AppFunction Implementation and Configuration

Specialized instructions for generating Kotlin implementations of AppFunctions, handling system-wide configuration, and managing build dependencies.

Instructions

Step 1: Gradle Dependencies & KSP

Add the following to build.gradle.kts. App Functions requires the KSP (Kotlin Symbol Processing) plugin.

1. Version Check: Use the latest library versions from maven.google.com.

implementation(libs.androidx.appfunctions)
implementation(libs.androidx.appfunctions.service)
ksp(libs.androidx.appfunctions.compiler)
build.gradle.kts

ksp {
    arg("appfunctions:aggregateAppFunctions", "true")
}
build.gradle.kts

Step 2: App Metadata XML Setup

Describe the app's capabilities to the LLM by defining res/xml/app_metadata.xml.

<AppFunctionAppMetadata xmlns:appfn="http://schemas.android.com/apk/androidx.appfunctions"
    appfn:description="This app manages personal notes.
    Operational Patterns:
    - Use 'listNotes' to find the correct 'noteId' before calling 'editNote'.
    Constraints:
    - Note editing is only possible for existing IDs returned by the system."
    appfn:displayDescription="@string/user_visible_description" />

Reference this in AndroidManifest.xml within the <application> tag:

<manifest>
    <application>
        <property android:name="android.app.appfunctions.app_metadata"
                  android:resource="@xml/app_metadata" />
    </application>
</manifest>

Step 3: Function Implementation

When generating Kotlin code for AppFunctions, you MUST adhere to these rules:

1. Annotations:
   • Annotate the function with @AppFunction(isDescribedByKDoc = true).
   • Annotate associated data classes with @AppFunctionSerializable(isDescribedByKDoc = true).
2. Parameter Strategy:
   • First Parameter: MUST be androidx.appfunctions.AppFunctionContext.
   • Specificity: Keep parameters specific. State objects need to be unambiguous.
   • Optionality: If a parameter is not essential, make it optional with a reasonable default value.
3. Execution & Threading:
   • Use suspend functions.
   • Switch to the relevant Coroutine Dispatcher (e.g., withContext(Dispatchers.IO)) because AppFunction implementations run on the Android UI thread by default.
4. Supported Types:
   • Primitives: Int, Long, Float, Double, Boolean.
   • Arrays: IntArray, LongArray, FloatArray, DoubleArray, BooleanArray.
   • Native Types: String, PendingIntent, Uri, LocalTime, LocalDate, LocalDateTime, Instant. (Prefer LocalDateTime or Instant for date/time).
   • Custom Objects: Classes annotated with @AppFunctionSerializable.
   • Collections: List of any supported non-primitive type.
5. Default Values:
   • Use defaults that align with the type's "empty" state (e.g., 0 for Int, null for nullable, emptyList() for List).
6. Error Handling:
   • Throw subclasses of androidx.appfunctions.AppFunctionException to report errors to callers.
7. Security:
   • Don't expose highly sensitive user data (passwords, financial details).
   • Don't expose irreversible destructive actions without confirmation steps.

Step 4: (Optional) System Configuration for Dependency Injection

Only required for dependency injection configuration. Implement AppFunctionConfiguration.Provider in the Application class to provide instances of classes containing @AppFunction methods.

Example Hilt Integration:

@HiltAndroidApp
class AppFunctionApplication : Application(), AppFunctionConfiguration.Provider {
    @Inject lateinit var noteFunctions: NoteFunctions

    override val appFunctionConfiguration: AppFunctionConfiguration =
        AppFunctionConfiguration.Builder()
            .addEnclosingClassFactory(NoteFunctions::class.java) { noteFunctions }
            .build()
}
AppFunctionApplication.kt

Critical Constraints

Parameter Ordering

CRITICAL: The very first parameter of an @AppFunction method MUST be androidx.appfunctions.AppFunctionContext.

KSP Compliance for Serializables

CRITICAL: For @AppFunctionSerializable data classes, KSP only extracts documentation if it is written as inline KDoc directly for each property definition. NEVER use class-level @param or @property tags.

Package Integrity

Configuration APIs and the @AppFunction annotation are located in androidx.appfunctions.service.

Examples

Example: Serializable with Inline KDoc

/**
 * A note.
 */
@AppFunctionSerializable(isDescribedByKDoc = true)
data class Note(
    /** The note's identifier */
    val id: Int,
    /** The note's title */
    val title: String,
    /** The note's content */
    val content: String
)
AppFunctionApiSnippets.kt

Example: Implementation Detail

/**
 * A note app's [AppFunction]s.
 */
class NoteFunctions @Inject constructor(
    private val noteRepository: NoteRepository
) {
    /**
     * List all available notes in the app.
     *
     * @param appFunctionContext The execution context.
     * @return A list of [Note] objects, or null if no notes exist.
     */
    @AppFunction(isDescribedByKDoc = true)
    suspend fun listNotes(appFunctionContext: AppFunctionContext): List<Note>? {
        return noteRepository.appNotes.ifEmpty { null }?.toList()
    }

    /**
     * Create a new note with a title and body content.
     *
     * @param appFunctionContext The execution context.
     * @param title The title of the note.
     * @param content The body content of the note.
     * @return The created [Note] object including its generated ID.
     */
    @AppFunction(isDescribedByKDoc = true)
    suspend fun createNote(
        appFunctionContext: AppFunctionContext,
        title: String,
        content: String
    ): Note {
        return noteRepository.createNote(title, content)
    }

    /**
     * Update the title or content of an existing note.
     * Required workflow: Call [listNotes] first to obtain valid note IDs.
     *
     * @param appFunctionContext The execution context.
     * @param noteId The unique identifier of the note to edit.
     * @param title The new title. If null, the existing title is preserved.
     * @param content The new content. If null, the existing content is preserved.
     * @return The updated [Note], or null if the [noteId] was not found.
     */
    @AppFunction(isDescribedByKDoc = true)
    suspend fun editNote(
        appFunctionContext: AppFunctionContext,
        noteId: Int,
        title: String?,
        content: String?,
    ): Note? {
        return noteRepository.updateNote(noteId, title, content)
    }
}
AppFunctionApiSnippets.kt

Troubleshooting

Error: "AppFunction unavailable" or "Metadata missing"

Cause: The AppSearch indexing failed to extract the schema correctly.

Solution:

1. Verify @AppFunctionSerializable classes use inline KDoc comments, NOT class-level @param tags.
2. Check that the assets/app_function_v2.xml file exists in the APK.
3. Confirm the ksp("androidx.appfunctions:appfunctions-compiler") dependency is correctly applied.
4. Ensure the ksp argument appfunctions:aggregateAppFunctions is set to "true".