Using Stability Analyzer Ide Plugin

8. Apply quick fixes only when justified

The inspection ships two suppression intentions, surfaced via Alt+Enter on the underlined composable:

• @Suppress("NonSkippableComposable") — applied by AddSuppressAnnotationFix / AddSuppressIntentionAction. Silences the inspection on a function the developer has actively decided is acceptable (e.g. a debug overlay never on a hot path).
• @Suppress("ParamsComparedByRef") — same fix path, narrower scope: silences the warning when the parameter is intentionally compared by reference.

Apply suppressions on the specific function only. DO NOT push them to file scope.

9. Annotate hot paths with @TraceRecomposition

AddTraceRecompositionIntention is available via Alt+Enter on any @Composable. It inserts the @TraceRecomposition annotation, which is the runtime instrumentation entry point used by the live heatmap and by ../../measurement/tracing-recompositions-at-runtime/SKILL.md. Use it on suspected hot composables once the gutter has identified them.

Patterns

Pattern: red gutter inside a hot path is actionable, even when the build is green

// WRONG
PriceTicker has a red gutter icon.
Build is green, the team ships, jank reports come in two days later.

// WRONG because: the inspection is a weak warning by design and does not block the build.
// The gutter is the only signal until the developer opens the compiler reports.
// Treat red gutters on hot-path composables as actionable; confirm with
// `../diagnosing-compose-stability/SKILL.md`, then fix via `../stabilizing-compose-types/SKILL.md`.

// RIGHT
PriceTicker has a red gutter icon.
Hover -> "price: Price unstable (var price)".
Open the compiler reports for confirmation.
Stabilize `Price` (val + immutable fields) per `../stabilizing-compose-types/SKILL.md`.
Gutter turns green; confirm with the live heatmap per `../visualizing-recomposition-cascades/SKILL.md`.

Pattern: suppress on the function, never on the file

// WRONG
@file:Suppress("UnstableComposable")

package com.example.feature.cart

// WRONG because: file-level suppression hides every future regression in that file.
// New unstable composables added to the file will never surface in the inspection.

// RIGHT — narrow, justified suppression on a single function
@Suppress("NonSkippableComposable")
@Composable
fun DebugOverlay(state: MutableState<DebugInfo>) {
    // dev-only overlay; never on hot path; intentional MutableState parameter.
}

Pattern: do not chase 100% green gutters

// WRONG
"All composables in :feature-search must show green gutters before merge."

// WRONG because: skippability is a diagnostic, not a KPI. Some composables legitimately
// take unstable parameters (interop with Java POJOs, third-party data classes the team
// does not own). The goal is "no regression in hot-path composables", not "all green".
// Use `../enforcing-stability-in-ci/SKILL.md` to gate against regressions, not absolutes.

// RIGHT
Hot-path composables (list rows, scroll items, animation tickers) are green or yellow.
Cold-path composables (settings screens, debug tools) may be red and that is acceptable.

Pattern: silence noise via settings, not via inspection-disable

// WRONG
Settings -> Editor -> Inspections -> Compose -> Unstable Composable -> off

// WRONG because: turning the inspection off globally silences real regressions
// across the whole codebase. The next unstable parameter slipping into a hot
// composable will not surface anywhere in the editor.

// RIGHT
Settings -> Tools -> Compose Stability Analyzer:
  showGutterIconsOnlyForUnskippable = true
  showOnlyUnstableHints = true
The inspection stays on; only the visual noise is reduced.

Pattern: align the in-editor classifier with the compiler

// RIGHT — in Settings -> Tools -> Compose Stability Analyzer
isStrongSkippingEnabled = true
stabilityConfigurationPath = "<repo-root>/stability_config.conf"

The compiler runs with strong skipping on by default in Kotlin 2.0.20+ and consults the same stability_config.conf (see ../stabilizing-compose-types/SKILL.md). Matching both settings means the gutter color the developer sees agrees with what the compiler emits in ../diagnosing-compose-stability/SKILL.md.

Mandatory rules

• MUST treat a red or yellow gutter on any composable inside a hot path as actionable. Confirm with the compiler reports per ../diagnosing-compose-stability/SKILL.md, then fix via ../stabilizing-compose-types/SKILL.md.
• MUST point stabilityConfigurationPath at the same stability_config.conf the Compose compiler reads, so the editor and the compiler agree on classifications.
• MUST NOT apply file-level @file:Suppress("UnstableComposable"). Suppress on the specific function with @Suppress("NonSkippableComposable") or @Suppress("ParamsComparedByRef"), and document why in a comment.
• MUST NOT disable the inspection globally to silence noise. Tune showGutterIconsOnlyForUnskippable = true and showOnlyUnstableHints = true in Settings → Tools → Compose Stability Analyzer first.
• MUST NOT chase 100% green gutters. Skippability is a diagnostic, not a KPI. Stability config is a contract, not a magic spell — marking a mutable type stable means the compiler trusts the developer; break the contract and recompositions silently go missing.
• PREFERRED: keep isStrongSkippingEnabled = true so the analyzer's classification matches the compiler's actual runtime behavior on Kotlin 2.0.20+.
• PREFERRED: apply @TraceRecomposition via the Add @TraceRecomposition intention on suspected hot composables, then follow ../../measurement/tracing-recompositions-at-runtime/SKILL.md to wire the runtime side.
• PREFERRED: install from disk during development; the JetBrains Marketplace listing is pending and MUST NOT be assumed available yet.

Verification

• Plugin installed from disk via Settings → Plugins → ⚙ → Install Plugin from Disk…; the IDE has been restarted.
• Settings → Tools → Compose Stability Analyzer is present and isStabilityCheckEnabled is on.
• Opening a Kotlin file with @Composable declarations shows a colored gutter icon beside every one of them.
• Hovering a composable name shows the parameter-stability table popup served by StabilityDocumentationProvider.
• Inline parameter-type hints render next to each parameter in the function signature; toggling showOnlyUnstableHints hides hints for stable parameters.
• The UnstableComposable inspection (group Compose, weak warning) flags at least one known-unstable composable when one exists in the open file.
• Pressing Alt+Enter on a flagged composable offers @Suppress("NonSkippableComposable") and @Suppress("ParamsComparedByRef") quick fixes.
• Pressing Alt+Enter on any @Composable offers the Add @TraceRecomposition intention.
• stabilityConfigurationPath points at the same stability_config.conf used by the Compose Compiler in the project's Gradle config.

References

• skydoves/compose-stability-analyzer — https://github.com/skydoves/compose-stability-analyzer
• The compose-stability-analyzer-idea module within that repo — https://github.com/skydoves/compose-stability-analyzer/tree/main/compose-stability-analyzer-idea
• skydoves, "Optimize App Performance by Mastering Stability" — https://medium.com/proandroiddev/optimize-app-performance-by-mastering-stability-in-jetpack-compose-69f40a8c785d
• Compose stability overview — https://developer.android.com/develop/ui/compose/performance/stability
• Strong Skipping — https://developer.android.com/develop/ui/compose/performance/stability/strongskipping
• IntelliJ Platform K2 Analysis API — https://plugins.jetbrains.com/docs/intellij/analysis-api.html

For CI-side gating that turns red gutters into a build failure, see ../enforcing-stability-in-ci/SKILL.md. For the build-time Compose Compiler reports the gutter colors agree with, see ../diagnosing-compose-stability/SKILL.md. For the upstream type fixes that turn red gutters green, see ../stabilizing-compose-types/SKILL.md. For the active investigation tools (cascade visualizer, live heatmap) inside the same plugin, see ../visualizing-recomposition-cascades/SKILL.md. For the runtime instrumentation that the Add @TraceRecomposition intention sets up, see ../../measurement/tracing-recompositions-at-runtime/SKILL.md.