Setup Windows

A one-time setup of your Windows PC so the kit can build, run, and ship Android apps. You do this once per computer. Follow the steps in order — each ends with a quick check so you know it worked before moving on.

On a Mac? Use Setup macOS. On Linux? Use Setup Linux.

The fast path: install the tools below, then — after you've cloned the kit — run /kit-env-check inside it. That command verifies everything in one shot and prints the exact fix for anything missing.

Run PowerShell as a regular user (not Administrator) for Scoop. Restart your terminal after any environment-variable change.

What you're installing:

1. Scoop — package manager
2. JDK 17 — the Java the build runs on
3. Android Studio — only for the SDK + emulator (you won't code in it)
4. ANDROID_HOME — tells the tools where the SDK lives
5. Node.js — runs the CLI agents (Claude Code, OpenCode, Codex); install it if you use one
6. An AI agent — Claude Code, Cursor, Antigravity, OpenCode, or Codex (runs the /kit-* commands)
7. android CLI + Android Skills — Android know-how for the agent
8. GitHub CLI (gh) — backs your app up to GitHub (used by /kit-save-to-github)
9. scrcpy (optional) — screen mirroring

💡 You do not write code in Android Studio. The kit is built entirely from the terminal via your AI agent. Android Studio is here only to download the Android SDK.

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1. Scoop — package manager

Scoop is a Windows package manager (the equivalent of Homebrew on a Mac) — it installs the other tools below with one command each.

Open PowerShell as a regular user — press Win, type powershell, and click Windows PowerShell. Do not run it as Administrator: Scoop installs without admin rights and will complain if you do.

Run these two lines, one at a time:

1. Allow your user account to run locally-created and signed remote scripts:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

If it asks you to confirm, type Y and press Enter.

2. Download and run the Scoop installer (it installs into ~\scoop):

Invoke-RestMethod -Uri https://get.scoop.sh | Invoke-Expression

Verify: run scoop --version. A version number means you're set. If it says the command isn't recognized, close and reopen PowerShell so it picks up the updated PATH, then try again.

You'll see the older shorthand iwr -useb get.scoop.sh | iex floating around online — Invoke-RestMethod above is the modern equivalent and does the same thing.

2. JDK 17

scoop bucket add java
scoop install openjdk17

Scoop sets JAVA_HOME automatically. Verify: java -version → 17.x.

3. Android Studio

Download from developer.android.com/studio and install. On first launch, open SDK Manager (the ⋮ menu next to Clone Repository → SDK Manager):

In the SDK Manager, enable Android 15 (API 35) and Android SDK Command-line Tools (latest) (under the SDK Tools tab), then click Apply.

4. ANDROID_HOME

Open System Properties → Environment Variables and add a new user variable:

Then add these to your Path:

%ANDROID_HOME%\platform-tools
%ANDROID_HOME%\cmdline-tools\latest\bin
%ANDROID_HOME%\emulator

Restart your terminal. Verify: adb --version.

5. Node.js

scoop install nodejs

Verify: node --version.

6. An AI agent

Pick any one (all five run the /kit-* commands):

• Claude Code — npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code, then claude to log in
• OpenCode — npm install -g opencode-ai, then opencode
• Codex — npm install -g @openai/codex, then codex
• Cursor — download the app from cursor.com
• Google Antigravity — download from antigravity.google

The CLI agents (Claude Code, OpenCode, Codex) need Node.js from the previous step; Cursor and Antigravity are standalone apps. See Requirements for what each is.

Verify (CLI agents): claude --version or opencode --version.

7. android CLI + Android Skills

Downloading the android CLI directly from PowerShell isn't supported — get it via browser from developer.android.com/tools/agents and add the downloaded file to your Path.

New to editing the Windows PATH? This short video shows exactly how to take a downloaded CLI file and add it to your system PATH — the same steps work for the android CLI here and for gh in the next section:

Once it's on your Path, close and reopen PowerShell, then:

android update
android skills add --all

Verify: android --version and android skills list.

8. GitHub CLI (gh)

gh is how the kit backs your app up to your own private GitHub repo — /kit-save-to-github uses it to create the repo and push, with no git commands for you to learn. GitHub's recommended install is WinGet:

winget install --id GitHub.cli
gh auth login

Prefer a download? Grab the MSI installer from GitHub's official page, cli.github.com (the Install dropdown → Windows — Download MSI). scoop install gh also works if you use Scoop. At the login prompts pick GitHub.com → HTTPS → Login with a web browser. Verify: gh auth status.

WinGet and the MSI installer add gh to your Path for you. If you grabbed a plain download instead and gh isn't recognized, add its folder to your Path the same way as the android CLI — see the PATH video in step 7 above.

Prefer clicking to typing? GitHub Desktop (optional) is a friendly GUI for the same thing — see your changes and push with a button. The kit works with either; gh is what /kit-save-to-github automates for you.

scrcpy (optional)

scrcpy mirrors your Android phone on your PC — you see the screen in a window and control it with your mouse and keyboard. Great for testing and recording without picking up the device.

scoop install scrcpy

Windows gotcha: in the kit's local.properties, write the SDK path with escaped (doubled) backslashes — sdk.dir=C:\\Users\\You\\AppData\\Local\\Android\\Sdk — because a Java .properties file reads a single \ as an escape character. /kit-start-setup handles this for you.

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Verify everything — /kit-env-check

Once the tools are installed and you've created your project, open it in your AI agent and run:

It checks JDK 17, ANDROID_HOME, adb, the android CLI, the Android Skills, and the optional tools — and prints the exact install command for anything still missing. Green across the board means you're ready.

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Troubleshooting

Still stuck? Run /kit-env-check — it diagnoses and prints the fix.

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Next: Creating a New Project — clone the kit and run it for the first time.