Mobile Checkpoint Skill

Comprehensive checkpoint workflow for Android development safety and state recovery.

When to Use

Before risky operations:

• Large refactors (MVI migration, architecture changes)
• Gradle updates (./gradlew wrapper, dependency upgrades)
• Manifest changes (permissions, components)
• Navigation restructuring
• Experimental features

After milestones:

• Feature completion
• Passing all tests
• Successful release build
• Performance optimization

Checkpoint Workflow

1. Pre-Operation Check

# Verify clean state
git status
./gradlew check

# Create checkpoint
/mobile-checkpoint save before-<operation>

2. Perform Operation

# Make your changes
# ... edits, refactors, updates ...

# Verify build
./gradlew build

3. Post-Operation Verification

# If successful - create new checkpoint
/mobile-checkpoint save after-<operation>

# If failed - restore
/mobile-checkpoint restore before-<operation>

Checkpoint Content Levels

Level	Content	Use Case
Quick	Git status, branch, recent files	Quick experiments
Standard	+ Build config, tests	Default for most ops
Full	+ Dependencies, manifest, instincts	Major refactors, releases

State Recovery

Git State Recovery

/mobile-checkpoint restore <name>
# Agent will:
# 1. Show git diff to current state
# 2. Offer git reset --hard <commit>
# 3. Restore staged/unstaged changes

Dependency Recovery

# Checkpoint includes:
# - build.gradle.kts files
# - gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
# - version catalog (libs.versions.toml)

# Agent provides diff for manual restoration

Test State Recovery

# Checkpoint shows:
# - Previous test results
# - Failing tests (if any)
# - Coverage metrics

# Run tests to verify state:
./gradlew test

Auto-Checkpoint Integration

The checkpoint system integrates with hooks:

// hooks/checkpoint-hooks.json
{
    "trigger": "PreToolUse",
    "matcher": "tool == \"Bash\" && command contains \"gradle\"",
    "action": "Create quick checkpoint"
}

{
    "trigger": "PostToolUse",
    "matcher": "tool == \"Edit\" && file == \"AndroidManifest.xml\"",
    "action": "Create standard checkpoint"
}

Checkpoint Naming Convention

Use descriptive names with operation and context:

Name Pattern	Example
before-{operation}	before-mvi-migration
after-{operation}	after-koin-refactor
{feature}-complete	auth-flow-complete
{version}-rc	v1.2.0-rc1
working-{date}	working-2026-02-03

Avoid: checkpoint1, save, temp

Checkpoint Management

List Checkpoints

/mobile-checkpoint list
# Output:
# before-mvi-refactor    2 hours ago    Standard
# auth-feature-done     1 day ago      Full
# working-0203          2 days ago     Quick

Delete Old Checkpoints

# Keep last 10
/mobile-checkpoint prune --keep 10

# Delete specific
/mobile-checkpoint delete working-0203

Export for Backup

# Export to file
/mobile-checkpoint export release-ready > ~/backups/mobile-checkpoint.json

# Import from file
/mobile-checkpoint import ~/backups/mobile-checkpoint.json

Integration with Instincts

Checkpoints preserve instinct learning:

{
    "instincts": {
        "version": "2.0",
        "count": 47,
        "highConfidence": 23,
        "lastUpdated": "2026-02-03T10:30:00Z"
    }
}

Restoring a checkpoint also restores your learned patterns.

Troubleshooting

Restore Fails

1. Check git state: git status
2. Verify checkpoint integrity: /mobile-checkpoint verify <name>
3. Manual recovery: Checkout commit manually

Missing Dependencies

1. Checkpoint shows original versions
2. Restore build.gradle.kts manually
3. Run ./gradlew --refresh-dependencies

Tests Differ After Restore

1. Tests may have changed between checkpoint and now
2. Checkpoint captures test STATE, not test CODE
3. Use git diff to see test file changes

Best Practices

1. Checkpoint Before: Always save before major changes
2. Name Clearly: Use operation-based names
3. Verify After: Run tests before confirming checkpoint
4. Clean Regularly: Remove old checkpoints monthly
5. Export Milestones: Export before releases
6. Trust Git: Checkpoints complement, don't replace, version control

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Remember: A checkpoint is a safety net, not a time machine. It shows you what changed, not how to undo every change.