原始内容
Amethyst Builder Skill
Build customized Amethyst Nostr clients for Android. Fork, rebrand, customize, and distribute your own version.
Overview
Amethyst is the premier Nostr client for Android. This skill enables you to:
- Create rebranded versions (custom name, package, icons)
- Build F-Droid-compatible releases (no Google Play dependencies)
- Add or modify features
- Sign and distribute APKs
Prerequisites
Required Tools
Java 21 (via SDKMAN)
curl -s "https://get.sdkman.io" | bash source "$HOME/.sdkman/bin/sdkman-init.sh" sdk install java 21.0.5-tem sdk use java 21.0.5-temAndroid SDK
- Command-line tools from https://developer.android.com/studio#command-line-tools-only
- Required components: build-tools, platform-tools, platforms;android-37
- The exact SDK level is
android-compileSdkingradle/libs.versions.toml— check there if this number has drifted.
Git for cloning the repository
Environment Setup
export ANDROID_HOME=$HOME/Android/Sdk
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/cmdline-tools/latest/bin
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools
Build Workflow
1. Clone the Repository
mkdir -p ~/projects/your-app-name
cd ~/projects/your-app-name
git clone https://github.com/vitorpamplona/amethyst.git .
2. Create Signing Key
keytool -genkeypair -v \
-keystore ./release-key.jks \
-alias your-app \
-keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 \
-validity 10000
Create keystore.properties in project root:
storeFile=release-key.jks
storePassword=your-password
keyAlias=your-app
keyPassword=your-password
3. Configure Signing
Add to amethyst/build.gradle.kts inside the android {} block:
val keystorePropertiesFile = rootProject.file("keystore.properties")
val keystoreProperties = Properties()
if (keystorePropertiesFile.exists()) {
keystorePropertiesFile.inputStream().use { keystoreProperties.load(it) }
}
signingConfigs {
create("release") {
if (keystorePropertiesFile.exists()) {
storeFile = rootProject.file(keystoreProperties["storeFile"] as String)
storePassword = keystoreProperties["storePassword"] as String
keyAlias = keystoreProperties["keyAlias"] as String
keyPassword = keystoreProperties["keyPassword"] as String
}
}
}
This needs import java.util.Properties at the top of the file.
Update the release buildType to use the signing config:
buildTypes {
getByName("release") {
signingConfig = signingConfigs.getByName("release")
// ... existing config
}
}
Verify with ./gradlew :amethyst:signingReport — the release variants should
report your keystore rather than ~/.android/debug.keystore.
4. Disable Google Services (Required for F-Droid)
⚠️ CRITICAL: The Google Services plugin fails when you change the package name. For F-Droid builds, disable it.
Edit amethyst/build.gradle.kts, comment out the plugin:
plugins {
alias(libs.plugins.androidApplication)
// alias(libs.plugins.googleServices) // DISABLED for F-Droid
alias(libs.plugins.jetbrainsComposeCompiler)
alias(libs.plugins.serialization)
alias(libs.plugins.googleKsp)
}
5. Build
source "$HOME/.sdkman/bin/sdkman-init.sh"
sdk use java 21.0.5-tem
./gradlew assembleFdroidRelease
Build time: ~9 minutes first build, faster on subsequent builds.
6. Locate APKs
Output directory: amethyst/build/outputs/apk/fdroid/release/
Files generated:
amethyst-fdroid-arm64-v8a-release.apk- ARM64 (most phones)amethyst-fdroid-universal-release.apk- All architectures (larger)
Customizations
Change App Name
Edit amethyst/src/main/res/values/strings.xml:
<string name="app_name" translatable="false">YourAppName</string>
<string name="app_name_debug" translatable="false">YourAppName Debug</string>
Change Package ID
Edit amethyst/build.gradle.kts:
android {
defaultConfig {
applicationId = "com.yourcompany.yourapp"
}
}
Change Project Name
Edit settings.gradle.kts:
rootProject.name = "YourAppName"
Change App Icon
Replace icon files in:
amethyst/src/main/res/mipmap-*/ic_launcher.webpamethyst/src/main/res/mipmap-*/ic_launcher_round.webp
Add Client Tag to Posts
Make your app identify itself on posts with ["client", "YourAppName"].
You do not need to add the tag per event type. The client tag is applied
centrally by NostrSignerWithClientTag, a signer decorator that appends the tag
to everything it signs (and respects the user's "add client tag" privacy
setting). Changing the name is a one-constant edit:
Edit amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/model/accountsCache/AccountCacheState.kt:
const val CLIENT_TAG_NAME = "YourAppName"
That constant is passed to NostrSignerWithClientTag when the account's signer
is built, so every signed event carries your name.
The tag itself lives in
quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip89AppHandlers/clientTag/
(ClientTag, TagArrayBuilderExt, NostrSignerWithClientTag) — you only need to
touch it if you want the optional NIP-89 handler address / relay hint variants.
Modify Default Relays
Edit commons/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/commons/defaults/Constants.kt
(see also AmethystDefaults.kt and DefaultDmIndexerRelays.kt in the same folder).
Troubleshooting
google-services.json error
Disable the Google Services plugin (see step 4).
Java version error
sdk use java 21.0.5-tem
java -version # Must show 21.x
Out of memory
Edit gradle.properties:
org.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx4g -XX:MaxMetaspaceSize=512m
Clean build
./gradlew --stop
./gradlew clean
./gradlew assembleFdroidRelease
Distribution
Deploy APKs via:
- Surge.sh:
surge ./releases your-app.surge.sh - Zapstore: Submit to zapstore.dev
- Direct download: Host on any web server