Composite Build Manager — JetBrains Plugin

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An Android Studio plugin for managing multi-module Composite Build configuration.

Features

Feature	Description
Module status visualization	Displays LOCAL / MAVEN / MISSING status for all submodules
One-click toggle	Check/uncheck to switch includeBuild; state is written automatically and takes effect on the next Gradle build
Batch operations	Switch all modules to LOCAL or MAVEN with a single click
Download missing modules	Click the "↓ Download" button to auto-clone missing submodules
Gradle Sync	Trigger Gradle sync after config changes; button highlights when there are unsynced changes
Branch management	Shows the current Git branch for each module; supports one-click switching with uncommitted-change checks
Search & filter	Filter modules by name
Context menu	Right-click in the Project view → Composite Build for quick access
Auto-refresh	Refreshes the latest toggle state when the panel is shown or collapsed/expanded
Custom components	Manually add local components with dependency substitution rules; paths are persisted
Line markers	Shows line markers in build.gradle for dependencies that can use composite build; supports group:artifact resolution from Version Catalog

Screenshots

  

Build

cd composite-build-plugin/
./gradlew clean buildPlugin

The artifact is located at: build/distributions/composite-build-plugin-*.zip

Installation

1. Android Studio → Settings → Plugins
2. Click the gear icon → Install Plugin from Disk…
3. Select build/distributions/composite-build-plugin-*.zip
4. Restart Android Studio

Usage

1. After opening a project, find the Composite Build Tool Window on the right side
2. Go to Settings → Tools → Composite Build Manager and configure the component config file path
3. Check/uncheck module checkboxes to toggle LOCAL / MAVEN mode
4. Click the ⟳ Sync Gradle button to sync Gradle

File Overview

File	Role
Component config file (path configured in plugin settings)	Read-only: module registry (name, repo URL, flavorAware flag)
~/.gradle/init.d/cbm.gradle	Gradle init script auto-deployed by the plugin; reads the state file and injects includeBuild config at build time
.idea/cbm/modules.json	State file written by the plugin in the project's .idea directory; records which modules have composite build enabled; consumed by the init script at build time
.idea/cbm/snapshots.json	Snapshot file written by the plugin; stores LOCAL module snapshots and branch information per branch for quick recovery when switching branches

Config File Format

The file uses JSON5 format, which supports comments and trailing commas.

Top-level structure

{
  "repositories": {
    "<moduleName>": { ... },
    ...
  }
}

Module key names

Each key corresponds to an entry in the [libraries] section of gradle/libs.versions.toml (underscore-separated). The plugin uses this key to map between the Version Catalog and the local directory.

Module fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
url	String	Yes	SSH URL of the submodule Git repository; used for git clone when downloading
path	String	No	Absolute path to the local directory; when set, the plugin uses this path instead of the default ../<moduleName>_project convention
flavorAware	Boolean	No	When true, the plugin generates flavor-aware dependency substitution rules (default: false)

Local directory convention

Submodules are cloned into a directory sibling to the main project named ../<moduleName>_project, for example:

workspace/
├── jm_android_project/     ← main project
└── jm_network_project/     ← clone location for jm_network

Example

{
  "repositories": {
    // Standard module: only a Git URL is needed; local dir defaults to ../<moduleName>_project
    "jm_network": {
      "url": "xxx:xx/jm_network.git",
    },

    // Explicit local path: when path is set, the convention is ignored
    "jm_common": {
      "url": "xxx:xx/jm_common.git",
      "path": "/Users/dev/projects/jm_common",
    },

    // flavorAware module: generates flavor-dimension dependency substitution rules
    "jm_manto": {
      "url": "xxx:xx/manto_project.git",
      "flavorAware": true
    },
  }
}

Compatibility

• Android Studio Hedgehog (2023.3.1) and above
• IntelliJ IDEA 2023.3+

Changelog

Version	New Features	Bug Fixes
1.0.13	• Added JetBrains IDE MCP server support to expose composite build components as MCP tools • Added English and Chinese promotional images • Updated composite_build icon with dark theme support	• Refactored CBM state file storage to .idea/cbm directory • Fixed MCP jar local reference and reorganized config blocks • Implemented dynamic Android Studio path detection via local.properties • Fixed filter checkbox greying/clickability when MAVEN count is zero
1.0.12	• Added internationalization support and resource file refactoring • Added project configuration feature and UI refactoring • Config file supports path field to specify local path instead of the default convention	—
1.0.11	—	• Fixed LocalBuildScanner logic for filtering app module • Hide line marker "+" when config file does not exist
1.0.10	—	Removed IncludeBuildWriter; composite build is now managed entirely by cbm.init.gradle
1.0.9	• Support resolving group:artifact from Version Catalog (libs.xxx) • Added dependency substitution rules and line markers for custom components	• Fixed false positives when resolving Version Catalog dependencies • Improved error handling and user feedback when adding custom modules • Auto Gradle Sync on custom component deletion only when in LOCAL state • Auto-cancel CUSTOM filter after deleting a custom component
1.0.8	• Added CUSTOM filter and custom component deletion • Added manual local component addition with persistent path and composite build support	• Fixed filter count not auto-unchecking and greying out when zero • Fixed header select-all checkbox not hidden in CUSTOM mode • Extended module key regex to support hyphens
1.0.7	• Added save/restore LOCAL module snapshot per branch	• Fixed full branch refresh triggered when checking a module to LOCAL • Branch loading now only happens on init and Refresh button click
1.0.6	• Branch dialog retains origin/ prefix for remote branches • Branch list shows local branches first, then remote • Auto-create local tracking branch when switching to a remote branch • Show loading animation in branch column while refreshing LOCAL modules	• Fixed branch name disappearing for MAVEN modules during branch refresh
1.0.5	• Support auto-generation of flavor dependencySubstitution • Added select-all checkbox in table header • Added LOCAL / MAVEN mutually exclusive filter at the bottom with status count	• Fixed Sync Gradle button false-red after restart • Fixed dependency substitution issues for multiple flavorAware components • Fixed mutual interference between multiple enabled flavorAware components • Fixed config/usage being parsed as a module after the repositories block ends • Fixed Refresh button not reloading config file
1.0.4	• Allow MAVEN modules to switch branches • Show loading animation in checkbox position while downloading	• Fixed status still showing LOCAL after local directory is deleted • Fixed branch list showing only one branch
1.0.3	• Show actual local Git branch • Support branch switching with uncommitted-change check • Adaptive branch column width with async caching • Sync button highlights when there are pending changes	• Fixed deprecated API warnings • Fixed branch column minimum width too small • Changed default tool window width to 300
1.0.2	• Added tool window icon • Auto-refresh toggle state when panel is shown • Show pending Sync reminder after config changes	• Fixed pending Sync hint not disappearing after unchecking • Fixed unable to refresh state when tool window is collapsed/expanded • Removed plugin version upper limit for broader IDE compatibility
1.0.1	• Changed to manual Gradle Sync trigger	• Fixed status column icon overflowing into checkbox column
1.0.0	• Initial release: visualize LOCAL / MAVEN / MISSING status • Toggle includeBuild and auto-write config • One-click Gradle Sync • Download missing modules	—