ad-patch

Hot-swapping a method body uses a multi-step JVMTI workflow including pre-checks, source lookup, incremental recompilation, and classdiff-based swapping to inject code changes into a running Android process without rebuilding or reinstalling.

Yes, you can revert a hot-swap if verification fails. The workflow supports an explicit verify_via criterion to confirm observable success before committing, automatically reverting the swap to maintain safety in live debugging sessions.

No, the Android hot-swap workflow does not work with minified builds. The automated workflow includes error handling specifically designed to catch unsupported hot-swap scenarios and minified build configurations during the pre-check phase.

You verify a successful hot-swap by providing an explicit verify_via success criterion when invoking the patch. The workflow validates the injected changes against this criterion, ensuring the observable behavior matches expectations before committing the swap.

The best way to apply runtime code changes is using an automated hot-swap workflow that leverages Gradle build snapshots and incremental recompilation. This applies edits directly to a running app via JVMTI without triggering a full redeploy.

Incremental recompilation and classdiff are required because hot-swapping needs to identify the exact compiled method body changes. The workflow uses classdiff to compute the swap and applies only the modified class definitions to the running Android process.