Android Rust CLI

A command-line tool for scaffolding Android projects with Rust JNI integration. Generate production-ready project templates with customizable package names and support for multiple architectural patterns.

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Features

• Instant Project Setup — Create fully-configured Android + Rust projects in seconds
• Multiple Templates — Standard, multi-module, and bottom navigation layouts
• Smart Package Management — Automatic package name substitution across Java/Kotlin and Rust
• Environment Diagnostics — doctor command checks your toolchain setup
• Shell Completions — Full support for bash, zsh, fish, and PowerShell
• Dry Run Mode — Preview what will be created before writing files
• Custom Templates — Bring your own templates from any directory
• JNI Convention Handling — Automatic package name encoding for JNI bindings

Installation

Important

Please use version 0.3.0 or later. Previous versions had issues with packaging (missing files on crates.io).

cargo install android-rust-cli

Quick Start

# Create a new project (interactive mode)
android-rust new my-app

# Initialize in current directory
android-rust init

# Specify template and package name
android-rust new my-app --template standard --package-name com.example.app

# Preview without creating files
android-rust new my-app --dry-run

# See available templates with descriptions
android-rust list-templates

Commands

new — Create a New Project

android-rust new <name> [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
--template <NAME>	Template to use (standard, multi-module, bottom-nav)
--package-name <PKG>	Android package name (e.g., com.example.app)
--template-path <PATH>	Use custom templates from directory
--force	Overwrite existing files
--dry-run	Preview without creating files

init — Initialize in Current Directory

android-rust init [OPTIONS]

Initialize a new project directly in the current directory.

# Init with standard template (default)
android-rust init

# Init with specific template
android-rust init --template multi-module

list-templates — View Available Templates

android-rust list-templates [--template-path <PATH>]

doctor — Check Environment

Diagnose your development environment:

android-rust doctor

Checks:

• ✓ Rust toolchain version
• ✓ Android NDK installation
• ✓ cargo-ndk availability
• ✓ Required Android targets

completions — Generate Shell Completions

# Bash
android-rust completions bash > ~/.local/share/bash-completion/completions/android-rust

# Zsh
android-rust completions zsh > ~/.zfunc/_android-rust

# Fish
android-rust completions fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/android-rust.fish

# PowerShell
android-rust completions powershell > android-rust.ps1

Templates

Template	Description
standard	Basic Android + Rust JNI project with single module
multi-module	Clean architecture with app, domain, and data modules
bottom-nav	Bottom navigation layout with Jetpack Compose

Custom Templates

Use your own template directories:

# List custom templates
android-rust list-templates --template-path /path/to/templates

# Generate from custom template
android-rust new my-app --template-path /path/to/templates --template my-template

Creating Custom Templates

1. Create a directory for your template
2. Add a template.toml file:

[template]
description = "My custom Android + Rust template"
features = ["jni", "compose", "custom"]

3. Use Jinja2 template syntax in files:

   • {{ package_name }} — Package name (e.g., com.example.app)
   • {{ package_path }} — Package path (e.g., com/example/app)
   • {{ jni_package }} — JNI-encoded package (e.g., com_example_app)

4. Use __package_path__ in directory names to create package structure

Non-Interactive Mode

For CI/CD pipelines, all options can be specified via flags:

android-rust new my-app --template standard --package-name com.mycompany.app

Defaults when stdin is not a terminal:

• Package: dev.rodroid.rust
• Template: standard (if available)

Credits

Rodroid Mods