arkts-skills/harmonyos-build-deploy/SKILL.md

name, description

name	description
harmonyos-build-deploy	HarmonyOS application build, clean, package and device installation. Use when building HarmonyOS projects with hvigorw, cleaning build artifacts, managing ohpm dependencies, packaging HAP/HSP/APP bundles, installing to devices via hdc, or troubleshooting installation errors like "version code not same".

HarmonyOS Build & Deploy

Complete workflow for building, cleaning, packaging, and installing HarmonyOS applications.

Quick Reference

# For time-consuming operations (build, deploy), use subagent Task tool
# See "Workflow with Subagent" section below for details

# Build complete app (incremental)
hvigorw assembleApp --mode project -p product=default -p buildMode=release --no-daemon

# Install to device (check actual output path in your project)
hdc -t <UDID> shell "rm -rf /data/local/tmp/install && mkdir -p /data/local/tmp/install"
hdc -t <UDID> file send <output_path>/signed /data/local/tmp/install
hdc -t <UDID> shell "bm install -p /data/local/tmp/install/signed"

Note: Build output path varies by project. Common paths:

• outputs/default/signed/
• outputs/project/bundles/signed/

Check your project's actual output after build.

Workflow with Subagent

For time-consuming operations (build, clean, deploy), use the general subagent to handle the entire workflow:

Clean Build & Deploy

# Launch subagent to clean, build, and deploy to device
Task(description="Clean build and deploy", prompt="Clean build and deploy the HarmonyOS app to device.

1. Run: hvigorw clean --no-daemon
2. Run: ohpm install --all
3. Run: hvigorw assembleApp --mode project -p product=default -p buildMode=release --no-daemon
4. Find the build output directory (outputs/project/ or outputs/default/)
5. Deploy to device using hdc commands:
   - Clean device temp: hdc -t <UDID> shell \"rm -rf /data/local/tmp/install && mkdir -p /data/local/tmp/install\"
   - Send files: hdc -t <UDID> file send <output_path> /data/local/tmp/install/
   - Install: hdc -t <UDID> shell \"bm install -p /data/local/tmp/install/project/bundles/signed\"
   - Launch: hdc -t <UDID> shell \"aa start -a EntryAbility -b <bundleName>\"
6. Report success/failure with details.", subagent_type="general")

Deploy Only (No Rebuild)

# Launch subagent to deploy existing build to device
Task(description="Deploy app to device", prompt="Deploy the HarmonyOS application to device <UDID>.

1. Read AppScope/app.json5 to get bundleName
2. Clean device temp: hdc -t <UDID> shell \"rm -rf /data/local/tmp/install && mkdir -p /data/local/tmp/install\"
3. Send build output to device: hdc -t <UDID> file send \"<output_path>/project/\" \"/data/local/tmp/install/\"
4. Install: hdc -t <UDID> shell \"bm install -p /data/local/tmp/install/project/bundles/signed\"
5. Launch: hdc -t <UDID> shell \"aa start -a EntryAbility -b <bundleName>\"
6. Report success/failure with details.", subagent_type="general")

Restart App

# Launch subagent to restart the app
Task(description="Restart app", prompt="Restart the HarmonyOS app on device <UDID>.

1. Force stop: hdc -t <UDID> shell \"aa force-stop <bundleName>\"
2. Launch: hdc -t <UDID> shell \"aa start -a EntryAbility -b <bundleName>\"
3. Report success/failure.", subagent_type="general")

Clean App Cache/Data

# Launch subagent to clean app data
Task(description="Clean app data", prompt="Clean app data on device <UDID>.

1. Clean cache: hdc -t <UDID> shell \"bm clean -n <bundleName> -c\"
2. Clean data: hdc -t <UDID> shell \"bm clean -n <bundleName> -d\"
3. Report success/failure.", subagent_type="general")

Why use subagent?

• Long-running operations (build ~30s, file transfer ~20s) don't timeout
• Better error handling and reporting
• User gets clear progress updates

Build Commands (hvigorw)

Incremental Build (Default)

Use incremental build for normal development - only changed modules are rebuilt:

# Build complete app (incremental)
hvigorw assembleApp --mode project -p product=default -p buildMode=release --no-daemon

Single Module Build

Build only a specific module for faster iteration:

# Build single HAP module
hvigorw assembleHap -p module=entry@default --mode module -p buildMode=release --no-daemon

# Build single HSP module
hvigorw assembleHsp -p module=feature_module@default --mode module -p buildMode=release --no-daemon

# Build single HAR module
hvigorw assembleHar -p module=library@default --mode module -p buildMode=release --no-daemon

# Build multiple modules at once
hvigorw assembleHsp -p module=module1@default,module2@default --mode module -p buildMode=release --no-daemon

Module name format: {moduleName}@{targetName}

• moduleName: Directory name of the module (e.g., entry, feature_home)
• targetName: Target defined in module's build-profile.json5 (usually default)

When to use single module build:

• Developing/debugging a specific module
• Faster build times during iteration
• Testing changes in isolated module

Note: After single module build, you still need to run assembleApp to package the complete application for installation.

Clean Build (When Needed)

Only perform clean build when:

• First time building the project
• Encountering unexplained build errors
• After modifying build-profile.json5 or SDK version
• Dependency resolution issues

# Clean build artifacts
hvigorw clean --no-daemon

# Deep clean (for dependency issues)
ohpm clean && ohpm cache clean
ohpm install --all
hvigorw --sync -p product=default -p buildMode=release --no-daemon
hvigorw assembleApp --mode project -p product=default -p buildMode=release --no-daemon

Install Dependencies (ohpm)

# Install all dependencies (after clean or first clone)
ohpm install --all

# With custom registry
ohpm install --all --registry "https://repo.harmonyos.com/ohpm/"

Sync Project

Only needed after modifying build-profile.json5 or oh-package.json5:

hvigorw --sync -p product=default -p buildMode=release --no-daemon

Build Types

hvigorw assembleHap    # Build HAP (Harmony Ability Package)
hvigorw assembleHsp    # Build HSP (Harmony Shared Package)
hvigorw assembleHar    # Build HAR (Harmony Archive)
hvigorw assembleApp    # Build complete APP bundle

Build Parameters

Parameter	Description
-p product={name}	Target product defined in build-profile.json5
-p buildMode={debug|release}	Build mode
-p module={name}@{target}	Target module with --mode module
--mode project	Build all modules in project
--mode module	Build specific module only
--no-daemon	Disable daemon (recommended for CI)
--analyze=advanced	Enable build analysis

Build Outputs

Build output path varies by project configuration. Common patterns:

outputs/
├── default/signed/                      # Pattern 1
│   ├── entry-default-signed.hap
│   └── *.hsp
└── project/bundles/signed/              # Pattern 2
    ├── entry-default-signed.hap
    └── *.hsp

Tip: After build, check the actual output directory in your project.

Module Types

Type	Extension	Description
HAP	.hap	Harmony Ability Package - Application entry module
HSP	.hsp	Harmony Shared Package - Dynamic shared library
HAR	.har	Harmony Archive - Static library (compiled into HAP)
APP	.app	Complete application bundle (all HAP + HSP)

Unwanted Modules in Output Directory

Sometimes HSP files appear in the output directory that are not listed in build-profile.json5. These modules should not be deployed.

Cause: Build scripts or dependency configurations may copy precompiled HSP files to the output directory, even though they are not part of the current build.

How to identify:

1. Check build-profile.json5 → modules array
2. If an HSP file in output is not in the modules list, it should be removed before installation

Solution: Remove these HSP files before installation:

# Example: Remove modules not in build-profile.json5
rm <output_path>/signed/unwanted-module-default-signed.hsp

Note: Installation will fail with "version code not same" error if these unwanted modules have a different versionCode than the main app. The root cause is that these modules shouldn't be deployed at all.

Device Installation (hdc)

hdc (HarmonyOS Device Connector) is the CLI tool for device communication, similar to Android's adb.

Check Device

hdc list targets              # List connected devices (returns UDID)
hdc -t <UDID> shell "whoami"  # Test connection

Push and Install

# Clear device directory
hdc -t <UDID> shell "rm -rf /data/local/tmp/install && mkdir -p /data/local/tmp/install"

# Push signed bundles
hdc -t <UDID> file send path/to/signed /data/local/tmp/install

# Install all HAP/HSP in directory
hdc -t <UDID> shell "bm install -p /data/local/tmp/install/signed"

Verify and Launch

# Check installation
hdc -t <UDID> shell "bm dump -n <bundleName>"

# Launch app (default ability)
hdc -t <UDID> shell "aa start -a EntryAbility -b <bundleName>"

Uninstall

hdc -t <UDID> shell "bm uninstall -n <bundleName>"

hdc Command Reference

Command	Description
hdc list targets	List connected devices
hdc -t <UDID> shell "<cmd>"	Execute shell command on device
hdc -t <UDID> file send <local> <remote>	Push file/directory to device
hdc -t <UDID> file recv <remote> <local>	Pull file/directory from device
hdc kill	Kill hdc server
hdc start	Start hdc server
hdc version	Show hdc version

Bundle Manager (bm)

Run via hdc -t <UDID> shell "bm ...":

Command	Description
bm install -p <path>	Install from directory (all HAP/HSP)
bm install -p <file.hap>	Install single HAP file
bm uninstall -n <bundleName>	Uninstall application
bm dump -n <bundleName>	Show package info
bm dump -a	List all installed packages

Ability Assistant (aa)

Run via hdc -t <UDID> shell "aa ...":

Command	Description
aa start -a <ability> -b <bundle>	Start specific ability
aa force-stop <bundleName>	Force stop application
aa dump -a	Dump all running abilities

Troubleshooting

Error	Cause	Solution
version code not same	HSP in output not in build-profile.json5	Remove unwanted HSP files before install
install parse profile prop check error	Signature/profile mismatch	Check signing config in build-profile.json5
install failed due to older sdk version	Device SDK < app's compatibleSdkVersion	Update device or lower compatibleSdkVersion
Device not found	Connection issue	Check USB, enable debugging, hdc kill && hdc start
signature verification failed	Invalid or expired certificate	Regenerate signing certificate

Key Configuration Files

File	Description
AppScope/app.json5	App metadata (bundleName, versionCode, versionName)
build-profile.json5	Modules list, products, signing configs
{module}/src/main/module.json5	Module config (abilities, permissions)
{module}/oh-package.json5	Module dependencies

Reference Files

• Complete Installation Guide: references/device-installation.md