Android Rust CLI

A command-line tool for scaffolding Android and Kotlin Multiplatform projects with Rust integration. Generate production-ready project templates with customizable package names, JNI bindings, and iOS C FFI support.

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Features

• Instant Project Setup — Create fully-configured Android + Rust projects in seconds
• Multiple Templates — Standard, multi-module, and KMP (Kotlin Multiplatform) layouts
• KMP Support — Kotlin Multiplatform template with Rust integration for both Android (JNI) and iOS (C FFI)
• Interactive Prompts — Project name, template, and package name are prompted interactively
• Smart Package Management — Automatic package name substitution across Kotlin, Rust, Gradle, and Xcode configs
• 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
• jni 0.22 Support — All templates use the latest jni crate with EnvUnowned and error policies

Installation

Important

Please use version 0.3.2 or later for KMP template support and interactive project name prompts.

cargo install android-rust-cli

Quick Start

# Create a new project (fully interactive — prompts for name, template, package)
android-rust new

# Create with a specific name
android-rust new my-app

# Initialize in current directory
android-rust init

# Specify everything via flags (non-interactive)
android-rust new my-app --template kmp-mobile --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]

When NAME is omitted, the CLI will interactively prompt for a project name.

Option	Description
--template <NAME>	Template to use (standard, multi-module, kmp-mobile)
--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
kmp-mobile	Kotlin Multiplatform (Android + iOS) with Rust via JNI and C FFI

KMP Mobile Template

The kmp-mobile template generates a full Kotlin Multiplatform project with:

• Compose Multiplatform UI shared across Android and iOS
• Rust workspace with three crates:
  • core — Shared pure Rust logic
  • android — JNI bindings (cdylib) using jni 0.22
  • ios — C FFI bindings (staticlib) with header file
• Kotlin expect/actual pattern for RustBridge across platforms
• iOS cinterop setup with .def file and header includes
• Xcode project ready for iOS builds
• Android Rust Gradle Plugin integration for both Android and iOS Rust builds

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 (optional):

[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)
   • {{ project_name }} — Project/folder name (e.g., my-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:

• Project name: my-project
• Package: dev.rodroid.rust
• Template: standard (if available)

Credits

Rodroid Mods