You’re early—and that helps. This extension is in public beta. The developers are actively working on improvements—performance, polish, and new quality-of-life features—so you may see updates often. Expect rough edges occasionally; reviews and feedback on the Marketplace (or issues in the project repository) directly shape what ships next.
Your Android build workflow, inside VS Code and Cursor
Stop juggling terminals for every install, compile, clean, and sync. This extension adds a clear Android side panel, quick access to build variants and modules, simple phone or emulator selection, readable build logs, and a cached APK view for recent outputs—so you stay in the editor you already use.
Get the extension — in the Extensions view, search for Android Gradle Tools.
See it in action
Everything in one panel
Pick a build variant in seconds
Build output you can actually read
Shortcuts when you need them fast
What you get
- Faster everyday builds — One place to install, compile, and clean, with progress you can cancel and time elapsed at a glance.
- Gradle sync from the UI — Run Android: Sync Gradle project from the Gradle panel, the editor toolbar, or the Command Palette when you need a project refresh without leaving VS Code.
- Cached APK builds — Successful install / compile flows can copy APKs into a workspace cache. The panel shows a quick preview; open Android: Open cached APK builds for the full list, with when it ran and how long the flow took (from sidecar metadata).
- Less guesswork — Choose the Gradle root, module, and build variant (Android: Build Variants) with searchable quick picks; picking is paused while a build is running so state stays consistent.
- Multi-folder workspaces — Better handling when several Android/Gradle roots share one window, with clearer labels for roots and modules.
- The right device — Point installs at a connected phone or emulator without memorizing commands.
- Clearer logs — Follow the full Gradle story in a dedicated Android Build view, similar to what you expect from a full IDE.
- Optional polish — Show your install target on the status bar, use toolbar buttons at the top of the editor, and optionally open the app after install using a MAIN/LAUNCHER
am start (with monkey as a fallback). Application id resolution can follow applicationId / namespace from your module’s Gradle files, including suffix rules when they apply.
- Panel that stays current — Using editor shortcuts updates the Gradle webview so module, variant, and device lines reflect what you just chose.
Get started
- Open your Android project — the folder that contains your Gradle wrapper (
gradlew or gradlew.bat).
- Open the Android panel — click the Android icon on the left, or run Android: Open side panel from the Command Palette (⇧⌘P / Ctrl+Shift+P).
- Choose a device, then use Install, Compile, Clean, or Sync Gradle as needed.
- Optional: Run Android: Open cached APK builds from the Command Palette to inspect copied APKs and timings after a build.
That’s it—you’re building from the panel.
Before you install
This extension is built for standard Android Gradle projects.
- Your workspace should include Gradle Wrapper files (
gradlew / gradlew.bat).
- adb should be available for device list, installs, and optional “open app after install.”
- Android Emulator support is optional; it helps if you start AVDs from the picker.
Make it yours
Open Settings and search for Android Gradle Tools. You can tune things like:
- default install and assemble tasks when you’re not using a picked variant
- whether build logs go to a dedicated output view or the integrated terminal
- extra Gradle options passed to every run
- showing the current device on the status bar
- opening the app automatically after install (and an optional override application id if you don’t want auto-detection from Gradle)
You don’t need to change anything to get started—defaults work for typical debug workflows.
Packaging this repo (contributors)
Running npm run package (or the VSIX build script) writes the extension package under .build/ by default, keeping the repo root tidy.
Changelog
What’s new: CHANGELOG.md.
