capacitor-android-dex-optimization
Installation
SKILL.md
Capacitor Android: DEX Code Optimization
Enable R8 in a Capacitor Android app and add the keep rules a Capacitor app needs so that the release build passes the Google Play DEX code optimization requirement without crashing at startup.
The Android project that npx cap add android generates sets minifyEnabled false, so R8 never runs and Google Play measures close to 0% obfuscation, optimization and shrinking. From February 2027, Google Play requires at least 25% in each category for apps with more than 10 MB of DEX code. Play reads the numbers from the r8.json file inside the app bundle for apps built with AGP 8.10 or newer.
Prerequisites
| Requirement | Version |
|---|---|
| Capacitor | 6+ |
| Android Gradle Plugin | 8.0+ (8.10+ for the r8.json check in Step 6) |
| JDK | 17 for Capacitor 6 and 7, 21 for Capacitor 8 |
adb |
installed, with a device or emulator connected for Step 5 |
The project must be a Capacitor app (not a plugin) with an existing android/ directory.