Google Introduces Lightbuild Experimental Android Build System
Google has released documentation for Lightbuild, an experimental build system for Android projects currently available in Android Studio Canary builds.
Google published setup documentation on October 28, 2026, for Lightbuild, an experimental build system for Android projects that runs in Android Studio Canary builds and from the command line. Google labels the preview as changing, stating it does not support every Android build feature, and recommends sticking to Kotlin DSL for production apps, existing projects, or ambitious new apps while reserving the preview for small apps, prototypes, and demos.
Using Lightbuild in an IDE requires the latest Canary version of Android Studio, which installs alongside stable releases. To build and test from the terminal or let AI agents work on a project, you install the Lightbuild CLI after installing or updating Android CLI via the android update command.
Projects are created in Android Studio Canary by selecting Lightbuild in the "Build configuration language" list during the New Project flow, which works with compatible templates like Empty Activity and Navigation UI Activity, or when AI generates a new project. From the command line, Android CLI creates a project via commands such as android create empty-activity-lightbuild --name="Lightbuild Demo" --output=lightbuild-demo.
You build and test using the lightbuild command from the project root, running lightbuild build app for the app module and lightbuild test app-core for tests. You handle device runs, emulators, screenshots, and UI inspection through Android CLI. The documentation includes project structure, a configuration reference, publishing to Google Play, and a Kotlin DSL comparison page.