AGP 9 Upgrade Workflow

Priority: P1 (HIGH)

Step-by-step workflow for upgrading an Android project to AGP 9.

Prerequisites

• Check current AGP version. If below 8.x, recommend running the AGP Upgrade Assistant in Android Studio first.
• Do NOT use this skill for Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) projects.
• Verify Gradle, JDK, and Kotlin version compatibility with AGP 9 release notes.

Step 1: Update dependencies

• If KSP (com.google.devtools.ksp) is used, ensure version 2.3.6+.
• If Hilt is used, ensure version 2.59.2+.
• Update AGP to the latest stable 9.x version in the project's build files.

Step 2: Migrate to built-in Kotlin

AGP 9 includes built-in Kotlin support — the org.jetbrains.kotlin.android plugin is no longer needed.

See migration guide for detailed steps.

Step 3: Migrate to the new AGP DSL

AGP 9 introduces a new DSL for android {} blocks. Key changes include namespace handling, build type configuration, and source set declarations.

See DSL migration for before/after examples.

Step 4: Migrate kapt to KSP or legacy-kapt

If the project uses kapt:

• Prefer migrating to KSP where annotation processors support it (Room, Hilt, Moshi).
• For processors without KSP support, use legacy-kapt as a bridge.

Step 5: Update BuildConfig

If any module uses custom BuildConfig fields, update to the new AGP 9 syntax.

Step 6: Clean up gradle.properties

Remove these flags after migration:

1. android.builtInKotlin
2. android.newDsl
3. android.uniquePackageNames
4. android.enableAppCompileTimeRClass

Guidelines

• Never write or run Python scripts for build migration.
• Never add android.disallowKotlinSourceSets=false to gradle.properties.
• Do not run clean task when verifying — it wastes time.

Verification

1. ./gradlew help succeeds.
2. ./gradlew build --dry-run succeeds.
3. Gradle IDE sync succeeds.

References

• Built-in Kotlin Migration
• DSL Migration Guide