Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Jetpack Compose Performance Auditor agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The Jetpack Compose Performance Auditor is an agent skill that teaches an AI coding agent to review existing Android Jetpack Compose UI code for performance problems such as unnecessary recomposition, dropped frames and lazy list issues. It is written for Android developers whose Compose screens feel laggy and for teams preparing a release. After this guide you will know what the skill does, how to install it, how to ask for an audit, and what to check before accepting its changes.
Jetpack Compose Performance Auditorandroid/skills · Apache-2.0 Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Download the jetpack-compose-performance skill ZIP from this page.
- 2Unzip into a skills folder. Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into your project's .claude/skills/ folder.
- 3Or upload it in the Claude apps. Go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the ZIP.
- 4Open your Android project. Make sure the project contains the Jetpack Compose code you want reviewed.
- 5Ask for an audit. Describe the symptom and scope, such as a stuttering LazyColumn or a screen that drops frames.
- 6Review the findings. Check each finding against the cited rule and reference file before accepting any edit.
- 7Verify on a release build. Re-measure performance on a release build with R8 enabled, not a debuggable one.
What an agent skill is and what this one makes the agent do
An agent skill is a folder of instructions and reference files that an AI agent loads when a task matches the skill's description. This skill is named jetpack-compose-performance and comes from the android/skills repository under the Apache-2.0 licence.
Once installed, the agent scans your Compose code against seven core categories: state and stability, lazy layouts, graphics, animation, layouts, effects and threading, and custom modifiers. Before it flags anything, the skill requires the agent to open the matching reference file for the approved fix pattern. It then reports findings and can edit code to apply those fixes. The skill also points you to production settings such as release builds, R8 and baseline profiles.
Install the skill in Claude
Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it. For a personal install, place the folder in ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, place it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder.
You can also upload the ZIP in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: .claude/skills/ inside your project
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP
Trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need to name the skill. The skill's description covers analysis of existing code to minimise recomposition overhead and prevent dropped frames and UI lag, so ask in those terms. Point the agent at the files or screens you care about.
Good requests describe the symptom and the scope, for example a feed that stutters while scrolling or one screen that drops frames during an animation.
- Audit the Compose screens in this project for recomposition problems.
- My LazyColumn in FeedScreen.kt stutters when I scroll. Find the cause.
- Review the HomeScreen composables for unnecessary recomposition before our release.
What a good audit looks like
Give the agent a specific target such as a module, package or file list. The skill asks for an exhaustive scan that checks every @Composable function, modifier chain and lazy-layout data model against the rules, rather than stopping at the first issue.
Expect each finding to reference the rule it breaks and the fix pattern from the bundled reference file. Read every proposed edit before accepting it, because some guidance involves trade-offs that a human should confirm.
- Phase deferral: move frequently changing state reads into lambdas such as Modifier.offset or Modifier.graphicsLayer.
- Backwards writes: state modified after it was read in the same frame.
- Lazy list and collection state handling, including when to avoid annotating models.
Check the production basics first
The skill tells the agent to check release configuration before micro-optimising. Profiling a debuggable build gives misleading results because ART runtime verification degrades performance. Keep R8 enabled, and generate baseline profiles for critical journeys such as cold start and key scrolling feeds.
- Profile and benchmark release builds, not debuggable ones.
- Keep R8 minification enabled.
- Generate baseline profiles for cold start and key scrolling feeds.
Safety notes: scripts and network
This skill runs no scripts and uses no network access. Its requirements are an Android project containing Jetpack Compose code and the reference files bundled in the skill. No external accounts or API keys are listed.
The main safety consideration is that the agent can edit code. Work in version control, review diffs, and do not let the agent change production code without a human reviewing it.
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: no
- Requires: an Android project with Compose code, plus the bundled reference files
What people use it for
- Finding unnecessary recomposition in a screen that re-renders on every scroll frame.
- Spotting state reads and writes in the wrong rendering phase, such as a backwards write that causes first-frame popping.
- Reviewing LazyColumn or LazyRow item models before a release.
- Checking animation and graphics code for overhead in Modifier.graphicsLayer usage.
- Learning which Compose state and stability patterns cost performance by reading the cited reference file.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the Jetpack Compose performance skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps you can instead upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Is the Jetpack Compose Performance Auditor free?
The skill is licensed under Apache-2.0, as listed for this item. Check the LICENSE.txt bundled with the skill for the complete terms.
What do I need to use this skill?
You need an Android project with Jetpack Compose code to analyse and the reference files bundled in the skill. The skill lists no external accounts or API keys, runs no scripts and uses no network.
Does the skill write new Compose screens?
No. It targets analysis of existing code, so it is not the right tool for building new screens from scratch. It can also over-optimise early code, so it is best used on code that already exists.
Why does the agent open reference files before fixing things?
The skill requires the agent to read the matching reference file for the approved fix pattern and scope guards before reporting a finding or editing code. This is meant to stop it relying on summary bullets alone.
Can I trust the agent's edits without review?
Review them. The skill can change code, and some of its guidance involves opinionated trade-offs, such as when to use stability annotations, that a human should check before merging.
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Our verdict
This skill suits Android developers whose Compose screens stutter or drop frames, and teams that want a structured performance review of existing code before a release. It is a poor fit for writing new Compose screens, for non-Android or non-Compose UI code, or for unreviewed edits to production code.
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