android-debugging

Diagnoses Android build errors and runtime defects from Gradle, ADB, and logcat evidence.

Updated Aug 10, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/nolte/claude-android-engineering --skill android-debugging-nolte
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: android-debugging
Source: https://github.com/nolte/claude-android-engineering/tree/main/skills/android-debugging
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/nolte/claude-android-engineering --skill android-debugging-nolte

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Native Android failures — a red ./gradlew build, an INSTALL_FAILED_* error, a crash, an ANR, or a device stuck offline — require digging through Gradle output, ADB device state, and logcat buffers by hand. This Skill triages the symptom to the right diagnosis surface and produces an evidence-cited diagnosis instead of guesswork. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Three-surface triage: Routes any symptom to Gradle build-error, ADB device/deploy, or runtime-defect diagnosis, each with documented evidence sources and remedy tables (including an INSTALL_FAILED_* decode table). - Safe evidence collection: Scoped logcat capture, crash-buffer and bugreport analysis, targeted dumpsys, retrace of minified stacks, and Perfetto trace capture — all bounded, PII-redacted, and CLI-first without Android Studio. - Gated fixes with verification: Applies fixes only after explicit approval, then re-verifies with the surface-specific check plus a full ./gradlew build, and never leaves a red state unreported. - Use Case: Your CI emulator run fails with INSTALL_FAILED_UPDATE_INCOMPATIBLE and the app then crashes on launch. The skill decodes the install error, applies the documented uninstall-reinstall remedy, reads the crash buffer for the FATAL EXCEPTION frame, and confirms the fix with a green build. ## Quick Start Ask the assistant to diagnose why ./gradlew build is failing or why the app crashes on your connected Android device, and it will triage the symptom and collect the relevant evidence.

Frequently Asked Questions about android-debugging

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I diagnose a failing ./gradlew build from the command line?

Run the failing task with --stacktrace or --info through the committed wrapper and read the first 'What went wrong' block and deepest 'Caused by' line. The skill classifies the failure (dependency resolution, manifest merge, KSP, toolchain) and maps it to a documented remedy.

How to fix INSTALL_FAILED errors when installing an Android APK with adb?

Each INSTALL_FAILED_* code has a documented fix: uninstall first for UPDATE_INCOMPATIBLE, pass -r for ALREADY_EXISTS, -d for VERSION_DOWNGRADE, -t for TEST_ONLY. The skill decodes the exact code and applies the remedy instead of retrying blindly.

Can I debug Android crashes and ANRs without Android Studio?

Yes. Crashes come from the logcat crash buffer (FATAL EXCEPTION under AndroidRuntime), and native tombstones or ANR traces from adb bugreport on production devices. Minified stacks are resolved with retrace against the build's mapping.txt.

Why does adb show my device as offline or unauthorized?

An offline state means the transport dropped — restart the adb server or replug USB once. Unauthorized means the RSA fingerprint dialog was not accepted on the device; reconnect and accept it, revoking and re-authorizing if stuck.

Does this skill judge app performance from Perfetto traces?

No. It only captures the trace with record_android_trace for slow-startup, jank, or scroll symptoms, then hands the file to the android-perceived-performance skill, which owns the verdict on frame timings.

When should I not use this debugging skill?

Do not use it for scaffolding a new project (android-project-scaffold), designing a test strategy (android-test-suite-apply), toolchain upgrades (android-toolchain-upgrade), or performance verdicts (android-perceived-performance). It handles diagnosis of existing build, deploy, and runtime failures.