Kodi Android APK Builder

Testing Notice This repository is for code testing only. It is not actively maintained and may not receive continuous updates. If you find issues, please fork this repository and fix them in your fork.

Build a custom Kodi APK entirely in your browser — no software to install

Everything happens on GitHub. You edit files here, click a button to build, and download the finished APK when it's ready.

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⚡ Quick start (first time)

Step 1 — Fork this repo

Click the Fork button at the top-right of this page. This creates your own copy where your builds will run.

Step 2 — Enable Actions

In your fork, click the Actions tab → click "I understand my workflows, go ahead and enable them".

Step 3 — Build your first APK

1. Go to Actions → 🎬 Build Kodi APK (left sidebar)
2. Click Run workflow (top-right of the workflow list)
3. Fill in the form that appears:

Field	What to put
Kodi version	Omega (latest stable)
Target device	arm64-v8a — works on most modern Android devices
App display name	Leave as Kodi or type your custom name (shown under the launcher icon)
Package ID	Leave as org.xbmc.kodi unless you want both official + custom installed
APK file name	Leave blank to auto-generate, or type a custom name e.g. MyMedia-v1.0
Pre-enable Unknown sources	true — lets users install third-party addons without digging into settings
Publish as Release	true — gives you a permanent download link

4. Click the green Run workflow button
5. Wait ~90 minutes (first build only — later builds are ~20–30 min)
6. Go to the Releases section (right sidebar on your repo home page) to download the APK

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🎨 Customizing your build

All customization is done by editing files in the kodi-config/ folder directly in GitHub — no software needed.

Change the app name, APK filename, or package ID

These are all set in the Run workflow form each time you build. No files to edit.

• App display name — what users see under the icon on their launcher (e.g. MyMedia)
• APK file name — what the downloaded file is called (e.g. type MyMedia-v1.0 → saves as MyMedia-v1.0.apk). Leave blank to auto-generate as {AppName}-{Branch}-{ABI}.apk
• Package ID — Android's internal identifier. Change this (e.g. com.myname.mymedia) to install your build alongside the official Kodi app

Custom launcher icon

1. Open kodi-config/ folder in your repo
2. Click Add file → Upload files
3. Upload a PNG named exactly icon.png (1024×1024 recommended)
4. Commit, then trigger a new build

Custom splash screen

Same as above but upload splash.png (1920×1080 recommended).

Pre-install addons

1. Open kodi-config/addons.txt
2. Click the pencil icon to edit in browser
3. Add one addon ZIP URL per line (find URLs at mirrors.kodi.tv/addons/omega/)
4. Click Commit changes
5. Trigger a new build — addons are baked in automatically

Pre-enable Unknown sources

Set the Pre-enable Unknown sources option to true in the Run workflow form. This pre-enables the Settings → System → Add-ons → Unknown sources toggle so users can install third-party addons without having to find and enable it themselves. It can still be toggled off by the user after install.

Pre-configure settings

• Edit kodi-config/advancedsettings.xml for buffer size, playback settings, etc.
• Edit kodi-config/sources.xml to pre-add media sources AND File Manager URL sources (see below)
• Drop a custom kodi-config/guisettings.xml to fully override any Kodi GUI setting at first launch

Add File Manager URL sources

The System → File Manager in Kodi lets you add named URL sources — addon repo URLs, SMB shares, FTP paths, etc. You can pre-populate these so they appear on first launch without the user having to type anything.

Edit kodi-config/sources.xml in GitHub and add entries to the <files> section at the bottom of the file. The file already contains ready-to-use commented examples for every common type:

Type	Example path
HTTP addon repo	https://example.com/kodi-repo/
HTTPS addon repo	https://mirrors.kodi.tv/addons/omega/
SMB share (no auth)	smb://192.168.1.100/shared/
SMB share (with login)	smb://user:pass@192.168.1.100/private/
FTP server	ftp://user:pass@ftp.example.com/path/
NFS share	nfs://192.168.1.100/mnt/data/

To add a source: open kodi-config/sources.xml → click the pencil ✏️ icon → find the relevant commented example → remove the <!-- and --> comment markers → replace the name and path → commit → trigger a build.

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📲 Installing the APK on your Android device

1. Go to Releases on your repo page → download the .apk file
2. On your Android device: Settings → Security → Unknown sources → ON (on newer Android: Settings → Apps → Special app access → Install unknown apps)
3. Open the downloaded APK file on the device
4. Tap Install

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❓ FAQ

How long does a build take? First build: ~90 min. Subsequent builds with the same Kodi version: ~20–30 min (depends cache is reused by GitHub).

Is it free? Yes. GitHub gives free accounts 2,000 minutes/month on Linux runners. Each build uses ~90 min, so roughly 20+ free builds per month.

Why does the APK say "untrusted" when installing? It's signed with a self-generated debug key — this is normal for custom builds. Android will warn about unknown sources, which you already enabled. It's safe.

Can I install this alongside the official Kodi from the Play Store? Yes — change the Package ID to something like com.myname.mykodi in the build form. Different package IDs = separate apps.

Can I control what the APK file is named when I download it? Yes — type anything in the APK file name field in the Run workflow form (e.g. MyMedia-v1.0). It saves as MyMedia-v1.0.apk. Leave it blank and it auto-generates as {AppName}-{Branch}-{ABI}.apk.

What does "Pre-enable Unknown sources" actually do? It pre-sets the Settings → System → Add-ons → Unknown sources toggle to ON inside the APK, so users don't have to find and enable it manually before installing third-party addons. Users can still turn it off after install if they want.

How do I pre-add File Manager sources (repo URLs, network shares)? Edit kodi-config/sources.xml and add entries to the <files> section. The file has ready-made commented examples for HTTP repos, SMB, FTP, and NFS. Uncomment the ones you need, fill in the URL and name, commit, and rebuild.

Can I build for older devices? Yes — choose armeabi-v7a in the build form for 32-bit older devices.

How do I update to a newer Kodi version? Just trigger a new build and choose the new branch. The APK will be rebuilt from the latest source.

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📁 Repo structure

kodi-cloud-builder/
├── .github/
│   └── workflows/
│       └── build-kodi.yml        ← The build pipeline (don't need to touch this)
├── kodi-config/
│   ├── addons.txt                ← Your addon URLs (edit me in browser)
│   ├── advancedsettings.xml      ← Kodi settings baked in (edit me in browser)
│   ├── sources.xml               ← Media sources baked in (edit me in browser)
│   ├── icon.png                  ← Upload your custom icon here
│   ├── splash.png                ← Upload your custom splash here
│   └── IMAGES.md                 ← Icon/splash upload instructions
└── README.md                     ← This file

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🔁 Typical workflow after setup

1. Edit kodi-config/ files in GitHub browser  (1 min)
2. Actions → Build Kodi APK → Run workflow    (1 min)
3. Wait for build to finish                   (~25 min with cache)
4. Download APK from Releases                 (1 min)