build_it

Flutter multi-flavor build automation CLI — read your flavorizr config and build all your app flavors in a single command.

build_it build --all --parallel

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Why build_it?

Managing Flutter builds across multiple flavors quickly becomes tedious: different applicationIds, per-environment Dart defines, and varying build targets require long, error-prone shell commands.

build_it turns this:

flutter build apk --flavor apple --dart-define ENV=prod --dart-define-from-file config/apple.json
flutter build apk --flavor banana --dart-define ENV=prod --dart-define-from-file config/banana.json
flutter build ios --flavor apple  --dart-define ENV=prod --dart-define-from-file config/apple.json

Into this:

build_it build --all --parallel

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Features

Feature	Details
All flavorizr syntaxes	v1 (legacy flat keys), v2+ standalone flavorizr.yaml, embedded in pubspec.yaml
Per-flavor dart-defines	Global → flavor → CLI priority merge
Smart parallel builds	Automatic parallelism across different targets; sequential within the same target
Build type control	--type release (default) / profile / debug
Rich terminal output	Live progress, per-flavor logs, final summary table with durations
Zero config to start	Works out of the box; .build_it.yaml is optional
pip / pipx installable	Single command global install, no manual PATH setup

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Installation

You can install build_it as a Python package, download a prebuilt binary, or build it from source.

🐍 Method 1: Python Package (Recommended)

If you have Python 3.10+ installed, you can use pip:

# Via pipx (recommended — fully isolated global install)
pipx install flutter-build-it

# Via pip
pip install flutter-build-it

⚡ Method 2: Standalone Binaries (No Python required)

If you do not have Python installed, you can download a standalone executable.

Linux / macOS (One-line installer):

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Dasero197/build_it/main/scripts/install.sh | sh

Windows (PowerShell One-line installer): Open PowerShell and run:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Dasero197/build_it/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex

(Alternatively, for a manual install):

1. Download build_it-windows.exe from the Latest GitHub Release.
2. Rename it to build_it.exe.
3. Place it in a custom folder (e.g., C:\build_it)
4. Add that folder to your system's PATH variable: Open Start > "Environment Variables" > Select "Path" > Edit > Add C:\build_it.

🛠️ Method 3: Build from source

You can manually build the standalone executable on your machine using PyInstaller.

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Dasero197/build_it.git
cd build_it

# Install dependencies and build tools
pip install -e ".[dev]"
pip install pyinstaller

# Build the executable
pyinstaller --onefile --name build_it --hidden-import "build_it.core.models" --hidden-import "build_it.core.parser" --hidden-import "build_it.core.config" --hidden-import "build_it.core.builder" --hidden-import "build_it.cli.main" --hidden-import "build_it.utils.guards" build_it/cli/main.py

# Your binary will be ready in the dist/ folder!

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Quick start

# Run from the root of your Flutter project

build_it info          # check project detection and tool version
build_it list          # list detected flavors and resolved config
build_it init          # generate a .build_it.yaml starter config

build_it build --flavor apple                   # build one flavor
build_it build --all                            # build all flavors (sequential)
build_it build --all --parallel                 # build across targets in parallel
build_it build --all --target appbundle         # force a specific target
build_it build --flavor apple --type profile    # profile build
build_it build --all -D ENV=staging -y          # extra defines, skip prompt

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Configuration — .build_it.yaml

Place this file at the root of your Flutter project (next to pubspec.yaml). Generate a pre-populated version with build_it init.

# .build_it.yaml

global:
  targets: [apk]                    # default targets for every flavor
  dart_defines:                     # applied to every build job
    ENV: production
  dart_define_files:
    - config/global.json
  extra_args: []

flavors:
  apple:
    targets: [apk, ios]             # overrides global targets for this flavor
    dart_defines:
      FLAVOR_NAME: apple
    dart_define_files:
      - config/apple.json
    entry_point: lib/main_apple.dart  # optional custom entry point

  banana:
    # no targets → inherits global.targets
    dart_defines:
      FLAVOR_NAME: banana

You can also embed the config directly in pubspec.yaml under the build_it: key.

Dart-define priority (highest → lowest)

Priority	Source
1 (highest)	--dart-define / --dart-define-from-file on the CLI
2	Flavor-specific dart_defines in .build_it.yaml
3 (lowest)	Global dart_defines in .build_it.yaml

For key/value pairs, higher-priority values override lower-priority ones on key collision. For files, all sources are concatenated: global → flavor → CLI.

Target priority (highest → lowest)

Priority	Source
1 (highest)	--target on the CLI
2	Flavor targets in .build_it.yaml
3 (lowest)	Global targets in .build_it.yaml

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Parallel mode

Scenario	Behaviour
Multiple flavors, same target	Sequential — prevents build/ directory corruption
Multiple flavors, different targets	Parallel automatically suggested
--parallel flag	Forced parallel mode

Output directories are printed in the summary table at the end of every build.

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Commands

Command	Description
build_it info	Project detection status and tool version
build_it list	Detected flavors with resolved targets and dart-defines
build_it init [--force]	Generate .build_it.yaml pre-populated with detected flavors
build_it build [OPTIONS]	Build one or all flavors
build_it --version	Print the installed version

build_it build options

Option	Short	Description
--flavor NAME	-f	Flavor to build (omit to build all)
--target TARGET	-t	Override build target
--all	-a	Build all detected flavors
--parallel	-p	Run builds in parallel across targets
--type MODE	-T	Build mode: release (default), profile, debug
--dart-define K=V	-D	Extra dart define, repeatable
--dart-define-from-file PATH	-F	Extra define file, repeatable
--yes	-y	Skip confirmation prompt

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Supported targets

Value	Flutter command
apk	flutter build apk
appbundle	flutter build appbundle
ios	flutter build ipa
web	flutter build web
macos	flutter build macos
windows	flutter build windows
linux	flutter build linux

Note — iOS and macOS builds require macOS. They are automatically skipped with status ⊘ skipped on Linux and Windows hosts.

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Project layout

build_it/
├── pyproject.toml
├── README.md
├── .gitignore
├── scripts/
│   └── build_binaries.sh    ← PyInstaller build script
├── build_it/
│   ├── __init__.py          ← version & author
│   ├── core/
│   │   ├── enums.py         ← BuildTarget, BuildStatus, BuildType
│   │   ├── models.py        ← Pydantic models (FlavorInfo, BuildJob, …)
│   │   ├── parser.py        ← flavorizr parser (syntaxes A, B, C)
│   │   ├── config.py        ← .build_it.yaml loader + resolver
│   │   └── builder.py       ← async runner, parallel/sequential, summary
│   ├── cli/
│   │   └── main.py          ← Typer app: list / build / init / info
│   └── utils/
│       ├── constants.py     ← project-wide constants (no circular deps)
│       ├── utils.py         ← has_flutter_project(), safe_load_yaml()
│       └── guards.py        ← require_flutter_project() pre-flight check
└── tests/
    ├── fixtures/
    │   ├── syntax_a.yaml    ← flavorizr v2+ standalone
    │   ├── syntax_b.yaml    ← flavorizr embedded in pubspec.yaml
    │   └── syntax_c.yaml    ← flavorizr v1 legacy (flat keys)
    └── unit/
        └── test_parser_config.py

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Development

# Clone and install in editable mode with dev dependencies
git clone https://github.com/dasero197/build_it.git
cd build_it
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run the test suite
pytest

# Build a standalone binary (requires PyInstaller)
bash scripts/build_binaries.sh

Running tests

pytest -v

The test suite covers:

• Parser — all three flavorizr syntaxes (A, B, C) and edge cases
• Config — loading, target resolution, dart-define merge priority
• generate_default_config — YAML validity and content

Tests never invoke flutter — the build runner is tested separately via mocks.

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Roadmap

• P0 — Standalone project structure & package skeleton
• P1 — flavorizr parser (syntaxes A, B, C) + .build_it.yaml resolver
• P2 — Builder (async runner) + CLI commands (list, build, init, info)
• P3 — Distribution: PyPI publication + PyInstaller binary + GitHub CI/CD setup
• P4 — Polish: verbose/quiet logging, build report, extended test coverage

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🤖 A Word from the Author: Human-AI Collaboration

This project was developed in collaboration with Claude and Gemini via the Antigravity agent.

In the modern era of AI, it is crucial not to fall into blind dependency, but rather to master the art of conciliating human architectural skills with the raw execution speed of AI. By maintaining the role of the Architect—designing workflows, drafting precise skeletons, defining rules, and steering corrections—while delegating boilerplate, bash scripting, and exhaustive docstring generation to the AI, we were able to deliver a complete, robust, and pristine product in record time.

This repository stands as a testament to augmented software engineering: a powerful synergy between human vision and artificial intelligence.

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Contributing

Contributions, issues, and feature requests are welcome. Please open an issue before submitting a PR so we can discuss the approach.

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License

MIT © Dayane S. R. Assogba