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Skills/Kotlin Multiplatform
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Kotlin Multiplatform

Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) is JetBrains' technology for sharing Kotlin code between Android, iOS, web, and desktop applications while keeping the UI native on each platform. Use when a user asks to set up a KMP shared module, share business logic, networking or a data layer between Android and iOS, write expect/actual declarations, use Ktor or SQLDelight in commonMain, write a shared ViewModel, test shared code, or migrate a KMP project to Android Gradle Plugin 9.

#kotlin#kmp#cross-platform#mobile#ios
terminal-skillsv1.1.0
Works with:claude-codeopenai-codexgemini-clicursor
Source
Trust Score
93/ 100
1.43×
Impact

Validation

Quality
93/ 100
Does it follow best practices?
5 PASS · 1 WEAK
Security
Passed
No known issues
Content review + injection scan
Impact
1.43×
65% → 93% agent success
Avg across 2 eval scenarios
Scored 10/1/2026 · skill v1.1.0
agent@terminalskills — playground
full playground →

Prove Kotlin Multiplatform on your task

simulated preview
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real run in an isolated sandbox · files auto-deleted after 7 days · nothing touches your machine

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✓ Installed kotlin-multiplatform v1.1.0

Getting Started

  1. Install the skill using the command above
  2. Open your AI coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, or Cursor)
  3. Reference the skill in your prompt
  4. The AI will use the skill's capabilities automatically

Example Prompts

  • "Review the open pull requests and summarize what needs attention"
  • "Generate a changelog from the last 20 commits on the main branch"

Documentation

Overview

Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) compiles one Kotlin codebase for Android, iOS, desktop (JVM) and web. Business logic, networking and the data layer live in a shared module; each platform keeps its own UI (or shares it too with Compose Multiplatform). Platform differences are isolated behind expect/actual declarations.

Instructions

Project Structure

Create the project with the Kotlin Multiplatform wizard in IntelliJ IDEA or Android Studio (New Project > Kotlin Multiplatform). Shared code and app entry points are separate modules:

tasklane/
├── shared/                              # Kotlin Multiplatform module (build.gradle.kts below)
│   └── src/
│       ├── commonMain/kotlin/           # Platform-independent code
│       ├── commonMain/sqldelight/       # .sq files (SQLDelight)
│       ├── androidMain/, iosMain/, jvmMain/   # actuals per platform (iosMain comes from the default hierarchy)
│       └── jvmTest/kotlin/              # Tests that run on any machine
├── androidApp/                          # Android app (Jetpack Compose), depends on :shared
└── iosApp/                              # Xcode project (SwiftUI), links the Shared framework

Gradle Setup

kotlin
// shared/build.gradle.kts
plugins {
    kotlin("multiplatform") version "2.4.20"
    kotlin("plugin.serialization") version "2.4.20"
    id("app.cash.sqldelight") version "2.4.0"
    id("com.android.kotlin.multiplatform.library") version "9.4.1"
}
kotlin {
    jvm()
    android {                       // replaces androidTarget() and the top-level android {} block
        namespace = "com.tasklane.shared"
        compileSdk = 36
        minSdk = 24
    }
    listOf(iosArm64(), iosSimulatorArm64()).forEach { target ->
        target.binaries.framework {
            baseName = "Shared"     // Swift: import Shared
            isStatic = true
        }
    }
    sourceSets {
        commonMain.dependencies {
            implementation("io.ktor:ktor-client-core:3.6.0")
            implementation("io.ktor:ktor-client-content-negotiation:3.6.0")
            implementation("io.ktor:ktor-serialization-kotlinx-json:3.6.0")
            implementation("org.jetbrains.kotlinx:kotlinx-coroutines-core:1.11.0")
            implementation("app.cash.sqldelight:coroutines-extensions:2.4.0")
            implementation("org.jetbrains.androidx.lifecycle:lifecycle-viewmodel:2.11.0")
        }
        commonTest.dependencies {
            implementation(kotlin("test"))
            implementation("org.jetbrains.kotlinx:kotlinx-coroutines-test:1.11.0")
            implementation("io.ktor:ktor-client-mock:3.6.0")
        }
        // One HTTP engine and one SQLite driver per platform
        androidMain.dependencies { implementation("io.ktor:ktor-client-okhttp:3.6.0"); implementation("app.cash.sqldelight:android-driver:2.4.0") }
        jvmMain.dependencies { implementation("io.ktor:ktor-client-okhttp:3.6.0"); implementation("app.cash.sqldelight:sqlite-driver:2.4.0") }
        iosMain.dependencies { implementation("io.ktor:ktor-client-darwin:3.6.0"); implementation("app.cash.sqldelight:native-driver:2.4.0") }
    }
}
sqldelight { databases { create("TaskDatabase") { packageName.set("com.tasklane.db") } } }

Useful tasks: ./gradlew :shared:jvmTest (shared tests on the JVM), :shared:iosSimulatorArm64Test (macOS only), :shared:allTests. Xcode builds the framework through a run-script phase that calls ./gradlew :shared:embedAndSignAppleFrameworkForXcode.

Local Database with SQLDelight

sql
-- shared/src/commonMain/sqldelight/com/tasklane/db/Task.sq
-- SQLDelight generates TaskDatabase, TaskEntity and typed query functions from this file.
CREATE TABLE TaskEntity (
    id TEXT NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY,
    title TEXT NOT NULL,
    status TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'TODO',
    pending_sync INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
    created_at INTEGER NOT NULL
);
selectAll:
SELECT * FROM TaskEntity ORDER BY created_at DESC;
upsert:
INSERT OR REPLACE INTO TaskEntity(id, title, status, created_at) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?);
markPendingSync:
UPDATE TaskEntity SET pending_sync = 1 WHERE id = ?;

Platform-Specific Code with expect/actual

kotlin
// shared/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/tasklane/shared/Platform.kt
// 'expect' declares what each platform must implement.
expect fun platformName(): String
expect class DriverFactory {
    fun createDriver(): SqlDriver
}
// shared/src/androidMain/kotlin/com/tasklane/shared/Platform.android.kt
actual fun platformName(): String = "Android ${android.os.Build.VERSION.SDK_INT}"
actual class DriverFactory(private val context: Context) {
    actual fun createDriver(): SqlDriver = AndroidSqliteDriver(TaskDatabase.Schema, context, "tasks.db")
}
// shared/src/iosMain/kotlin/com/tasklane/shared/Platform.ios.kt
actual fun platformName(): String = UIDevice.currentDevice.systemName() + " " + UIDevice.currentDevice.systemVersion
actual class DriverFactory {
    actual fun createDriver(): SqlDriver = NativeSqliteDriver(TaskDatabase.Schema, "tasks.db")
}
// shared/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/tasklane/shared/Platform.jvm.kt
actual fun platformName(): String = "JVM ${System.getProperty("java.version")}"
actual class DriverFactory {
    actual fun createDriver(): SqlDriver = JdbcSqliteDriver(JdbcSqliteDriver.IN_MEMORY).also { TaskDatabase.Schema.create(it) }
}

Imports: app.cash.sqldelight.db.SqlDriver, app.cash.sqldelight.driver.android.AndroidSqliteDriver, app.cash.sqldelight.driver.native.NativeSqliteDriver, app.cash.sqldelight.driver.jdbc.sqlite.JdbcSqliteDriver, platform.UIKit.UIDevice.

Networking with Ktor

kotlin
// shared/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/tasklane/shared/TaskApi.kt
// (imports from io.ktor.client.*, io.ktor.http.*, kotlinx.serialization.* omitted)
@Serializable
data class TaskDto(val id: String, val title: String, val status: String, val createdAt: Long)

class TaskApi(baseUrl: String, authToken: String, engine: HttpClientEngine? = null) {
    private val config: HttpClientConfig<*>.() -> Unit = {
        install(ContentNegotiation) { json(Json { ignoreUnknownKeys = true }) } // don't crash on extra API fields
        defaultRequest {
            url(baseUrl)
            bearerAuth(authToken)
            contentType(ContentType.Application.Json) // required for setBody(task)
        }
    }
    // Without an engine argument Ktor picks the one on the classpath: OkHttp on Android, Darwin on iOS
    private val client = if (engine != null) HttpClient(engine, config) else HttpClient(config)

    suspend fun fetchTasks(): List<TaskDto> = client.get("api/tasks").body()
    suspend fun createTask(task: TaskDto): TaskDto = client.post("api/tasks") { setBody(task) }.body()
}

Shared Business Logic

kotlin
// shared/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/tasklane/shared/TaskRepository.kt
// Runs on every target — write once, test once. Uses asFlow/mapToList from
// app.cash.sqldelight.coroutines and kotlin.time.Clock, kotlin.uuid.Uuid from the standard library.
class TaskRepository(private val api: TaskApi, db: TaskDatabase) {
    private val queries = db.taskQueries

    // Emits the cached list again whenever the table changes
    fun getTasks(): Flow<List<TaskEntity>> = queries.selectAll().asFlow().mapToList(Dispatchers.Default)

    // Pull the server state into the local cache
    suspend fun syncTasks() {
        val remote = api.fetchTasks()
        queries.transaction {
            remote.forEach { queries.upsert(it.id, it.title, it.status, it.createdAt) }
        }
    }

    // Save locally first; if the request fails, flag the row for a later sync
    suspend fun createTask(title: String): String {
        val task = TaskDto(Uuid.random().toString(), title, "TODO", Clock.System.now().toEpochMilliseconds())
        queries.upsert(task.id, task.title, task.status, task.createdAt)
        try { api.createTask(task) } catch (e: Exception) { queries.markPendingSync(task.id) }
        return task.id
    }
}

ViewModel (Shared UI Logic)

kotlin
// shared/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/tasklane/shared/TaskListViewModel.kt
// androidx.lifecycle.ViewModel is multiplatform; viewModelScope is cancelled when the ViewModel is cleared.
data class TaskListUiState(val tasks: List<TaskEntity> = emptyList(), val isLoading: Boolean = true, val error: String? = null)

class TaskListViewModel(private val repository: TaskRepository) : ViewModel() {
    private val _uiState = MutableStateFlow(TaskListUiState())
    val uiState: StateFlow<TaskListUiState> = _uiState.asStateFlow()
    init {
        repository.getTasks()
            .onEach { tasks -> _uiState.update { it.copy(tasks = tasks, isLoading = false) } }
            .launchIn(viewModelScope)
        refresh()
    }

    fun refresh() {
        viewModelScope.launch {
            _uiState.update { it.copy(isLoading = true, error = null) }
            try { repository.syncTasks() } catch (e: Exception) { _uiState.update { it.copy(error = e.message) } }
            _uiState.update { it.copy(isLoading = false) }
        }
    }
    fun createTask(title: String) { viewModelScope.launch { repository.createTask(title) } }
}

Examples

Example 1: Test the shared repository without an emulator

User request: "Add a test for the sync logic in our shared module that I can run on CI without Android or iOS devices."

kotlin
// shared/src/jvmTest/kotlin/com/tasklane/shared/TaskRepositoryTest.kt
class TaskRepositoryTest {
    private val engine = MockEngine { request ->
        assertEquals("Bearer test-token", request.headers[HttpHeaders.Authorization])
        respond(
            content = """[{"id":"t1","title":"Ship v2","status":"TODO","createdAt":1790000000000,"assignee":"mira"}]""",
            headers = headersOf(HttpHeaders.ContentType, "application/json"),
        )
    }

    @Test
    fun syncStoresRemoteTasks() = runTest {
        val db = TaskDatabase(DriverFactory().createDriver()) // in-memory SQLite on the JVM
        val repository = TaskRepository(TaskApi("https://api.tasklane.dev/", "test-token", engine), db)
        repository.syncTasks()
        assertEquals(listOf("Ship v2"), repository.getTasks().first().map { it.title })
    }
}

./gradlew :shared:jvmTest compiles commonMain and jvmMain, generates the SQLDelight code and ends with BUILD SUCCESSFUL; the report is in shared/build/reports/tests/jvmTest/index.html. The unknown assignee field is ignored because of ignoreUnknownKeys.

Example 2: Fix the build after upgrading to Android Gradle Plugin 9

User request: "After bumping AGP to 9 the build fails: The 'com.android.library' (or 'com.android.application') plugin is not compatible with the 'org.jetbrains.kotlin.multiplatform' plugin since AGP 9.0."

diff
 // shared/build.gradle.kts
 plugins {
     kotlin("multiplatform") version "2.4.20"
-    id("com.android.library") version "9.4.1"
+    id("com.android.kotlin.multiplatform.library") version "9.4.1"
 }
 kotlin {
-    androidTarget()
+    android {
+        namespace = "com.tasklane.shared"
+        compileSdk = 36
+        minSdk = 24
+    }
 }
-android {
-    namespace = "com.tasklane.shared"
-    compileSdk = 36
-    defaultConfig { minSdk = 24 }
-}

Then move src/main to src/androidMain, src/test and src/androidUnitTest to src/androidHostTest, src/androidTest and src/androidInstrumentedTest to src/androidDeviceTest. Android tests are off until withHostTest {} or withDeviceTest {} is added inside android {}. Keep the application itself (com.android.application, MainActivity) in a separate androidApp module that depends on :shared. ./gradlew :shared:tasks now configures and lists assembleAndroidMain.

Guidelines

  1. Share logic, not UI — Share business logic, networking, data layer in Kotlin; keep UI native (Jetpack Compose on Android, SwiftUI on iOS)
  2. expect/actual for platform APIs — Use it for file system, biometrics, notifications. Check the standard library first: kotlin.uuid.Uuid and kotlin.time.Clock/Instant are common code (kotlinx-datetime 0.8 no longer ships Instant and Clock). expect class is still Beta and warns unless -Xexpect-actual-classes is set; expect fun is stable, and a plain interface implemented per platform avoids the warning
  3. Ktor for HTTP — Ktor is the standard multiplatform HTTP client; it uses OkHttp on Android and URLSession (the Darwin engine) on iOS
  4. SQLDelight for local DB — SQLDelight generates type-safe Kotlin from SQL; each target needs its own driver dependency
  5. Kotlin Serialization — Use @Serializable data classes; works across all platforms unlike Gson or Moshi
  6. Coroutines + Flow — Both are multiplatform. From Swift a suspend function is called with a completion handler or async; a Flow has no Swift counterpart, so expose callbacks or add SKIE or KMP-NativeCoroutines
  7. Start with the shared module — Build it with tests first (jvmTest needs no device); then wrap it with platform UIs. viewModelScope uses Dispatchers.Main, which a desktop JVM app gets from kotlinx-coroutines-swing
  8. Compose Multiplatform for UI — If you want shared UI too, use Compose Multiplatform (covers Android, iOS, desktop, web)
  9. AGP 9 — com.android.library and com.android.application no longer work in a multiplatform module. The Android-KMP library plugin has a single variant: no build types, product flavors or BuildConfig
  10. iOS needs a Mac — iOS targets compile and test only on macOS with Xcode; on other hosts Gradle disables them with a warning. iosX64 (Intel simulators) is a Tier 3 target; use iosSimulatorArm64