diff --git a/xwords4/android/XWords4/build.gradle b/xwords4/android/XWords4/build.gradle
index 86a066d72..f40725db5 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/XWords4/build.gradle
+++ b/xwords4/android/XWords4/build.gradle
@@ -53,8 +53,9 @@ android {
                 res.srcDirs "src/${dir}/res"
             }
 			manifest.srcFile 'AndroidManifest.xml'
+            java.srcDirs = ['src']
             assets.srcDirs = ['assets']
-			res.srcDirs = ['res']
+            res.srcDirs = ['res']
             jniLibs.srcDir 'libs' // use the jni .so compiled from the manual ndk-build command
             jni.srcDirs = [] // disable automatic ndk-build call
         }
@@ -65,25 +66,55 @@ android {
     lintOptions {
         abortOnError false
     }
+
+    signingConfigs {
+        release { 
+            String password = System.getenv("KEYSTORE_PASSWORD")
+            if (null == password || ''.equals(password)) {
+                password = new String(System.console().readPassword("\n\$ Enter keystore password: "))
+            }
+            storePassword password
+            keyPassword password
+            storeFile "${System.properties['user.home']}${File.separator}.keystore" as File
+            keyAlias 'mykey'
+        }
+    }
+
+    buildTypes {
+        release {
+            signingConfig signingConfigs.release
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 task genVers(type: Exec) {
     workingDir './'
     commandLine '../scripts/genvers.sh', VARIANT_NAME, 
-	    INITIAL_CLIENT_VERS, CHAT_ENABLED, THUMBNAIL_ENABLED
+        INITIAL_CLIENT_VERS, CHAT_ENABLED, THUMBNAIL_ENABLED
 }
 
 task mkImages(type: Exec) {
     workingDir './'
-	commandLine '../scripts/mkimages.sh'
+    commandLine '../scripts/mkimages.sh'
 }
 
 task copyStrings(type: Exec) {
     workingDir './'
-	commandLine '../scripts/copy-strings.py'
+    commandLine '../scripts/copy-strings.py'
 }
 
-task myPreBuild(dependsOn: ['genVers', 'mkImages', 'copyStrings']) {
+task ndkSetup(type: Exec) {
+    commandLine "../scripts/ndksetup.sh"
+}
+
+task genGcmid(type: Exec) {
+    commandLine '../scripts/gen_gcmid.sh', 
+        '-o', "src/org/eehouse/android/$VARIANT_NAME/GCMConsts.java",
+        '-v', "$VARIANT_NAME"
+}
+
+
+task myPreBuild(dependsOn: ['genVers', 'ndkSetup', 'mkImages', 'copyStrings', 'mkXml', 'genGcmid']) {
 }
 
 task ndkBuild(type: Exec) {
@@ -92,9 +123,14 @@ task ndkBuild(type: Exec) {
       "INITIAL_CLIENT_VERS=$INITIAL_CLIENT_VERS", "VARIANT=$VARIANT_NAME", 'V=1'
 }
 
-tasks.withType(JavaCompile) {
-    compileTask -> compileTask.dependsOn myPreBuild
+task mkXml(type: Exec) {
+    commandLine '../scripts/mk_xml.py', '-o', 
+        "src/org/eehouse/android/$VARIANT_NAME/loc/LocIDsData.java",
+        '-t', "debug", '-v', "$VARIANT_NAME"
 }
+
+preBuild.dependsOn myPreBuild
+
 tasks.withType(JavaCompile) {
     compileTask -> compileTask.dependsOn ndkBuild
 }
diff --git a/xwords4/android/scripts/common_targets.xml b/xwords4/android/scripts/common_targets.xml
index 63b664dbf..951d3bc7f 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/scripts/common_targets.xml
+++ b/xwords4/android/scripts/common_targets.xml
@@ -58,10 +58,12 @@
             <arg value="${VARIANT_NAME}"/>
         </exec>
 
-        <exec dir="." executable="../scripts/gen_gcmid.sh"
-              output="src/org/eehouse/android/${VARIANT_NAME}/GCMConsts.java"
+        <exec dir="." executable="../scripts/gen_gcmid.sh" 
               logError="true" failonerror="true"
               >
+          <arg value="-o"/>
+          <arg value="src/org/eehouse/android/${VARIANT_NAME}/GCMConsts.java"/>
+          <arg value="-v"/>
           <arg value="${VARIANT_NAME}"/>
           </exec>
         <exec dir="." executable="../scripts/genvers.sh" output="/dev/null" 
diff --git a/xwords4/android/scripts/gen_gcmid.sh b/xwords4/android/scripts/gen_gcmid.sh
index 6d488f945..a64c2b5f5 100755
--- a/xwords4/android/scripts/gen_gcmid.sh
+++ b/xwords4/android/scripts/gen_gcmid.sh
@@ -4,6 +4,31 @@ set -e -u
 
 GCM_SENDER_ID=${GCM_SENDER_ID:-""}
 CRITTERCISM_APP_ID=${CRITTERCISM_APP_ID:-""}
+OUTFILE=""
+VARIANT=""
+
+usage() {
+	echo "usage: $0 -o outfile -v <variant>"
+	exit 1
+}
+
+while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
+	case $1 in
+		-o)
+			OUTFILE=$2
+			shift
+			;;
+		-v)
+			VARIANT=$2
+			shift
+			;;
+		*)
+			echo "unexpected param $1"
+			usage
+			;;
+	esac
+	shift
+done
 
 if [ -z "$GCM_SENDER_ID" ]; then
     echo "GCM_SENDER_ID empty; GCM use will be disabled" >&2
@@ -12,9 +37,12 @@ if [ -z "$CRITTERCISM_APP_ID" ]; then
     echo "CRITTERCISM_APP_ID empty; Crittercism will not be enabled" >&2
 fi
 
-PKG=$1
+[ -z "$VARIANT" ] && usage
+[ -z "$OUTFILE" ] && usage
 
-cat <<EOF
+PKG=$VARIANT
+
+cat <<EOF > $OUTFILE
 // Auto-generated: DO NOT CHECK THIS IN until questions about
 // obscuring various ids are cleared up. For now they're not meant 
 // to be committed to public repos.
diff --git a/xwords4/android/scripts/ndksetup.sh b/xwords4/android/scripts/ndksetup.sh
index 0b437e54f..05d6ec201 100755
--- a/xwords4/android/scripts/ndksetup.sh
+++ b/xwords4/android/scripts/ndksetup.sh
@@ -9,9 +9,7 @@ XWORDS_DEBUG_X86ONLY=${XWORDS_DEBUG_X86ONLYx:-""}
 
 echo "# Generated by $0; do not edit!!!" > $TMP_MK
 
-if [ "$1" = "release" ]; then
-    echo "APP_ABI := armeabi x86" >> $TMP_MK
-elif [ -n "$XWORDS_DEBUG_ARMONLY" ]; then
+if [ -n "$XWORDS_DEBUG_ARMONLY" ]; then
     echo "APP_ABI := armeabi" >> $TMP_MK
 elif [ -n "$XWORDS_DEBUG_X86ONLY" ]; then
     echo "APP_ABI :=  x86" >> $TMP_MK