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GKI development
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This guide provides a high-level overview of GKI development.
Review existing documentation
Before you begin GKI development, read the following documents:
Build, monitor, and test
When building, monitoring, and testing your GKI implementations, follow these
guidelines:
Follow the patch process
Before creating and sending a patch,
send patches upstream to LKML.
If the patch can't be upstreamed first, explain the rationale
in a bug. For further
information on patching, see
Develop kernel code for GKI.
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Last updated 2025-08-29 UTC.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-29 UTC."],[],[],null,["# GKI development\n\nThis guide provides a high-level overview of GKI development.\n\nReview existing documentation\n-----------------------------\n\nBefore you begin GKI development, read the following documents:\n\n- For an overview of the GKI project, read\n [GKI project](/docs/core/architecture/kernel/generic-kernel-image).\n\n- For an explanation of how Android Common Kernels (ACKs), GKI kernels, and\n KMI relate, read [Android Common Kernels (ACK)](/docs/core/architecture/kernel/android-common).\n\n- To learn how to contribute to the kernel, read\n [Developing kernel code for GKI](/docs/core/architecture/kernel/kernel-code),\n [Contribution guidelines](https://android.googlesource.com/kernel/common/+/refs/heads/android-mainline/README.md)\n for Android Common Kernels, and\n [Linux kernel coding standards](https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/process/).\n\n- To learn about GKI and vendor modules, read\n [Kernel modules overview](/docs/core/architecture/kernel/modules) and other\n documents in the modules section.\n\nBuild, monitor, and test\n------------------------\n\nWhen building, monitoring, and testing your GKI implementations, follow these\nguidelines:\n\n- [Use the hermetic build process and LLVM toolchain](/docs/core/architecture/kernel/stable-kmi#hermetic-build-process).\n\n- Submit your [KMI symbol list](/docs/core/architecture/kernel/stable-kmi#managing-symbol-lists) to the\n appropriate ACK.\n\n- Set up a\n [continuous ABI monitoring system](https://android.googlesource.com/kernel/build/+/refs/heads/main-kernel/abi/)\n in your internal kernel development workflows. For additional details, see\n [Maintaining a Stable KMI](/docs/core/architecture/kernel/stable-kmi).\n\n- Run full system validation tests with GKI. If you experience any\n regressions in power and performance and don't have mechanisms to address these\n issues in the ACK code, email\n [kernel-team@android.com](mailto:kernel-team@android.com) for help.\n\nFollow the patch process\n------------------------\n\nBefore creating and sending a patch,\n[send patches upstream to LKML](https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/process/submitting-patches.html).\nIf the patch can't be upstreamed first, explain the rationale\n[in a bug](https://issuetracker.google.com/components/1124381). For further\ninformation on patching, see\n[Develop kernel code for GKI](/docs/core/architecture/kernel/kernel-code).\n\nHow to file a kernel bug or contact us\n--------------------------------------\n\n- To report a bug, click the **Kernel (GKI) File a bug** link on the\n [Reporting bugs](/docs/setup/contribute/report-bugs) page.\n\n- If you have GKI or kernel-related questions, email the\n [kernel-team@android.com](mailto:kernel-team@android.com)."]]
