adbstart-plugin

A tiny Gradle plugin that adds start tasks (e.g., startDebug, startRelease) to Android/React Native apps. Each task depends on install and then launches the app via adb using the Gradle-resolved applicationId (including any suffix).

Requirements

• Gradle 8.x, Java 17+
• Android Gradle Plugin 8.x in the consumer project

Quick setup

1. settings.gradle

pluginManagement {
    repositories {
        gradlePluginPortal()
        google()
        mavenCentral()
    }
}

2. app/build.gradle

plugins {
    id 'com.android.application'
    id 'org.fbluemle.adbstart'
}

adbStart {
    activity = '.MainActivity'   // or fully qualified name
    // deviceSerial = 'emulator-5554'
    // extraAmArgs = '-W'
    // adbPath = 'adb'
}

Usage

• ./gradlew :app:startDebug
• ./gradlew :app:startRelease

Notes

• AGP is used with compileOnly and accessed reflectively so non-Android builds don't fail.
• If activity starts with '.', it is prefixed with the resolved applicationId; otherwise it is treated as fully qualified.
• Optional flags:
  • deviceSerial: pass a specific device to adb via -s
  • extraAmArgs: extra arguments to am start (e.g., -W)
  • adbPath: custom adb path if needed