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Camerax

Android (Google)OfficialCreated by Google LLCDistributed by Android (Google)

  • Skill
  • Tool integration
  • Software development
  • Apache-2.0
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From the author

Provide technical guidance for Android camera development with CameraX. Use when implementing camera features, handling asynchronous recording lifecycles, wiring low-level hardware interop using CameraX, or integrating ML Kit or Media3 effects.
— the description by Google LLC

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

This skill provides procedural patterns and architectural guidance for building camera applications on Android using CameraX. It covers core workflows such as managing immutable API builders, migrating legacy Camera1 and Camera2 implementations, and integrating modern features like ML Kit and Media3. The skill emphasizes best practices for hardware interop, lifecycle management, and testing to ensure robust performance across diverse Android device form factors.

What it does

  • Provides patterns for CameraX use case binding and lifecycle management.
  • Offers migration paths from legacy Camera1 and Camera2 APIs.
  • Explains immutable builder patterns for recording and capture configurations.
  • Details hardware-level wiring for tap-to-focus and multi-camera setups.
  • Outlines testing strategies using Fakes and Google Truth assertions.
  • Provides guidance on handling device-specific constraints like foldables and thermals.

When to use it

  • When starting a new Android camera project or feature.
  • When refactoring legacy camera code to modern Jetpack libraries.
  • When implementing complex camera features like RAW capture or custom effects.
  • When troubleshooting asynchronous lifecycle or thread safety issues in camera apps.
  • When optimizing camera performance for specific hardware form factors.

Advantages

  • Reduces boilerplate code compared to manual Camera2 implementations.
  • Ensures consistent behavior across diverse Android hardware.
  • Simplifies lifecycle management by binding directly to Activity or Fragment lifecycles.
  • Provides clear patterns for handling complex asynchronous camera events.
  • Promotes testable architecture through the use of Fakes.

Usage examples

“How do I correctly start a video recording in CameraX?”
The agent provides the correct immutable builder pattern, showing how to chain .withAudioEnabled() and reassign the result before calling start().
“What is the best way to migrate my Camera2 code to CameraX?”
The agent outlines the removal of manual thread and session management, and provides a template for initializing ProcessCameraProvider and binding use cases.
“How do I implement tap-to-focus in a Compose-based camera app?”
The agent provides a code snippet using CameraXViewfinder, coordinate transformers, and FocusMeteringAction to handle touch events correctly.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/android/camerax/download
  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip camerax.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Google LLC

This skill provides procedural guidance and standard patterns for building camera applications on Android, with a focus on CameraX, including its Camera2Interop utilities, and Media3 integrations.

Core workflows

Handling immutable API patterns

Various Android camera and media APIs, especially CameraX VideoCapture, use a fluent, immutable builder-like pattern where methods return a new instance. Failing to reassign these results in settings, such as audio, being ignored.

Pattern: Reassignment is required

// WRONG
run {
  val pending = recorder.prepareRecording(context, opts)
  pending.withAudioEnabled() // This returns a new instance which is ignored
  val active = pending.start(exec, listener)
}

// CORRECT
run {
  val pending = recorder.prepareRecording(context, opts)
      .withAudioEnabled() // Chaining works
  val active = pending.start(exec, listener)
}

// ALSO CORRECT
run {
  var pending = recorder.prepareRecording(context, opts)
  pending = pending.withAudioEnabled() // Reassignment
  val active = pending.start(exec, listener)
}

<br />

See immutability for a list of affected classes.

Migrating to CameraX

When migrating legacy camera codebases to the CameraX Jetpack library:

  • Camera1 to CameraX : For migrating legacy android.hardware.Camera implementations, surface handling, and manual lifecycles, see the Camera1 migration guide.

  • Camera2 to CameraX : For migrating more recent but verbose android.hardware.camera2 implementations, session state callbacks, and interop patterns, see the Camera2 migration guide.

Comprehensive feature blueprinting

For multi-step features that involve multiple files and hardware-level wiring, follow the Structural Blueprinting approach to avoid system timeouts. Such complex features include:

  • Manual controls : Break down into the ViewModel state, the controller layer, and the Camera2Interop wiring in the session.

  • RAW capture: Separate JPEG and RAW output configurations into discrete build steps.

  • Custom effects : Prefer Media3Effect or SurfaceProcessor over manual OpenGL pipelines unless absolute performance is required.

  • Low-light : See low-light for Night Mode and LLB guidance.

  • Foldables : See foldables for handling dynamic postures and hinge states.

  • XR, AR, and VR : See xr for spatial tracking, passthrough synchronization, and latency guardrails.

  • Thermals and power : See thermals for managing StreamUseCase optimizations and PowerManager thermal states.

  • Testing and mocking : See testing for using FakeCameraConfig, handling asynchronous lifecycles, and validating analysis pipelines.

  • ML Kit spatial analysis : See mlkit-spatial for coordinate mapping, rotation logic, and mirrored lens handling.

  • Wear OS camera remote : See wear-os for circular UI constraints, Data Layer API syncing, and remote trigger logic.

See expert-blueprints for step-by-step guides.

API discovery

Always use higher-level abstractions instead of low-level manual wiring:

  • Analysis : Use MlKitAnalyzer instead of manual ImageAnalysis.Analyzer.

  • Filters and effects : Use Media3Effect for standard post-processing.

  • Multi-camera : Use ConcurrentCamera APIs for dual-stream setups.

See modern-apis for current recommendations.

Code quality and architectural rules

Adhere to the following Android ecosystem standard patterns when building your camera implementations:

  • Testing, fakes over mocks : Avoid mocking libraries like Mockito, especially for multi-step CameraX interfaces like ImageProxy. Build "Fakes" to verify state rather than unreliable implementation details.

  • Google Truth assertions : Use assertThat over standard JUnit assertions like assertEquals for improved readability.

  • Explicit test runners : Always define an explicit @RunWith for test classes to ensure the CI environment executes them correctly.

  • Semantic UI merging : When building custom camera controls in Compose, such as a button with an Icon and Text, use semantics { mergeDescendants = true } to ensure screen readers announce them as a single, coherent unit.

Hardware and device diversity

Camera apps run on a wide variety of hardware, from mobile phones and foldables to tablets, laptops, and even smart appliances. Have consideration for the specific hardware the app is running on.

  • Form factors: Account for screen size and orientation changes on foldables and tablets.

  • Multi-camera arrays: Some devices have a rear-facing camera and a front-facing camera. Other devices have multiple rear-facing cameras, such as wide-angle and telephoto lenses.

  • Feature parity: Features like flash or auto-focus behave differently across hardware. For example, CameraX handles both physical flash, back, and screen-based flash, front, and both must be considered when implementing flash functionality.

Common pitfalls

  • Asynchronous lifecycles : Check isRecording state before attempting to stop or pause. Handle VideoRecordEvent.Start for UI state updates, not just the initial call.

  • Thread safety: Camera callbacks often run on background executors. Dispatch UI updates on the main thread.

  • Permission handling : Check CAMERA permission; check for RECORD_AUDIO specifically when enabling audio in VideoCapture.

Files

LICENSE


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Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Security

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Attribution and licence

Created by
Google LLC
Publisher
Android (Google) (Official)
Distributed by
Android (Google)
Source
android/skills · camera/camerax · commit bf68e2d
Licence
Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE.txt)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
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