Cometchat android v6 troubleshooting

Ground truth: com.cometchat:chatuikit-{compose,kotlin}-android:6.x (+ calls-sdk-android:5.x) — resolved AAR (javap) + ui-kit/android/v6. Official docs: https://www.cometchat.com/docs/ui-kit/android/v6/overview · Docs MCP: claude mcp add --transport http cometchat-docs https://www.cometchat.com/docs/mcp (or fetch the URL directly without MCP). Verify symbols against the installed package/source before relying on them.

Companion skills: cometchat-android-v6-core (init/login), cometchat-android-v6-compose-theming, cometchat-android-v6-kotlin-theming, cometchat-android-v6-push

Purpose

Diagnose and fix common issues with CometChat Android UIKit v6 across both Kotlin Views and Jetpack Compose stacks.

Use this skill when

• Encountering errors during SDK initialization or login
• Components not rendering or displaying incorrectly
• Push notifications not working
• Call features not functioning
• Build or dependency issues

Do not use this skill when

• Setting up a new project (use cometchat-android-v6-core)
• Looking for component APIs (use cometchat-*-components)

1. Diagnostic Table

Symptom	Likely Cause	Fix
Authentication null error on init	UIKitSettings not configured	Ensure setAppId() and setRegion() are called on builder
APP ID null error on init	Missing app ID	Call setAppId("YOUR_APP_ID") on UIKitSettingsBuilder
Login fails with auth error	Invalid authKey or UID	Verify authKey from CometChat dashboard; check UID exists
Components show no data	SDK not initialized or user not logged in	Check CometChatUIKit.isSDKInitialized() and getLoggedInUser()
Compose components crash	Missing CometChatTheme {} wrapper	Wrap all CometChat composables in CometChatTheme {}
Views theme colors wrong	XML attrs not set	Inherit Activity theme from CometChatTheme.DayNight (see -kotlin-placement); for brand colors override cometchat* attrs in the Activity theme or call CometChatTheme.setPrimaryColor(...)
IllegalArgumentException: The style on this component requires your app theme to be Theme.MaterialComponents (or a descendant) at MaterialCardView.<init> (typically from CometChatConversations.<init>)	Activity theme parent is Theme.AppCompat.* or android:Theme.*	Switch themes.xml parent to CometChatTheme.DayNight (NOT Theme.MaterialComponents.*.Bridge — Bridge drops Material widget defaults and triggers the MaterialButton crash below)
UnsupportedOperationException: Failed to resolve attribute at index N at MaterialButton.<init> (during inflate of kit-internal layout)	Activity theme is Theme.MaterialComponents.* (or .Bridge) but missing cometchat* attrs	Switch themes.xml parent to CometChatTheme.DayNight — the kit's own theme supplies every cometchat* attr its internal layouts reference
Dark mode not applied (Compose)	Using lightColorScheme() always	Use if (isSystemInDarkTheme()) darkColorScheme() else lightColorScheme()
Dark mode not applied (Views)	Theme cache stale	Call CometChatTheme.clearCache() on configuration change
Messages not loading	User/Group not set on component	Call setUser(user) or pass user parameter before display
Push notifications not received	Missing google-services.json	Add file to app module root; verify Firebase project config
FCM token not registered	onNewToken() not called	Manually request token with FirebaseMessaging.getInstance().token
Call notifications not showing	VoIP permissions missing	Request READ_PHONE_STATE, MANAGE_OWN_CALLS, ANSWER_PHONE_CALLS
Calls SDK not initialized	enableCalling not set	Set setEnableCalling(true) on UIKitSettingsBuilder
CometChatCalls class not found	Missing calls SDK dependency	Add com.cometchat:calls-sdk-android to dependencies
Calls broken on chatuikit:6.0.0 (call button targets wrong user, in-call screen blank, etc.)	Known v6.0.0 calls defects — CometChatCallButtons captures the first-rendered user globally + 4 related bugs	Apply the 5 documented workarounds (W1–W5) in cometchat-android-v6-calls (§"Five required workarounds"). The kit ships broken for calls at 6.0.0 but works end-to-end with W1–W5 (validated on device). Don't hand-patch blind — use that section.
Build fails with duplicate classes	Conflicting annotation libs	Add exclude(group = "org.jetbrains", module = "annotations-java5") to configurations
compileSdk error	SDK too low	Set compileSdk = 36
minSdk error	API level too low	Set minSdk = 28 — v6 requires Android 9.0+
Compose preview crashes	Missing preview data	Use the preview/ package helpers for @Preview composables
WebSocket disconnects in background	No lifecycle management	Call CometChat.connect() on foreground, disconnect() on background
Recomposition issues	Unstable state in composables	Ensure state is hoisted properly; use remember and derivedStateOf
BubbleFactory not applied	Wrong factory key	Verify getCategory() and getType() match the message's category and type
Style not applied (Compose)	Using constructor instead of default()	Use StyleClass.default(param = value) not StyleClass(...)

2. Initialization Issues

2.1 Verify SDK State

// Check initialization
Log.d("CometChat", "SDK initialized: ${CometChatUIKit.isSDKInitialized()}")
Log.d("CometChat", "Calls SDK initialized: ${CometChatUIKit.isCallsSDKInitialized()}")
Log.d("CometChat", "Logged in user: ${CometChatUIKit.getLoggedInUser()?.uid}")

2.2 Common Init Sequence Issues

// ❌ Wrong: init in every Activity
class ChatActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        CometChatUIKit.init(this, settings, callback) // DON'T DO THIS
    }
}

// ✅ Correct: init once in Application or splash
class MyApp : Application() {
    override fun onCreate() {
        super.onCreate()
        CometChatUIKit.init(this, settings, callback)
    }
}

3. Compose-Specific Issues

3.1 Missing Theme Wrapper

// ❌ Crash: CompositionLocal not provided
setContent {
    CometChatConversations() // Will crash or look wrong
}

// ✅ Correct
setContent {
    CometChatTheme {
        CometChatConversations()
    }
}

3.2 Nested Theme Wrappers

// ❌ Unnecessary nesting
CometChatTheme {
    NavHost(...) {
        composable("chat") {
            CometChatTheme { // Don't nest
                CometChatMessageList(user = user)
            }
        }
    }
}

// ✅ Single wrapper at top level
CometChatTheme {
    NavHost(...) {
        composable("chat") {
            CometChatMessageList(user = user)
        }
    }
}

4. Views-Specific Issues

4.1 Theme Attributes Not Resolving

// If colors are all 0/transparent, the XML attrs aren't set
// Fix: Set programmatically
CometChatTheme.setPrimaryColor(Color.parseColor("#6851D6"))
// Or add attrs to your Activity's theme in styles.xml

4.2 RecyclerView Scroll Issues

If message list doesn't scroll properly, ensure the layout gives it flexible height:

<!-- ✅ Use layout_weight for flexible height -->
<CometChatMessageList
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="0dp"
    android:layout_weight="1" />

5. Push Notification Issues

5.0 No notifications shown on Android 13+ (API 33+)

• Symptom: FCM messages arrive (visible in logcat) but no system notification appears on Android 13+.
• Cause: POST_NOTIFICATIONS is a runtime permission on API 33+ — declaring it in the manifest isn't enough.
• Fix: Declare <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS"/> AND request it at runtime (ActivityCompat.requestPermissions(...) / the Activity Result API) before you expect notifications. Below API 33 it's granted implicitly.

5.1 SDK Not Initialized in FCM Service

// When app is killed and FCM wakes it, SDK may not be initialized
override fun onMessageReceived(message: RemoteMessage) {
    if (!CometChatUIKit.isSDKInitialized()) {
        // Cannot handle message — show basic notification or skip
        return
    }
    // Safe to proceed
}

5.2 VoIP Permission Check

⚠️ CometChatVoIP is NOT a v6 kit/SDK API. It exists only as an app-local helper in the V5 sample app; the v6 sample even asserts it must not be referenced (PreservationPropertyTest.kt:78). Check the permissions directly with ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission (or copy the V5 helper into your project if you want its convenience wrappers):

import androidx.core.content.ContextCompat
import android.content.pm.PackageManager
import android.Manifest

// All three permissions are required for VoIP calling
fun hasVoipPermissions(context: Context): Boolean {
    val needed = listOf(
        Manifest.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE,
        Manifest.permission.MANAGE_OWN_CALLS,
        Manifest.permission.ANSWER_PHONE_CALLS,
    )
    return needed.all {
        ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission(context, it) == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED
    }
}

6. Dependency Conflicts

6.1 Jetbrains Annotations Conflict

// In build.gradle.kts
configurations.all {
    exclude(group = "org.jetbrains", module = "annotations-java5")
}

6.2 Maven Repository Missing

// In settings.gradle
repositories {
    maven { url = uri("https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/cometchat/cometchat/maven/") }
}

7. Release-build Issues (R8 / ProGuard)

7.1 ClassNotFoundException on release builds

Symptom: App works in debug, crashes on release with java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: com.cometchat.uikit.compose... (or kotlin... package). R8 has stripped kit classes that look unused via reflection.

Fix: Add to app/proguard-rules.pro:

# Keep all CometChat UIKit and chat-sdk classes
-keep class com.cometchat.** { *; }
-keepclassmembers class com.cometchat.** { *; }
-dontwarn com.cometchat.**

If you use the calls SDK, also add:

-keep class io.dyte.** { *; }
-dontwarn io.dyte.**

7.2 BuildConfig field missing in release

Symptom: BuildConfig.COMETCHAT_APP_ID resolves to empty string in release. Caused by local.properties not being copied during CI builds.

Fix: Provide credentials via Gradle properties from CI environment vars instead of relying on local.properties:

// app/build.gradle.kts
android {
    defaultConfig {
        buildConfigField(
            "String", "COMETCHAT_APP_ID",
            "\"${project.findProperty("cometchat.appId") ?: System.getenv("COMETCHAT_APP_ID") ?: ""}\""
        )
        // …same for region + authKey
    }
}

In CI (e.g. GitHub Actions), set COMETCHAT_APP_ID etc. as repository secrets, not as files.

Hard rules

• ALWAYS check isSDKInitialized() before making SDK calls in background services (FCM, VoIP)
• ALWAYS wrap Compose components in CometChatTheme {} — this is the #1 cause of Compose rendering issues
• Call CometChatTheme.clearCache() in Views when the theme changes dynamically
• Do NOT lower minSdk below 28 or compileSdk below 36
• When reporting bugs, include: SDK version, stack (Compose/Views), Android API level, and the full stack trace