Android Gradle Tools — Build, ADB, Logcat & AI

Android development in VS Code and Cursor. Build, install, debug, and inspect Android apps with Gradle, ADB, Logcat, emulators, diagnostics, and AI agent tools. Android Gradle Tools brings device targeting, APK caching, build variants, JDWP attach debugging, release signing, and an AI-ready Android toolchain into one editor surface—without juggling ./gradlew, adb, logcat, and terminal tabs.

Install from the Visual Studio Marketplace or search Android Gradle Tools in the Extensions view.

Install directly from a terminal:

code --install-extension AndroidGradleTools.android-ide-extension

Android workflows covered

• Android Gradle build, install, deploy, clean, and sync from VS Code or Cursor.
• ADB device targeting for physical Android devices, wireless ADB, remote ADB, and Android Emulator / AVD workflows.
• Android Logcat filtering by package, tag, level, crash, stack trace, text, and regex, with local clear separate from confirmed device-buffer clearing.
• APK cache browsing, reinstall, rollback, comparison, and sharing for successful Android builds.
• Android build variants, Gradle modules, multi-root workspaces, release signing, and JDWP attach debugging.
• An AI Toolchain for optional official Android CLI skills, structured diagnostics, local reviewable context bundles, and extension-owned Android development skills.

Why use it?

Android Gradle Tools sits between terminal-only Android development and a full Android Studio session: light enough to stay inside VS Code, structured enough for real Android Gradle / ADB / Logcat iteration, and carefully tuned so routine Android app workflows stay obvious.

It also coexists cleanly with Android Studio. By default, extension builds use a dedicated GRADLE_USER_HOME, so panel builds do not share Studio's daemon pool. Idle daemons are stopped on a configurable timer with ./gradlew --stop, scoped to the extension Gradle home unless you opt out of isolation.

What you get

Build and deploy

• Build, install, deploy, clean, and sync Android Gradle projects from the Android side panel.
• Pick the active Android Gradle root, module, and build variant without memorizing task names.
• Run Cold AVD + Install: assemble while an offline emulator starts, then install when it finishes booting.
• Launch the app after install using the detected applicationId / namespace, with a manual override when needed.
• Cache successful APK outputs for rollback, comparison, sharing, or re-install.

Devices and variants

• Switch physical devices and emulators from the Build card or status bar.
• Auto-select a sensible target when devices connect, reconnect, or disappear.
• Discover variants from Gradle and cache them per module with validation that avoids surprise background Gradle runs.
• Reuse variant discovery results when Gradle inputs are unchanged, including when the same project is reopened under a different VS Code workspace identity.
• Keep multi-root workspaces explicit with a dedicated Gradle root picker.

Logcat and build output

• Open Android Logcat in a dedicated webview with level, tag, package, crash, stack-trace, text, and regex filters.
• Restart Logcat without clearing the device-wide buffer by default; use the overflow Clear device buffer... action when you intentionally want adb logcat -c.
• Save frequent filter combinations as presets and export filtered output as .txt / .log.
• Open stack traces such as File.kt:42 directly in the editor.
• End builds with a structured summary: result, duration, APK path, and extracted failure reasons.
• Keep full errors available through Android: Show Full Build Errors when a build fails.

Release, debug, and remote workflows

• Set up release signing from the panel: pick or generate a keystore, detect aliases, store passwords in VS Code SecretStorage, and inject signingConfigs into Gradle files with a diff preview.
• Attach the Android JDWP debugger to a running Java / Kotlin process through local adb port forwarding.
• Use Wireless Remote ADB over same Wi-Fi, VPN / mesh, or an internet relay backed by adb-relay-android and adb-relay-jvm.

AI Toolchain

• Check the optional official Android CLI in the same local or Remote-SSH extension host that runs Gradle and ADB.
• List and search Google-maintained official Android skills without changing the environment; initialize or update them only after an explicit click and modal confirmation.
• Export diagnostics as stable schema-v1 JSON, including whether the extension host is local or remote.
• Run Android: Create Agent Context Bundle to collect bounded, redacted diagnostics, focused build errors, Logcat, a selected-device screenshot, and structured UI layout evidence into extension storage. The command opens context.md for review and never uploads or invokes a model.
• Use the Lab action in the Android panel’s Build toolbar—or run Android: Inspect AppFunctions (Experimental)—to open an auto-running AppFunctions inspector. It keeps compile SDK, Jetpack/KSP setup, service metadata, KDoc coverage, device recovery, and registered metadata together in the panel; it never builds, installs, enables, disables, or executes a function.
• Keep official Android skills separate from the four extension-owned skills below. Official skills are managed by Android CLI; extension skills are symlinked into detected agent folders by this extension.
• Link bundled extension skills into detected Codex, Claude, Copilot, Gemini, and Cursor home folders from panel settings.
• Use android-screen-inspector, android-build-triage, android-logcat-debugger, and android-device-lab for adb-first screen reads, build failure diagnosis, runtime log analysis, and device / emulator verification.
• Keep the extension as the source of truth: enabled agents receive extension-owned symlinks, disabling removes only those symlinks, and provider rows stay hidden until the matching agent folder exists.
• Replace broken or third-party skill symlinks only after an explicit confirmation, while preserving real user-owned files.
• Discover AI Toolchain settings from a dismissible panel banner above the CPU / RAM dock; dismissals stay quiet for 7 days unless a new agent folder appears.

Panel polish

• Configure the extension from a visual panel settings sheet tuned for the easiest possible setup, with a readable dark surface above the panel instead of hand-editing JSON for common workflows.
• Use a shared Material 3 / JetBrains-style visual language across the Android panel, Logcat, APK cache, settings sheet, wireless guide, menus, and popovers.
• Track local JVM CPU and RAM with a compact telemetry dock powered by jps, including process count, total CPU / memory, separate sparklines, and a hide/show control.
• Show the active device in the status bar.
• Use a polished Build surface with stable action-button sizing, softer section borders, smoother loading skeletons, clearer Gradle busy labels, and elapsed time aligned next to Cancel.
• Submit crash reports only after reviewing a sanitized payload in the browser; nothing is sent automatically.

Get started

1. Open a standard Android Gradle project with gradlew or gradlew.bat.
2. Open the Android side panel from the activity bar, or run Android: Open side panel.
3. Pick a Gradle root, module / variant, and device.
4. Click Install, Compile, Clean, or Sync Gradle.
5. Open Logcat from the panel or run Android: Logcat.
6. Optional: open AI Toolchain in panel settings to check Android CLI and manage official or extension-owned Android skills.

If setup behaves strangely, run Android: Run Diagnostics and open Android: Show System Gradle Log to inspect the generated preflight report. Use Android: Export Diagnostics as JSON for a structured report, or Android: Create Agent Context Bundle when another developer or agent needs reviewable local evidence.

Requirements

• VS Code or Cursor compatible with VS Code ^1.85.0.
• A standard Android Gradle project with a Gradle Wrapper.
• adb on PATH, or an Android SDK path configured in the extension.
• Android Emulator is optional; when configured, the device picker can start AVDs.
• Android CLI is optional. Install it from the official Android agent tools documentation only when you want Google-maintained skills; existing Gradle, ADB, diagnostics, bundles, and extension skills do not require it.
• A JDK for Gradle. You can set it from the panel settings or android-ide-extension.gradleJavaHome.

Commands

Settings

Most setup happens from the Android panel gear. The settings UI is tuned to make configuration as easy as possible: choose a JDK, point to an Android SDK, tune Gradle daemon cleanup, manage the AI Toolchain, configure Remote ADB, and adjust panel polish without leaving the workflow.

You can also search Android Gradle Tools in VS Code Settings when you prefer the full settings view.

Sensible defaults work for typical debug workflows. The most important default is gradleIsolateUserHome = true, which keeps extension Gradle daemons separate from Android Studio and your normal ~/.gradle pool.

Frequently asked questions

Can I build Android apps in VS Code?

Yes. Open a standard Android Gradle project and use Android Gradle Tools to select a Gradle root, module, build variant, and device, then build, install, or launch the app from the Android panel. Android Studio remains useful for specialized profilers and design tooling, but it is not required for the routine Gradle-to-device loop.

How do I view Android Logcat in VS Code?

Run Android: Logcat or open Logcat from the Android panel. You can filter by package, tag, level, crashes, stack traces, text, or regular expressions, then export the filtered output when you need to share or inspect it elsewhere.

Can VS Code launch an Android emulator?

Yes. The device picker discovers configured Android Virtual Devices and can start an AVD before installing an app. Cold AVD + Install builds while the emulator boots, then installs after the device is ready.

Can AI agents inspect an Android app and device?

Yes. The optional AI Toolchain manages official Android CLI skills and extension-owned Android development skills. Android: Create Agent Context Bundle collects bounded, redacted diagnostics, focused build errors, Logcat, a selected-device screenshot, and structured UI evidence locally for review before sharing with an agent.

How can I support Android Gradle Tools?

If the extension improves your Android workflow, leave an honest Marketplace rating or review, or report a reproducible problem through GitHub issues. The extension does not interrupt your work with review prompts.

Privacy and crash reporting

Crash reporting is opt-in at the point of submission. When an unexpected extension error is caught, Android Gradle Tools can open a browser page with a sanitized payload for review. Nothing leaves your machine until you press Submit.

Crash reporting can be turned off from the panel settings or VS Code Settings.

The bundled extension skills are local and adb-first. Screen inspection is read-only, and the skills do not send data to any network service by themselves.

Agent Context Bundles are also local. They are written under the extension's global storage, are limited and redacted for common secret assignments/query values, and open in the editor with a review-before-sharing warning. A bundle may still contain application text, device screenshots, paths, package ids, serials, or stack traces, so inspect it before copying its folder path or revealing it to another tool.

Release notes

1.0.1 - 2026-08-28

• Added the experimental AppFunctions Lab as a compact Lab action in the existing Build toolbar and as Android: Inspect AppFunctions (Experimental) in the Command Palette.
• Added an auto-running full-panel inspector for compile SDK 36+, Jetpack/KSP dependencies, service entry points, manifest metadata, KDoc coverage, project context, selected-device recovery, and registered metadata.
• Kept device discovery read-only and pinned to the explicitly selected serial. It skips missing or offline targets and never builds, installs, launches an AVD, changes function state, or executes a function.
• Bounded metadata again after JSON formatting and prevented nested local .worktrees/ content from entering production VSIX packages.

1.0.0 - 2026-08-28

• Added the AI Toolchain settings surface with optional Android CLI status, official skill list/search, and confirmation-gated initialize/update actions alongside existing extension-owned skills.
• Added schema-v1 diagnostics JSON export with local/remote extension-host context.
• Added Android: Create Agent Context Bundle, producing a bounded, redacted, reviewable local evidence bundle with partial-failure reporting and selected-device-safe ADB capture.
• Declared workspace extension placement and unsupported virtual workspaces so Gradle, SDK, ADB, and Android CLI checks run where the project is hosted.
• Kept all Android CLI mutations explicit; settings load, probe, list, search, diagnostics, and bundle creation do not initialize or update skills.

Full changelog