MCPInstall

android-jetpack-compose

by expoMobile

Use when building Android UIs with Jetpack Compose, managing state with remember/mutableStateOf, or implementing declarative UI patterns.

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Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/expo/agent-templates --skill android-jetpack-compose
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads android-jetpack-compose automatically when relevant.

  3. 03

    Review the result

    The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

Android - Jetpack Compose

Modern declarative UI toolkit for building native Android interfaces.

Key Concepts

State Management

Compose provides several ways to manage state:

  • remember: Survives recomposition
  • rememberSaveable: Survives configuration changes
  • mutableStateOf: Creates observable state
  • derivedStateOf: Computed state that updates when dependencies change
@Composable
fun Counter() {
    var count by remember { mutableStateOf(0) }

    Column {
        Text("Count: $count")
        Button(onClick = { count++ }) {
            Text("Increment")
        }
    }
}

// With saveable for configuration changes
@Composable
fun SearchField() {
    var query by rememberSaveable { mutableStateOf("") }

    TextField(
        value = query,
        onValueChange = { query = it },
        placeholder = { Text("Search...") }
    )
}

State Hoisting

Lift state up to make composables stateless and reusable:

// Stateless composable
@Composable
fun NameInput(
    name: String,
    onNameChange: (String) -> Unit,
    modifier: Modifier = Modifier
) {
    TextField(
        value = name,
        onValueChange = onNameChange,
        label = { Text("Name") },
        modifier = modifier
    )
}

// Stateful parent
@Composable
fun UserForm() {
    var name by remember { mutableStateOf("") }

    NameInput(
        name = name,
        onNameChange = { name = it }
    )
}

ViewModel Integration

class UserViewModel : ViewModel() {
    private val _uiState = MutableStateFlow(UserUiState())
    val uiState: StateFlow<UserUiState> = _uiState.asStateFlow()

    fun updateName(name: String) {
        _uiState.update { it.copy(name = name) }
    }

    fun saveUser() {
        viewModelScope.launch {
            _uiState.update { it.copy(isLoading = true) }
            try {
                userRepository.save(_uiState.value.toUser())
                _uiState.update { it.copy(isLoading = false, isSaved = true) }
            } catch (e: Exception) {
                _uiState.update { it.copy(isLoading = false, error = e.message) }
            }
        }
    }
}

@Composable
fun UserScreen(viewModel: UserViewModel = viewModel()) {
    val uiState by viewModel.uiState.collectAsStateWithLifecycle()

    UserContent(
        uiState = uiState,
        onNameChange = viewModel::updateName,
        onSave = viewModel::saveUser
    )
}

Best Practices

Composable Function Guidelines

// Use Modifier as first optional parameter
@Composable
fun CustomCard(
    title: String,
    modifier: Modifier = Modifier,
    onClick: () -> Unit = {}
) {
    Card(
        modifier = modifier.clickable(onClick = onClick)
    ) {
        Text(
            text = title,
            modifier = Modifier.padding(16.dp)
        )
    }
}

// Use slot APIs for flexible content
@Composable
fun CustomScaffold(
    topBar: @Composable () -> Unit = {},
    bottomBar: @Composable () -> Unit = {},
    content: @Composable (PaddingValues) -> Unit
) {
    Scaffold(
        topBar = topBar,
        bottomBar = bottomBar,
        content = content
    )
}

Efficient Recomposition

// Use keys for list items
@Composable
fun UserList(users: List<User>) {
    LazyColumn {
        items(
            items = users,
            key = { it.id }  // Stable key for efficient updates
        ) { user ->
            UserItem(user)
        }
    }
}

// Use derivedStateOf for expensive computations
@Composable
fun FilteredList(items: List<Item>, query: String) {
    val filteredItems by remember(items, query) {
        derivedStateOf {
            items.filter { it.name.contains(query, ignoreCase = true) }
        }
    }

    LazyColumn {
        items(filteredItems) { item ->
            ItemRow(item)
        }
    }
}

Side Effects

// LaunchedEffect for coroutine-based side effects
@Composable
fun UserProfile(userId: String, viewModel: UserViewModel) {
    LaunchedEffect(userId) {
        viewModel.loadUser(userId)
    }

    // UI content
}

// DisposableEffect for cleanup
@Composable
fun LifecycleAwareComponent(lifecycle: Lifecycle) {
    DisposableEffect(lifecycle) {
        val observer = LifecycleEventObserver { _, event ->
            // Handle lifecycle events
        }
        lifecycle.addObserver(observer)

        onDispose {
            lifecycle.removeObserver(observer)
        }
    }
}

// SideEffect for non-suspend side effects
@Composable
fun AnalyticsScreen(screenName: String) {
    SideEffect {
        analytics.logScreenView(screenName)
    }
}

Common Patterns

Navigation with Navigation Compose

@Composable
fun AppNavigation() {
    val navController = rememberNavController()

    NavHost(navController = navController, startDestination = "home") {
        composable("home") {
            HomeScreen(
                onNavigateToDetail = { id ->
                    navController.navigate("detail/$id")
                }
            )
        }
        composable(
            route = "detail/{itemId}",
            arguments = listOf(navArgument("itemId") { type = NavType.StringType })
        ) { backStackEntry ->
            val itemId = backStackEntry.arguments?.getString("itemId")
            DetailScreen(itemId = itemId)
        }
    }
}

Material 3 Theming

@Composable
fun AppTheme(
    darkTheme: Boolean = isSystemInDarkTheme(),
    content: @Composable () -> Unit
) {
    val colorScheme = when {
        darkTheme -> darkColorScheme(
            primary = Purple80,
            secondary = PurpleGrey80,
            tertiary = Pink80
        )
        else -> lightColorScheme(
            primary = Purple40,
            secondary = PurpleGrey40,
            tertiary = Pink40
        )
    }

    MaterialTheme(
        colorScheme = colorScheme,
        typography = Typography,
        content = content
    )
}

// Using theme values
@Composable
fun ThemedCard() {
    Card(
        colors = CardDefaults.cardColors(
            containerColor = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surfaceVariant
        )
    ) {
        Text(
            text = "Themed content",
            style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodyLarge,
            color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant
        )
    }
}

Lists and Grids

@Composable
fun ProductGrid(products: List<Product>) {
    LazyVerticalGrid(
        columns = GridCells.Adaptive(minSize = 160.dp),
        contentPadding = PaddingValues(16.dp),
        horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(16.dp),
        verticalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(16.dp)
    ) {
        items(products, key = { it.id }) { product ->
            ProductCard(product)
        }
    }
}

// Sticky headers
@Composable
fun ContactList(contacts: Map<Char, List<Contact>>) {
    LazyColumn {
        contacts.forEach { (initial, contactsForInitial) ->
            stickyHeader {
                Text(
                    text = initial.toString(),
                    modifier = Modifier
                        .fillMaxWidth()
                        .background(MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surface)
                        .padding(16.dp),
                    style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleMedium
                )
            }
            items(contactsForInitial) { contact ->
                ContactItem(contact)
            }
        }
    }
}

Anti-Patterns

Avoid Side Effects in Composition

Bad:

@Composable
fun BadExample(viewModel: ViewModel) {
    viewModel.loadData()  // Called on every recomposition!

    Text("Data loaded")
}

Good:

@Composable
fun GoodExample(viewModel: ViewModel) {
    LaunchedEffect(Unit) {
        viewModel.loadData()
    }

    Text("Data loaded")
}

Don't Read State in Remember Block

Bad:

@Composable
fun BadCounter(initial: Int) {
    // Won't update when initial changes
    var count by remember { mutableStateOf(initial) }
}

Good:

@Composable
fun GoodCounter(initial: Int) {
    var count by remember(initial) { mutableStateOf(initial) }
}

Avoid Heavy Computation During Composition

Bad:

@Composable
fun BadList(items: List<Item>) {
    // Runs on every recomposition
    val sorted = items.sortedBy { it.name }
    LazyColumn { /* ... */ }
}

Good:

@Composable
fun GoodList(items: List<Item>) {
    val sorted by remember(items) {
        derivedStateOf { items.sortedBy { it.name } }
    }
    LazyColumn { /* ... */ }
}

Related Skills

  • android-architecture: MVVM and clean architecture patterns
  • android-kotlin-coroutines: Async operations in Compose

FAQ

What does the android-jetpack-compose skill do?

Use when building Android UIs with Jetpack Compose, managing state with remember/mutableStateOf, or implementing declarative UI patterns.

How do I install android-jetpack-compose?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/expo/agent-templates --skill android-jetpack-compose in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/android-jetpack-compose/ (personal) or .claude/skills/android-jetpack-compose/ (project).

Which AI agents can use android-jetpack-compose?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is android-jetpack-compose safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains android-jetpack-compose?

It is published by expo in expo/agent-templates. It has 43 recorded installs.

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