Choose the right tools for your agentic workflow

Agent-assisted Android development spans a wide range of tools, from browser-based app builders that generate working prototypes from a single prompt to command-line interfaces and IDE-integrated agents built for production engineering. Choosing the right combination of tools and agent harnesses depends on what you want to accomplish, your general programming background, and your familiarity with the Android platform.

Use this guide to identify the recommended developer tools and grounding resources for your experience level and development goals. Once you select a path, follow the recommendations in the corresponding section to accelerate your workflow with official Android resources.

What you want to do Your experience level Recommended developer tools and harnesses
Prototype an app idea New to coding and new to Android Google AI Studio
Integrate Android into an existing CLI workflow Experienced coder, new to Android Your preferred coding agent (such as Claude Code or Google Antigravity) equipped with Android CLI, Android skills, and the Android Knowledge Base
Build in an Android-specific IDE using your preferred agent Experienced coder, new to Android Android Studio with Bring Your Own Agent (BYOA), Use a remote model, or Create a project with AI
Migrate an existing app from another platform to Android Experienced coder Android Studio with the Migration Assistant
Build, profile, and optimize a production Android app Experienced Android developer Android Studio

Prototype an app idea from scratch

If you're new to both coding and Android development, start with a builder platform that handles code generation, UI layout, and project structure automatically. For example, use Google AI Studio to turn natural-language prompts into a working Android prototype. Google AI Studio lets you experiment with app concepts, iterate on layouts conversationally, and test your prototype without installing local development tools. If you later decide to transition into full-scale development, you can import your project into an IDE such as Android Studio by downloading your project as a ZIP folder or exporting it to GitHub.

If you want to start using Android Studio directly, you can use AI to create a new app in Android Studio. The agent builds a functional Jetpack Compose project from your prompt and reference images, configuring dependencies and navigation so you can focus on learning the codebase and iterating on features.

Integrate Android into your existing agentic workflow

If you're an experienced software engineer who is new to Android, the optimal setup depends on whether you prefer working in your existing terminal and code editor or moving to Android Studio, an Android-specialized IDE.

Add Android expertise to your workflow

If you already have an established workflow, you can stay in your preferred environment and add Android-specific capabilities to your agent. General-purpose models might not have access to the latest Android knowledge and best practices, so grounding your agent is essential for reliable results:

  • Empower your agent with Android skills: Android skills guide your agent to follow modern practices for Jetpack Compose, architecture, Gradle, and more.
  • Equip your agent with Android CLI: Android CLI lets your agent configure the Android SDK, manage virtual devices, deploy APKs, inspect live UI hierarchies, and more. Your agent can also execute natural-language end-to-end tests headlessly using Journeys.
  • Ground your agent with the Android Knowledge Base: The Android Knowledge Base gives your agent access to fresh, authoritative documentation. Your agent can search and fetch official documentation automatically using the android docs command in Android CLI, but you can increase the chance that the agent will use it by specifically asking the agent to use Android documentation in your prompt.

Use Android Studio with the agent of your choice

If you want the benefits of a dedicated Android IDE—such as visual UI inspection, integrated emulators, and Android-specific lint diagnostics—without giving up your existing AI subscriptions or starting a project from a blank slate, use Android Studio with the agent of your choice. You can connect Android Studio with an Agent Client Protocol (ACP)-compliant agent, including Claude Agent, Codex, and Google Antigravity. Android Studio starts its own instance of the agent through ACP, so it doesn't connect to an agent that's already running, such as in a terminal. Your agent gets direct access to Android Studio's project graph, build diagnostics, and emulator controls, reducing token overhead.

Migrate an existing app to Android

If you're an experienced developer bringing an existing app from another platform to Android, you don't need to translate the codebase file by file or configure a cross-platform migration pipeline from scratch. Use the Migration Assistant in Android Studio to translate your existing repository into idiomatic Kotlin and Jetpack Compose. The Migration Assistant supports both autonomous end-to-end migrations and guided, step-by-step workflows that pause for your input.

Build, profile, and optimize production Android apps

If you're an experienced Android developer working on production codebases, Android Studio is the most capable environment for deep Android engineering. While standalone terminal agents work well for isolated code generation, production Android development requires tight integration with the Gradle build graph, live UI rendering across form factors, and specialized profiling tools. Android Studio still lets you use the agents and models of your choice—you can use the built-in agent or connect third-party agents and models.

Working inside Android Studio unlocks platform-aware workflows that aren't automatically available in general-purpose editors: