dotnet/runtime

[Android] Implement post-build symbol stripping

Open

#115,717 opened on May 19, 2025

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 (3 comments) (0 reactions) (1 assignee)C# (17,886 stars) (5,445 forks)batch import
area-Infrastructuregood first issueos-android

Description

Description

Build machines run out of disk space without symbol stripping. However, enabling symbol stripping removes debug symbols, which makes the app non-debuggable and breaks adb shell run-as access to internal storage. For test infrastructure, we need both: debuggable builds and stripped binaries.

Tasks

  • Keep the app debuggable during build
  • Strip debug symbols from native libraries after the build step

Contributor guide

Tech stack
androidccppshell
Domain
mobilebuild system
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
mostly clear
Prerequisites
Android build systemnative symbol strippingMSBuild scripting
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
45
Research direction
Investigate the Android build process in dotnet/runtime, focusing on how native libraries are built and packaged. Relevant files are likely in src/mono or src/native directories, along with MSBuild targets that handle APK creation. The goal is to add a post build step that strips debug symbols from .so files while preserving the debuggable flag in AndroidManifest. Examine existing build targets in Microsoft.Android.Sdk for reference. No linked pull requests or additional comments provide further details, so the contributor should start by locating the build scripts and proposing a mechanism to strip symbols after the build completes.