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JetbrainsAnton MakeevAnnouncement
Start Your Next KMP App With Kotlin Toolchain 0.13
Summary
The Kotlin Toolchain 0.13 provides a unified CLI entry point for building JVM, Android, iOS, multiplatform, and server-side applications with declarative configuration. It introduces the kotlin new command for interactive project creation, improved iOS onboarding with automatic simulator setup, and Android SDK auto-provisioning on IDE import. New features include Swift Package Manager dependency support for Apple platforms, multiplatform library publication with Compose Resources and SwiftPM metadata, and Kotlin/Native compiler caching for faster rebuilds. The toolchain is designed for both developers and AI agents, with a Hot Reload MCP server and dedicated AI agent skills included in official Kotlin agent skills. The team recommends the toolchain for new KMP projects and plans future milestones like brew installation, out-of-the-box AI skills, and streamlined app store publishing.
Context
The Kotlin Toolchain is a unified CLI entry point for building JVM, Android, iOS, multiplatform, and server-side applications with declarative configuration. Version 0.13 introduces the kotlin new command, improved iOS onboarding, Android SDK auto-provisioning, Swift Package Manager support, multiplatform library publication improvements, Kotlin/Native compiler caching, and AI agent skills. The team recommends it for new KMP projects.
Approach / What changed
The Kotlin Toolchain is a unified CLI that automates environment setup, project creation, building, testing, and publishing for Kotlin Multiplatform projects. It uses declarative configuration and includes features like kotlin new for interactive setup, automatic iOS simulator management, Android SDK provisioning, Swift Package Manager integration, and compiler caching for faster native rebuilds.
Takeaways
The kotlin new command provides an interactive setup flow similar to the Kotlin Multiplatform Wizard, while kotlin init generates project files directly in the current directory.
Kotlin/Native compiler caching caches compiled native dependencies and per-file caches, allowing faster rebuilds by reusing caches across builds and projects, and only recompiling affected code during linking.
The Kotlin Toolchain supports Swift Package Manager dependencies for Apple platforms, allowing import of Objective-C APIs from SwiftPM dependencies using the swiftPMImport prefix.
FAQ
How does the Kotlin Toolchain handle iOS simulator setup?
The toolchain automatically downloads iOS simulator runtimes when needed and creates an iOS simulator if none exists, making onboarding smoother for iOS development on a clean machine.
What is the difference between kotlin new and kotlin init?
`kotlin new` offers an interactive setup flow similar to the Kotlin Multiplatform Wizard, while `kotlin init` generates project files directly inside the current directory. Both are available in v0.13.
How does the Kotlin Toolchain support AI agents?
It includes a Hot Reload MCP server and dedicated AI agent skills, which can be installed via `npx skills add kotlin/kotlin-agent-skills`. AI agents generate and maintain projects more reliably with fewer tokens.
Source and freshness
- Source
- blog.jetbrains.com
- Published
- Added to Yomu
Summaries are generated from the original by a language model. Check the original before relying on it.
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