.

Product and UI-layer specifics live under references/ using a flat naming scheme that can grow with the full Stream Android surface:

• Reference: references/<PRODUCT>-<UI_LAYER>.md
• Blueprints: references/<PRODUCT>-<UI_LAYER>-blueprints.md

Current extracted modules:

• Chat + Compose: references/CHAT-COMPOSE.md + references/CHAT-COMPOSE-blueprints.md
• Chat + XML: references/CHAT-XML.md + references/CHAT-XML-blueprints.md
• Video + Compose: references/VIDEO-COMPOSE.md + references/VIDEO-COMPOSE-blueprints.md
• Feeds + Compose: references/FEEDS-COMPOSE.md + references/FEEDS-COMPOSE-blueprints.md

Feeds has no pre-built UI components. FEEDS-COMPOSE.md covers the headless data SDK (FeedsClient, FeedState, ActivityState); FEEDS-COMPOSE-blueprints.md is custom Composable scaffolding driven by those state flows. Load both for any Feeds request.

Future Android product coverage should stay in this naming family instead of creating more top-level skills.

If the requested product/UI layer file is not bundled yet, say so plainly, use sdk.md for the shared Android patterns, and only switch to live docs if the user asks.

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Track A - New app

Full detail: builder.md - use the new-project path.

Phase	Name	What you do
A1	Detect	After Step 0.5 (credentials), run Project signals. If there is no Android app yet, tell the user to create one in Android Studio first.
A2	Choose lane	Confirm product(s) and UI layer: Compose, XML/Views, or mixed.
A3	Install + wire	Follow builder.md + sdk.md, then load only the needed product references.
A4	Verify	Confirm Gradle sync, ChatClient lifetime, auth, and first rendered screen.

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Track B - Existing app

Full detail: builder.md - use the existing-project path.

Phase	Name	What you do
B1	Detect	After Step 0.5 (credentials), run Project signals and inspect the existing app structure before editing.
B2	Preserve	Keep the current UI layer, dependency strategy (version catalog vs inline), and navigation setup unless the user asks for a migration.
B3	Integrate	Use sdk.md for shared wiring, then load only the needed product reference files.
B4	Verify	Confirm the requested Stream flow builds and renders inside the existing app.

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Track C - Reference lookup

Load only the relevant files for the requested product and UI layer.

• Shared lifecycle / auth / state patterns -> sdk.md
• Chat Compose setup and gotchas -> references/CHAT-COMPOSE.md
• Chat Compose screen structure -> references/CHAT-COMPOSE-blueprints.md
• Chat XML setup and gotchas -> references/CHAT-XML.md
• Chat XML screen structure -> references/CHAT-XML-blueprints.md
• Video Compose setup and gotchas -> references/VIDEO-COMPOSE.md
• Video Compose call/screen structure -> references/VIDEO-COMPOSE-blueprints.md
• Feeds Compose SDK patterns -> references/FEEDS-COMPOSE.md
• Feeds Compose blueprints -> references/FEEDS-COMPOSE-blueprints.md

If the user asks for a product/UI-layer combo that is not bundled (e.g. Video XML, Feeds XML), say that clearly instead of inventing API details.

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Track D - Bootstrap / setup

Use when the user wants the install and wiring path more than a feature build:

• run Step 0.5 (credentials) first
• detect the project shape
• choose Compose vs XML ownership
• install Stream packages with the project's existing dependency strategy (version catalog or inline)
• wire auth and ChatClient lifetime via sdk.md
• stop before product-specific UI if the user only asked for setup