cometchat-android-v6-builder-settings

Ground truth: the installed kit source com.cometchat.uikit.core.CometChatUIKit (6.0.5) + the live page /ui-kit/android/methods (init · authentication · logout · create user · message helpers). Symbols verified against catalog android-v6.json. Fetch exact signatures from the methods page; never guess an overload.

Companion skills (read first)

• cometchat-android-v6-core — owns the DEFAULT path: initFromSettings → login → render, the settings file, and credential handling. Come HERE only when a task needs an option or auth variant beyond that default.

Use this skill when

"what can go in the settings file?", "turn on calling in the settings", "log in with a server-minted auth token instead of the auth key", "create a CometChat user from the app", "check who's logged in", "what does the UIKitSettings builder do?".

Prerequisites & install

Same kit + init as core. Everything here is com.cometchat.uikit.core — no extra dependency.

The settings file (the DEFAULT input to initFromSettings)

app/src/main/assets/cometchat-settings.json — gitignored (it carries the dev Auth Key). Read by CometChatUIKit.initFromSettings(context, callback), which parses it, builds the settings, and persists integrationSource="ai-agent" for telemetry:

{
  "appId": "APP_ID",
  "region": "REGION",
  "credentials": { "authKey": "AUTH_KEY" },
  "uiKit": {
    "subscribePresenceForAllUsers": true,
    "enableCalling": false
  }
}

• appId + region are required — missing either fails with ERR_SETTINGS_INVALID; a missing file fails with ERR_SETTINGS_FILE_NOT_FOUND.
• credentials.authKey is optional and dev-only — omit it in production builds and log in with a server-minted auth token.
• uiKit.subscribePresenceForAllUsers defaults to true.
• uiKit.enableCalling defaults to false. Setting it true makes initFromSettings auto-initialize the Calls SDK — which means the com.cometchat:calls-sdk-android dependency becomes MANDATORY. Without it the app throws NoClassDefFoundError: CometChatCalls$SessionSettingsBuilder from initCometChatCalls during onCreate, before any UI renders (verified on device). The two must always change together (→ cometchat-android-v6-calls).
• The Chat SDK may read an optional chatSDK section from the same file. It is not required — init succeeds without it. /sdk/android/v5/setup.md documents only the classic programmatic init() + AppSettings, so it will NOT tell you the section's keys; do not send the user there for them.

The legacy UIKitSettings builder (know it, don't default to it)

UIKitSettings.UIKitSettingsBuilder() with .setAppId(...), .setRegion(...), .setAuthKey(...), .setEnableCalling(...), .subscribePresenceForAllUsers(), .build() feeds the classic CometChatUIKit.init(context, settings, callback) overload. It still exists, but it is NOT the default — it skips the integration-source telemetry that initFromSettings persists. Use it only when a project genuinely cannot ship an assets file (e.g. credentials arrive at runtime from your own backend); say so explicitly when you do, and keep credentials out of source either way.

Session / auth methods (CometChatUIKit)

Method	Use
getLoggedInUser(): User?	Synchronous guard — non-null means a session already exists; skip login.
login(uid, CallbackListener<User>)	Dev/auth-key login for an existing user.
loginWithAuthToken(authToken, CallbackListener<User>)	Production login with a server-minted per-user token. Auth Key never ships to the client.
logout(CallbackListener<String>)	End the session. Unregister the push token BEFORE this (cometchat-android-v6-push).
createUser(user, CallbackListener<User>)	Create a user from the app — dev/prototype only; production should mint users server-side with the REST API.

Ordering never changes: init resolves → (guard) login resolves → chat UI. Re-logging in a different user requires logout first. Full lifecycle detail (where to init, config changes, process death): core/references/lifecycle.md.

Message-helper reference (on the same docs page)

/ui-kit/android/methods also documents date formatting and constructing TextMessage / MediaMessage / CustomMessage for programmatic sends — fetch that section rather than hand-rolling a message object; the SDK types are the Chat SDK's (cometchat-android-v5-sdk / core/references/docs-map.md → SDK section).

Common pitfalls

Committing cometchat-settings.json (leaks the Auth Key) · shipping credentials.authKey in a release build · using the classic init(...) as the default (loses telemetry attribution) · calling login before init's onSuccess (fails silently) · re-logging in without logout · using createUser in production · assuming enableCalling alone adds calling (the Calls SDK artifact is still required) · reading getLoggedInUser() before init.

Verify it works

Compile against the pinned kit (./gradlew :app:assembleDebug # in YOUR app (npm run verify:fences:android-v6 is a pack-repo gate)). On device: with the settings file present, init reports success and login resolves; delete/rename the file → you get ERR_SETTINGS_FILE_NOT_FOUND surfaced as a readable error (not a crash); with enableCalling: true + the Calls artifact, call buttons appear (Views: automatic; Compose: only with hideVoiceCallButton = false, hideVideoCallButton = false on the header — cometchat-android-v6-calls); a release build contains no Auth Key (grep the merged assets). Confirm cometchat-settings.json is in .gitignore.