CI/CD - Automated Build & Deploy

Set up robust CI/CD pipelines for Flutter apps using GitHub Actions and Fastlane. Automates the entire flow from code push to app store deployment.

When to Use This Skill

• Setting up CI/CD for a new Flutter project
• Adding automated testing to pull requests
• Configuring deployment to Firebase App Distribution
• Setting up TestFlight (iOS) or Play Store (Android) releases
• Implementing semantic versioning automation
• Optimizing build times with caching

Architecture Overview

GitHub Actions Pipeline: CI (on PR: analyze, test) → Build (on merge: APK/IPA) → Deploy (on tag: stores)

Fastlane: iOS (match → build → TestFlight) | Android (gradle → Play Store)

Quick Reference

Workflow Types

Workflow	Trigger	Purpose
ci.yml	PR, push	Lint, test, analyze
build-android.yml	Push to main	Build APK/AAB artifacts
build-ios.yml	Push to main	Build iOS (no codesign)
deploy-firebase-android.yml	Beta/alpha tags	Firebase App Distribution (Android)
deploy-firebase-ios.yml	Beta/alpha tags	Firebase App Distribution (iOS)
deploy-testflight.yml	Release tags	TestFlight
deploy-playstore.yml	Release tags	Play Store
release.yml	Manual	Bump version, create tag

Quick Start

# Interactive setup - creates config file, then generates all CI/CD files
dart run .claude/skills/ci-cd/scripts/setup.dart

This will:

1. Create ci-cd-config.yaml with all options
2. Open it for you to fill in your values
3. Run again to generate all workflows and Fastlane files

Other Commands

dart run .claude/skills/ci-cd/scripts/check.dart       # Validate setup
cd ios && bundle exec fastlane beta                    # Fastlane iOS
cd android && bundle exec fastlane beta                # Fastlane Android
./scripts/bump_version.sh patch                        # Bump version

Workflow

1. Prerequisites Check

Before setting up CI/CD, ensure project builds and tests pass:

flutter build apk --debug && flutter build ios --debug --no-codesign
flutter test && flutter analyze

2. Create Workflow Files

mkdir -p .github/workflows

Create workflows in order:

1. ci.yml - Basic PR checks (required for all projects)
2. build.yml - Build artifacts (if deploying)
3. deploy-firebase.yml - Firebase App Distribution (for testers)
4. deploy-ios.yml / deploy-android.yml - Store deployment

See workflows-guide.md for templates.

3. Configure Secrets

Add to GitHub repository Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions:

Secret	Purpose	Required For
FIREBASE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT	Firebase deployment	Firebase App Dist
FIREBASE_APP_ID_ANDROID	Android App ID	Firebase App Dist
FIREBASE_APP_ID_IOS	iOS App ID	Firebase App Dist
MATCH_PASSWORD	Fastlane match encryption	iOS signing
MATCH_GIT_BASIC_AUTHORIZATION	Match repo access	iOS signing
APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY	App Store Connect	TestFlight
APP_STORE_CONNECT_ISSUER_ID	API Key Issuer	TestFlight
APP_STORE_CONNECT_KEY_ID	API Key ID	TestFlight
GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY	Play Store access	Play Store

4. Set Up Fastlane (Optional)

gem install fastlane && cd ios && fastlane init  # iOS
cd android && fastlane init                       # Android

See fastlane-guide.md and versioning-guide.md for configuration.

Checklist

GitHub Actions:

• .github/workflows/ci.yml exists
• Workflow uses subosito/flutter-action with caching
• Secrets configured in repository settings
• Branch protection requires CI to pass

Fastlane (if deploying):

• ios/fastlane/Fastfile configured
• android/fastlane/Fastfile configured
• Match set up for iOS signing
• Service accounts configured

Versioning:

• Version bump script exists
• Changelog pattern documented
• Tag triggers deployment

Caching Strategy

Proper caching reduces build times by 30-50%:

What to Cache	Key Pattern	Restore Key
Flutter SDK	flutter-${{ runner.os }}-${{ inputs.flutter-version }}	flutter-${{ runner.os }}-
Pub cache	pub-${{ runner.os }}-${{ hashFiles('**/pubspec.lock') }}	pub-${{ runner.os }}-
build_runner	build-runner-${{ hashFiles('**/pubspec.lock') }}	build-runner-
Gradle	gradle-${{ hashFiles('**/*.gradle*', '**/gradle-wrapper.properties') }}	gradle-
CocoaPods	pods-${{ hashFiles('**/Podfile.lock') }}	pods-

Security Best Practices

1. Never commit secrets - Use GitHub Secrets or environment variables
2. Restrict workflow permissions - Use permissions: block
3. Pin action versions - Use SHA or exact versions, not @main
4. Use OIDC - For cloud providers (Firebase, GCP) when possible
5. Limit deployment branches - Only deploy from protected branches

Templates

Ready-to-use files in templates/: bump_version scripts, workflows/*.yml (ci, build, deploy), fastlane/{ios,android}/ (Fastfile, Appfile, Gemfile).

Note: Template Fastfiles include advanced lanes. The setup script creates minimal files.

# Copy templates manually (or use setup.dart)
mkdir -p .github/workflows ios/fastlane android/fastlane
cp .claude/skills/ci-cd/templates/workflows/*.yml .github/workflows/
cp .claude/skills/ci-cd/templates/fastlane/ios/* ios/fastlane/

Guides

Guide	Use For
workflows-guide.md	GitHub Actions concepts & customization
fastlane-guide.md	iOS/Android deployment setup
versioning-guide.md	Semantic versioning patterns
debug-symbols-guide.md	dSYM/mapping upload for crash reporting

Related Skills

• /release - Manual release preparation (signing, icons, store setup) - do this first
• /analytics - Crash reporting setup, provides upload scripts
• /testing - Ensure tests pass before deployment

Sources

Based on: Flutter CI/CD with GitHub Actions, Fastlane Flutter Docs, Flutter Official CD Guide