android-release

name	android-release
description	Build and upload an Android release based on an existing git tag. Runs lint and all tests first (unit and instrumented), bumps version to match the tag, builds release AAB and APK (without debug info), commits the version bump, and uploads the AAB to Google Play Store internal testing. Use when the user asks to make an Android release, build for Play Store, or upload to Google Play.

Android Release

For normal dual-platform releases, use /release instead. This skill is for Android-only hotfixes or when you need to rebuild Android independently.

Build and upload an Android release based on an existing version tag created by the github-release skill.

Prerequisites

• An existing version tag (e.g., v9.11.0) created via the github-release skill
• Signing keystore configured via keystore.properties at the project root
• Google Play service account key at app/play-service-account.json (see play-store-upload for setup)
• All tests and lint must pass before releasing (see Step 1)

Workflow

Step 0: Determine the target tag

If the user specified a tag, validate it exists:

git tag -l v<version>

If no tag was specified, default to the latest tag:

git describe --tags --abbrev=0

Confirm the tag with the user before proceeding.

Step 1: Run lint, unit tests, and instrumented tests

1a. Run lint

Follow the android-lint skill workflow:

./gradlew lintDebug

If lint fails, stop and fix the errors first. Do not proceed until lint passes.

1b. Run unit tests

./gradlew testDebugUnitTest

1c. Run instrumented tests

Follow the android-test-run skill workflow. Check for a running emulator (adb devices) and run:

./gradlew connectedAndroidTest

If any tests fail, stop the release and fix the failures first. Do not proceed to version bumping until lint and all tests pass.

Step 1d: Check for version drift

Before bumping, verify the current versionName in build.gradle.kts matches expectations:

LATEST_TAG=$(git describe --tags --abbrev=0)
TAG_VERSION="${LATEST_TAG#v}"
GRADLE_VERSION=$(grep 'versionName' app/build.gradle.kts | head -1 | sed 's/.*"\(.*\)".*/\1/')
echo "Latest tag: $LATEST_TAG ($TAG_VERSION) | Gradle versionName: $GRADLE_VERSION"
if [ "$TAG_VERSION" != "$GRADLE_VERSION" ]; then
  echo "⚠️  VERSION DRIFT DETECTED: Tag says $TAG_VERSION but Gradle says $GRADLE_VERSION"
fi

If version drift is detected, warn the user before proceeding. Version drift means users received APKs with a stale version string. For example, if the latest tag is v9.10.5 but versionName is "9.10.1", four releases shipped with the wrong user-visible version.

Step 2: Bump the version

Read the current versionCode and versionName in app/build.gradle.kts:

defaultConfig {
    versionCode = <current>
    versionName = "<major>.<minor>.<patch>"
}

Set versionName to match the tag (e.g., tag v9.11.0 -> versionName = "9.11.0"). Increment versionCode by 1 regardless of version type.

Ask the user to confirm the new version before editing.

Step 3: Build release artifacts

Run both Gradle tasks in a single invocation:

./gradlew assembleRelease bundleRelease

This produces release builds that are minified and resource-shrunk (no debug info):

Artifact	Path	Notes
APK	app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk	Signed (when keystore.properties exists)
APK	app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release-unsigned.apk	Unsigned (when keystore.properties is missing)
AAB	app/build/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab	Always signed by the play publisher plugin

Step 4: Verify outputs

Confirm the AAB exists. The APK may be signed or unsigned depending on whether keystore.properties is present:

ls -lh app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release*.apk \
       app/build/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab

Step 5: Commit version bump

Stage the version change, commit, and push to main:

git add app/build.gradle.kts
git commit -m "Android: bump version to <versionName> (versionCode <versionCode>)"
git push

Step 6: Upload to Google Play Store

First, verify the service account key exists:

ls app/play-service-account.json

If the file is missing, warn the user and skip to Step 7. The AAB can be uploaded manually via the Google Play Console or by placing the service account key and re-running this step.

If the file exists, follow the play-store-upload skill workflow to upload the AAB to the Play Store internal testing track:

./gradlew publishReleaseBundle

• Use block_until_ms: 120000 (upload can take 30-60s).
• This uploads the AAB to the internal testing track.

Step 7: Report to user

Provide the user with:

• The tag used (e.g., v9.11.0)
• The new version (versionName / versionCode)
• Paths to the AAB and APK with file sizes
• Confirmation that the AAB was uploaded to Play Store internal testing