ftc-split-deploy

Deploy your FTC team code to the robot in seconds, not minutes.

This Gradle plugin packages your TeamCode module as a split APK (usually under 100 KB) and installs only that split on top of the already-installed Robot Controller app. An edit → robot-running cycle takes a few seconds instead of rebuilding and pushing the whole ~70 MB app.

Compared to classloader-based hot-reload tools, this uses only official Android mechanisms (package-manager split-install sessions, Android 5+):

• ✅ Nothing custom runs inside the RC app — no reflection, no classloader swapping, nothing that can crash the robot
• ✅ Deployed code is persistent across robot power cycles
• ✅ OpModes are discovered normally (the FTC SDK scans split APKs natively)
• ✅ OnBotJava, Blocks, FTC Dashboard keep working
• ✅ Works on the REV Control Hub (Android 7.1) and phone RCs

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Quick start

Your project must be a standard FtcRobotController workspace (SDK 8.x+ / Android Gradle Plugin 8.x). Installation is two edits:

1. settings.gradle (project root) — replace the whole file with:

pluginManagement {
    repositories {
        maven { url 'https://repo.cyclezlab.com' }
        gradlePluginPortal()
        google()
        mavenCentral()
    }
}

plugins {
    id 'ftc.splitdeploy' version '0.1.0'
}

include ':FtcRobotController'
include ':TeamCode'

2. TeamCode/build.gradle — delete one line:

apply from: '../build.common.gradle'   // <-- DELETE THIS LINE (the plugin replaces it)

Keep everything else (your namespace, build.dependencies.gradle, dependencies, manifest, code) exactly as it is.

3. Sync and go

./gradlew initSplitDeploy    # optional: adds run configs to the Android Studio dropdown
./gradlew installFullApp     # once: full install of base + your code
./gradlew deployTeamCode     # every edit afterwards: seconds instead of minutes

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Daily usage

Action	Task / dropdown entry	When
Fast deploy	deployTeamCode / “TeamCode fast deploy”	After every code edit. Builds + installs only your split, restarts the RC app.
Full install	installFullApp / “Robot full install”	First time; after changing build.dependencies.gradle, the FTC SDK version, or anything outside TeamCode.
Generate run configs	initSplitDeploy	Once per project (writes .run/*.xml, shared with the whole team via git).

In Android Studio: pick TeamCode fast deploy in the run-configuration dropdown once, then just press Run after each edit.

Troubleshooting

• "not installed as base+TeamCode splits" → run installFullApp once. Also happens after a REV Hardware Client / stock-app reinstall replaced the app.
• Multiple devices attached → set ANDROID_SERIAL=<serial>.
• Library version changed but robot behaves old → libraries live in the base APK: run installFullApp.
• Webcam calibration file: the SDK reads res/xml/teamwebcamcalibrations.xml from the base APK. If your team uses it, move it to <project root>/base-res/xml/teamwebcamcalibrations.xml (picked up automatically). Assets in TeamCode/src/main/assets need no move — they deploy via the fast path.

---

How it works

settings.gradle: id 'ftc.splitdeploy'
        │
        ├── generates .splitdeploy/FtcBase  ← synthetic base app module
        │     (FtcRobotController + FTC SDK + all libraries; git-ignored,
        │      you never edit it; appId/version/signing match stock)
        │
        └── configures :TeamCode as com.android.dynamic-feature
              → your code compiles into split_TeamCode.apk

deployTeamCode pushes the split and commits it with an inheriting package-installer session (pm install-create -r -t -p), so Android replaces just that one split of the installed app, then restarts it. On restart, the FTC SDK's ClassManager re-scans OpMode annotations — including split dexes, via ApplicationInfo.splitSourceDirs — so new/renamed OpModes appear on the Driver Station with zero glue code.

The deploy is a clean app restart (USB hardware re-enumerates), so expect ~4–8 s end-to-end. That's the price of stock-app reliability.

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Alternative installation (offline / hacking on the plugin)

Clone this repo next to your robot project and use a composite build:

// settings.gradle
pluginManagement {
    includeBuild('../ftc-split-deploy')
    repositories { gradlePluginPortal(); google(); mavenCentral() }
}
plugins { id 'ftc.splitdeploy' }

include ':FtcRobotController'
include ':TeamCode'

Same two-edit rule applies (delete the build.common.gradle line in TeamCode/build.gradle). This is handy for hacking on the plugin itself.

---

Project layout

src/main/groovy/dev/splitdeploy/
├── SplitDeploySettingsPlugin.groovy  # entry point (settings plugin, id: ftc.splitdeploy)
├── FtcBasePlugin.groovy              # synthetic base module config + installFullApp
├── TeamCodeFeaturePlugin.groovy      # dynamic-feature config + deployTeamCode/initSplitDeploy
└── SplitDeployShared.groovy          # signing, version sync, adb helpers

License

MIT — see LICENSE.