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Android Java

  • 599 installs
  • 706 repo stars
  • Updated July 14, 2026
  • alinaqi/claude-bootstrap

android-java is an agent skill that applies MVVM, ViewBinding, and Espresso-oriented structure when developers edit Android Java app, layout, and Gradle files.

About

android-java is a Claude Bootstrap skill from alinaqi/claude-bootstrap for Android Java development using MVVM architecture, ViewBinding, and Espresso testing. The skill activates on paths including **/*.java, android/**, and **/build.gradle and prescribes a layered project structure with data, domain, and DI modules covering Room, Retrofit, Hilt or Dagger, and repository patterns. Developers reach for android-java when modifying Java Android apps and need consistent MVVM scaffolding, layout binding conventions, and test-oriented structure instead of ad-hoc Activity code. The skill is marked medium effort and is not user-invocable, firing automatically when matching Android Java files are in scope.

  • MVVM layout: ui/feature screens with Activity, Fragment, and ViewModel siblings
  • Layered packages: data (local, remote, repository), domain (models, use cases), di, and ui
  • ViewBinding called out for presentation-layer implementation
  • Espresso-oriented testing context with dedicated test source sets in the structure
  • Path-scoped activation for **/*.java, android/**, and **/build.gradle

Android Java by the numbers

  • 599 all-time installs (skills.sh)
  • Ranked #282 of 1,039 Mobile Development skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
  • Security screen: MEDIUM risk (skills.sh audit)
  • Data as of Aug 5, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
npx skills add https://github.com/alinaqi/claude-bootstrap --skill android-java

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Installs599
repo stars706
Security audit2 / 3 scanners passed
Last updatedJuly 14, 2026
Repositoryalinaqi/claude-bootstrap

How do you structure Android Java apps with MVVM?

Apply MVVM, ViewBinding, and Espresso-oriented structure when editing Android Java app, layout, and Gradle files.

Who is it for?

Developers editing Android Java source, layout XML, and Gradle files who want MVVM, ViewBinding, and Espresso conventions enforced automatically.

Skip if: Kotlin-first Jetpack Compose projects or non-Android Java backends where mobile MVVM and ViewBinding patterns do not apply.

When should I use this skill?

The agent is editing **/*.java, android/**, or **/build.gradle files in an Android Java project.

What you get

MVVM-layered Java packages, ViewBinding layouts, Gradle module config, and Espresso-ready test structure.

  • MVVM package structure
  • ViewBinding layouts
  • Espresso test scaffolding

By the numbers

  • Activates on 3 path globs: **/*.java, android/**, **/build.gradle
  • Covers 4 architectural layers: data, domain, DI, and repository

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

Android Java Skill

---

Project Structure

project/
├── app/
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── main/
│   │   │   ├── java/com/example/app/
│   │   │   │   ├── data/           # Data layer
│   │   │   │   │   ├── local/      # Room database, SharedPreferences
│   │   │   │   │   ├── remote/     # Retrofit services, API clients
│   │   │   │   │   └── repository/ # Repository implementations
│   │   │   │   ├── di/             # Dependency injection (Hilt/Dagger)
│   │   │   │   ├── domain/         # Business logic
│   │   │   │   │   ├── model/      # Domain models
│   │   │   │   │   ├── repository/ # Repository interfaces
│   │   │   │   │   └── usecase/    # Use cases
│   │   │   │   ├── ui/             # Presentation layer
│   │   │   │   │   ├── feature/    # Feature screens
│   │   │   │   │   │   ├── FeatureActivity.java
│   │   │   │   │   │   ├── FeatureFragment.java
│   │   │   │   │   │   └── FeatureViewModel.java
│   │   │   │   │   └── common/     # Shared UI components
│   │   │   │   └── App.java        # Application class
│   │   │   ├── res/
│   │   │   │   ├── layout/
│   │   │   │   ├── values/
│   │   │   │   └── drawable/
│   │   │   └── AndroidManifest.xml
│   │   ├── test/                   # Unit tests
│   │   └── androidTest/            # Instrumentation tests
│   └── build.gradle
├── build.gradle                    # Project-level build file
├── gradle.properties
├── settings.gradle
└── CLAUDE.md

---

Gradle Configuration

App-level build.gradle

plugins {
    id 'com.android.application'
}

android {
    namespace 'com.example.app'
    compileSdk 34

    defaultConfig {
        applicationId "com.example.app"
        minSdk 24
        targetSdk 34
        versionCode 1
        versionName "1.0"

        testInstrumentationRunner "androidx.test.runner.AndroidJUnitRunner"
    }

    buildTypes {
        release {
            minifyEnabled true
            proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android-optimize.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'
        }
    }

    compileOptions {
        sourceCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_17
        targetCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_17
    }

    buildFeatures {
        viewBinding true
    }
}

dependencies {
    // AndroidX
    implementation 'androidx.core:core:1.12.0'
    implementation 'androidx.appcompat:appcompat:1.6.1'
    implementation 'com.google.android.material:material:1.11.0'
    implementation 'androidx.constraintlayout:constraintlayout:2.1.4'

    // Lifecycle
    implementation 'androidx.lifecycle:lifecycle-viewmodel:2.7.0'
    implementation 'androidx.lifecycle:lifecycle-livedata:2.7.0'

    // Testing
    testImplementation 'junit:junit:4.13.2'
    testImplementation 'org.mockito:mockito-core:5.8.0'
    androidTestImplementation 'androidx.test.ext:junit:1.1.5'
    androidTestImplementation 'androidx.test.espresso:espresso-core:3.5.1'
}

---

Architecture Patterns

MVVM with ViewModel

// ViewModel - holds UI state, survives configuration changes
public class UserViewModel extends ViewModel {
    private final UserRepository repository;
    private final MutableLiveData<User> user = new MutableLiveData<>();
    private final MutableLiveData<Boolean> loading = new MutableLiveData<>(false);
    private final MutableLiveData<String> error = new MutableLiveData<>();

    public UserViewModel(UserRepository repository) {
        this.repository = repository;
    }

    public LiveData<User> getUser() {
        return user;
    }

    public LiveData<Boolean> isLoading() {
        return loading;
    }

    public LiveData<String> getError() {
        return error;
    }

    public void loadUser(String userId) {
        loading.setValue(true);
        repository.getUser(userId, new Callback<User>() {
            @Override
            public void onSuccess(User result) {
                user.setValue(result);
                loading.setValue(false);
            }

            @Override
            public void onError(String message) {
                error.setValue(message);
                loading.setValue(false);
            }
        });
    }
}

Repository Pattern

// Repository interface (domain layer)
public interface UserRepository {
    void getUser(String userId, Callback<User> callback);
    void saveUser(User user, Callback<Void> callback);
}

// Repository implementation (data layer)
public class UserRepositoryImpl implements UserRepository {
    private final UserApi api;
    private final UserDao dao;

    public UserRepositoryImpl(UserApi api, UserDao dao) {
        this.api = api;
        this.dao = dao;
    }

    @Override
    public void getUser(String userId, Callback<User> callback) {
        // Try cache first, then network
        User cached = dao.getUserById(userId);
        if (cached != null) {
            callback.onSuccess(cached);
            return;
        }
        api.getUser(userId).enqueue(new retrofit2.Callback<User>() {
            @Override
            public void onResponse(Call<User> call, Response<User> response) {
                if (response.isSuccessful() && response.body() != null) {
                    dao.insert(response.body());
                    callback.onSuccess(response.body());
                } else {
                    callback.onError("Failed to load user");
                }
            }

            @Override
            public void onFailure(Call<User> call, Throwable t) {
                callback.onError(t.getMessage());
            }
        });
    }
}

---

Activity & Fragment Patterns

Activity with ViewBinding

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
    private ActivityMainBinding binding;
    private MainViewModel viewModel;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        binding = ActivityMainBinding.inflate(getLayoutInflater());
        setContentView(binding.getRoot());

        viewModel = new ViewModelProvider(this).get(MainViewModel.class);
        setupObservers();
        setupListeners();
    }

    private void setupObservers() {
        viewModel.getUser().observe(this, user -> {
            binding.userName.setText(user.getName());
        });

        viewModel.isLoading().observe(this, isLoading -> {
            binding.progressBar.setVisibility(isLoading ? View.VISIBLE : View.GONE);
        });
    }

    private void setupListeners() {
        binding.refreshButton.setOnClickListener(v -> {
            viewModel.loadUser(getCurrentUserId());
        });
    }

    @Override
    protected void onDestroy() {
        super.onDestroy();
        binding = null;
    }
}

Fragment with ViewBinding

public class UserFragment extends Fragment {
    private FragmentUserBinding binding;
    private UserViewModel viewModel;

    @Override
    public View onCreateView(LayoutInflater inflater, ViewGroup container,
                             Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        binding = FragmentUserBinding.inflate(inflater, container, false);
        return binding.getRoot();
    }

    @Override
    public void onViewCreated(View view, Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onViewCreated(view, savedInstanceState);
        viewModel = new ViewModelProvider(requireActivity()).get(UserViewModel.class);
        setupObservers();
    }

    private void setupObservers() {
        viewModel.getUser().observe(getViewLifecycleOwner(), user -> {
            binding.userName.setText(user.getName());
        });
    }

    @Override
    public void onDestroyView() {
        super.onDestroyView();
        binding = null;  // Prevent memory leaks
    }
}

---

Testing

Unit Tests with JUnit & Mockito

@RunWith(MockitoJUnitRunner.class)
public class UserViewModelTest {
    @Mock
    private UserRepository repository;

    @Rule
    public InstantTaskExecutorRule instantTaskExecutorRule = new InstantTaskExecutorRule();

    private UserViewModel viewModel;

    @Before
    public void setup() {
        viewModel = new UserViewModel(repository);
    }

    @Test
    public void loadUser_success_updatesUserLiveData() {
        // Arrange
        User expectedUser = new User("1", "John Doe");
        doAnswer(invocation -> {
            Callback<User> callback = invocation.getArgument(1);
            callback.onSuccess(expectedUser);
            return null;
        }).when(repository).getUser(eq("1"), any());

        // Act
        viewModel.loadUser("1");

        // Assert
        assertEquals(expectedUser, viewModel.getUser().getValue());
        assertFalse(viewModel.isLoading().getValue());
    }

    @Test
    public void loadUser_error_updatesErrorLiveData() {
        // Arrange
        doAnswer(invocation -> {
            Callback<User> callback = invocation.getArgument(1);
            callback.onError("Network error");
            return null;
        }).when(repository).getUser(eq("1"), any());

        // Act
        viewModel.loadUser("1");

        // Assert
        assertEquals("Network error", viewModel.getError().getValue());
        assertFalse(viewModel.isLoading().getValue());
    }
}

Instrumentation Tests with Espresso

@RunWith(AndroidJUnit4.class)
public class MainActivityTest {
    @Rule
    public ActivityScenarioRule<MainActivity> activityRule =
            new ActivityScenarioRule<>(MainActivity.class);

    @Test
    public void userName_isDisplayed() {
        onView(withId(R.id.userName))
                .check(matches(isDisplayed()));
    }

    @Test
    public void refreshButton_click_triggersRefresh() {
        onView(withId(R.id.refreshButton))
                .perform(click());

        onView(withId(R.id.progressBar))
                .check(matches(isDisplayed()));
    }

    @Test
    public void userList_scrollToItem_displaysCorrectly() {
        onView(withId(R.id.userList))
                .perform(RecyclerViewActions.scrollToPosition(10));

        onView(withText("User 10"))
                .check(matches(isDisplayed()));
    }
}

---

GitHub Actions

name: Android CI

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Set up JDK 17
        uses: actions/setup-java@v4
        with:
          java-version: '17'
          distribution: 'temurin'

      - name: Setup Gradle
        uses: gradle/actions/setup-gradle@v3

      - name: Grant execute permission for gradlew
        run: chmod +x gradlew

      - name: Run Lint
        run: ./gradlew lint

      - name: Run Unit Tests
        run: ./gradlew testDebugUnitTest

      - name: Build Debug APK
        run: ./gradlew assembleDebug

      - name: Upload APK
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: debug-apk
          path: app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

  instrumentation-tests:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Set up JDK 17
        uses: actions/setup-java@v4
        with:
          java-version: '17'
          distribution: 'temurin'

      - name: Enable KVM
        run: |
          echo 'KERNEL=="kvm", GROUP="kvm", MODE="0666", OPTIONS+="static_node=kvm"' | sudo tee /etc/udev/rules.d/99-kvm4all.rules
          sudo udevadm control --reload-rules
          sudo udevadm trigger --name-match=kvm

      - name: Run Instrumentation Tests
        uses: reactivecircus/android-emulator-runner@v2
        with:
          api-level: 29
          script: ./gradlew connectedDebugAndroidTest

---

Lint Configuration

lint.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<lint>
    <!-- Treat these as errors -->
    <issue id="HardcodedText" severity="error" />
    <issue id="MissingTranslation" severity="error" />
    <issue id="UnusedResources" severity="warning" />

    <!-- Memory leak detection -->
    <issue id="StaticFieldLeak" severity="error" />

    <!-- Security -->
    <issue id="HardcodedDebugMode" severity="error" />
    <issue id="AllowBackup" severity="warning" />

    <!-- Performance -->
    <issue id="ViewHolder" severity="error" />
    <issue id="Overdraw" severity="warning" />

    <!-- Ignore for tests -->
    <issue id="InvalidPackage">
        <ignore path="**/test/**" />
        <ignore path="**/androidTest/**" />
    </issue>
</lint>

build.gradle lint options

android {
    lint {
        abortOnError true
        warningsAsErrors false
        checkReleaseBuilds true
        xmlReport true
        htmlReport true
    }
}

---

Common Patterns

Null-Safe Callbacks

// Define callback interface
public interface Callback<T> {
    void onSuccess(T result);
    void onError(String message);
}

// Use with null checks
public void fetchData(Callback<Data> callback) {
    if (callback == null) return;

    try {
        Data result = performFetch();
        callback.onSuccess(result);
    } catch (Exception e) {
        callback.onError(e.getMessage());
    }
}

Safe Context Usage

// Use application context for long-lived objects
public class DataManager {
    private final Context appContext;

    public DataManager(Context context) {
        // Always use application context to prevent Activity leaks
        this.appContext = context.getApplicationContext();
    }
}

// Check for null context in callbacks
private void updateUI() {
    Context context = getContext();
    if (context == null || !isAdded()) return;
    // Safe to use context
}

Thread-Safe Singleton

public class ApiClient {
    private static volatile ApiClient instance;
    private final Retrofit retrofit;

    private ApiClient() {
        retrofit = new Retrofit.Builder()
                .baseUrl(BASE_URL)
                .addConverterFactory(GsonConverterFactory.create())
                .build();
    }

    public static ApiClient getInstance() {
        if (instance == null) {
            synchronized (ApiClient.class) {
                if (instance == null) {
                    instance = new ApiClient();
                }
            }
        }
        return instance;
    }
}

---

Android Anti-Patterns

  • Context leaks - Never hold Activity/Fragment references in static fields or singletons
  • Memory leaks in callbacks - Always use WeakReference or clear callbacks in onDestroy
  • UI updates on background thread - Always post to main thread for UI changes
  • Hardcoded strings - Use string resources for all user-visible text
  • God Activities - Keep Activities under 200 lines, extract logic to ViewModels
  • NetworkOnMainThreadException - Never perform network calls on main thread
  • Ignoring lifecycle - Always respect Activity/Fragment lifecycle states
  • Blocking the main thread - Keep main thread operations under 16ms
  • Not handling configuration changes - Use ViewModel to survive rotation
  • Hardcoded dimensions - Use dp/sp units and dimension resources
  • Deep view hierarchies - Keep layout depth under 10 levels, use ConstraintLayout
  • Not closing resources - Always close Cursor, InputStream, database connections

Related skills

How it compares

Pick android-java over generic Java skills when the target is Android mobile apps requiring MVVM, ViewBinding, and Espresso conventions.

FAQ

Which files trigger android-java?

android-java triggers on **/*.java, android/**, and **/build.gradle paths per the skill manifest. The skill applies MVVM, ViewBinding, and Espresso-oriented conventions whenever those Android Java files are edited.

What architecture does android-java enforce?

android-java enforces MVVM with ViewBinding and Espresso testing across data, domain, and DI layers. The prescribed structure includes Room local storage, Retrofit remote services, and Hilt or Dagger dependency injection.

Is Android Java safe to install?

skills.sh reports 2 of 3 security scanners passed. Review the Security Audits panel on this page before installing in production.

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