diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..256a7f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+# --- Secrets / signing (must never be committed) ---
+*.keystore
+*.jks
+*.p12
+*.pem
+*.key
+keystore*
+*.base64
+key.properties
+local.properties
+
+# --- Build / scratch ---
+*.zip
+*.tmp
+tmp/
+out/
+dist/
+
+# --- OS cruft ---
+.DS_Store
+Thumbs.db
+desktop.ini
+
+# --- Editors / IDEs ---
+.idea/
+.vscode/
+*.swp
+*.swo
+*~
+
+# --- Logs ---
+*.log
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/Dockerfile.yml b/Dockerfile.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8fd5581
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Dockerfile.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+# Native linux/arm64 Android build toolchain for CI.
+# Builds release artifacts only — no emulator, no test/system images.
+# eclipse-temurin publishes a native linux/arm64 manifest, so this runs
+# without emulation on an OCI Ampere (aarch64) runner.
+FROM eclipse-temurin:21-jdk-noble
+
+# --- Version pins (bump deliberately; this is what your app repos trust) ---
+# cmdline-tools: find the current build number at
+#   https://developer.android.com/studio#command-line-tools-only
+ARG CMDLINE_TOOLS_VERSION=13114758
+ARG BUILD_TOOLS_VERSION=35.0.0
+ARG PLATFORM_VERSION=android-35
+
+ENV ANDROID_SDK_ROOT=/opt/android-sdk \
+    ANDROID_HOME=/opt/android-sdk \
+    DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
+
+# git is needed by some Gradle plugins; unzip/curl for SDK install.
+RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+        curl unzip git ca-certificates && \
+    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+# Install the command-line tools into the canonical "latest" location.
+RUN mkdir -p ${ANDROID_SDK_ROOT}/cmdline-tools && \
+    curl -fsSL -o /tmp/tools.zip \
+      "https://dl.google.com/android/repository/commandlinetools-linux-${CMDLINE_TOOLS_VERSION}_latest.zip" && \
+    unzip -q /tmp/tools.zip -d ${ANDROID_SDK_ROOT}/cmdline-tools && \
+    mv ${ANDROID_SDK_ROOT}/cmdline-tools/cmdline-tools ${ANDROID_SDK_ROOT}/cmdline-tools/latest && \
+    rm /tmp/tools.zip
+
+ENV PATH=${PATH}:${ANDROID_SDK_ROOT}/cmdline-tools/latest/bin:${ANDROID_SDK_ROOT}/platform-tools
+
+# Accept licenses and bake the SDK packages into the image so prod builds
+# don't depend on Google's endpoint at job time.
+# aapt2 and the build-tools binaries ship native arm64 for 35.x, so APK/AAB
+# packaging runs natively on aarch64.
+RUN yes | sdkmanager --licenses >/dev/null && \
+    sdkmanager --install \
+      "platform-tools" \
+      "platforms;${PLATFORM_VERSION}" \
+      "build-tools;${BUILD_TOOLS_VERSION}" && \
+    rm -rf ${ANDROID_SDK_ROOT}/.android
+
+# Sanity: fail the image build if the toolchain isn't actually usable.
+RUN java -version && sdkmanager --version && \
+    test -d "${ANDROID_SDK_ROOT}/platforms/${PLATFORM_VERSION}"
+
+WORKDIR /workspace
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index cf9418d..c201dbc 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,3 +1,94 @@
-# android
+# android-builder
 
-Android build
\ No newline at end of file
+Native `linux/arm64` Android build toolchain for CI, published to the Gitea
+container registry at `git.helu.ca/r/android`.
+
+App repos consume this image to build signed release artifacts. Instrumented
+tests are **not** part of this toolchain — by design, CI builds are promotions
+of code already tested in Dev (on Apple silicon, where the emulator runs
+natively). The OCI Ampere (aarch64) runner has no `/dev/kvm` (the guest VM
+boots at EL1, so KVM can't access HYP/EL2), so there's no accelerated emulator
+here — and we don't need one.
+
+## What's in the image
+
+- Eclipse Temurin JDK 21 (native arm64)
+- Android cmdline-tools, platform, and build-tools — **baked in**, so prod
+  builds don't depend on Google's download endpoint at job time
+- `git`, `curl`, `unzip`
+
+Pinned versions live as `ARG`s at the top of the `Dockerfile`:
+
+| ARG                     | Default     | Where to check |
+| ----------------------- | ----------- | -------------- |
+| `CMDLINE_TOOLS_VERSION` | `13114758`  | https://developer.android.com/studio#command-line-tools-only |
+| `BUILD_TOOLS_VERSION`   | `35.0.0`    | SDK Manager / release notes |
+| `PLATFORM_VERSION`      | `android-35`| your app's `compileSdk` |
+
+`aapt2` and the build-tools binaries ship native arm64 for 35.x, so packaging
+runs without emulation.
+
+## Tagging model
+
+The whole point of owning this image is that **app repos pin a tag and a new
+toolchain never lands in a prod build by accident.**
+
+- **Immutable** — a git tag like `2026.06` produces `git.helu.ca/r/android:2026.06`.
+  This is what app repos pin to.
+- **Moving** — pushes to `main` (and any tag build) refresh
+  `git.helu.ca/r/android:latest` for convenience. Don't pin prod builds to this.
+
+## Cutting a new toolchain
+
+1. Update the `ARG` defaults in the `Dockerfile` if you're moving SDK/tool
+   versions. Verify `CMDLINE_TOOLS_VERSION` against the link above — a stale
+   number 404s the image build.
+2. Commit to `main`. The workflow builds and pushes `:latest`; confirm it's green.
+3. Tag the release with the year-month you want app repos to reference:
+   ```
+   git tag 2026.06
+   git push origin 2026.06
+   ```
+   This publishes the immutable `git.helu.ca/r/android:2026.06`.
+4. Roll app repos forward deliberately by bumping their pinned tag (see below)
+   — one at a time if you want to validate, all at once if you trust the bump.
+
+## Using it in an app repo
+
+Drop `.gitea/workflows/build.yml` (the template alongside this repo) into the
+app and pin the toolchain:
+
+```yaml
+jobs:
+  build:
+    runs-on: [self-hosted, arm64]
+    container:
+      image: git.helu.ca/r/android:2026.06
+      credentials:
+        username: ${{ gitea.actor }}
+        password: ${{ secrets.GITEA_TOKEN }}
+```
+
+The build task is selectable: `assembleRelease` (APK, the default) or
+`bundleRelease` (AAB — only needed for Google Play distribution).
+
+### Required secrets in each app repo (or org-level)
+
+Signing happens at job time; nothing sensitive lives in the repo or the image.
+
+| Secret              | What it is |
+| ------------------- | ---------- |
+| `KEYSTORE_BASE64`   | release keystore, base64-encoded: `base64 -w0 release.keystore` |
+| `KEYSTORE_PASSWORD` | keystore password |
+| `KEY_ALIAS`         | signing key alias |
+| `KEY_PASSWORD`      | key password |
+
+`GITEA_TOKEN` needs `write:package` here (to push) and `read:package` in app
+repos (to pull). The built-in token usually covers this; if your instance
+scopes it tightly, use a PAT.
+
+## First-run sequencing
+
+The image must exist in the registry before any app workflow can pull it.
+So: cut and push `2026.06` from this repo first, confirm it's in the registry,
+*then* the app workflows that pin it will resolve.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/build.yml b/build.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..158b8f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+name: build-release
+
+# Drop this into any Android app repo at .gitea/workflows/build.yml
+# It runs the release build inside the pinned toolchain image and publishes
+# the signed artifact. Instrumented tests are NOT run here — by design,
+# prod builds are promotions of code already tested in Dev.
+
+on:
+  push:
+    tags: ["v*"]          # build prod artifacts on version tags
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      gradle_task:
+        description: "Release task"
+        type: choice
+        default: assembleRelease     # APK. Use bundleRelease for a Play AAB.
+        options: [assembleRelease, bundleRelease]
+
+env:
+  # Pin the toolchain. Bump deliberately when you roll forward.
+  BUILDER_IMAGE: git.helu.ca/r/android:2026.06
+  # Default task for tag-triggered builds (workflow_dispatch overrides via input)
+  DEFAULT_TASK: assembleRelease
+
+jobs:
+  build:
+    runs-on: [self-hosted, arm64]
+    container:
+      image: git.helu.ca/r/android:2026.06
+      credentials:
+        username: ${{ gitea.actor }}
+        password: ${{ secrets.GITEA_TOKEN }}
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Resolve gradle task
+        id: task
+        run: |
+          TASK="${{ inputs.gradle_task }}"
+          [ -z "$TASK" ] && TASK="${DEFAULT_TASK}"
+          echo "task=$TASK" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+      # --- Signing ---------------------------------------------------------
+      # Store the keystore as a base64-encoded Gitea Actions secret and the
+      # passwords as separate secrets. Nothing sensitive lives in the repo
+      # or the image. Decode at job time into a path Gradle reads.
+      #
+      # Create the base64 secret yourself with:
+      #   base64 -w0 release.keystore   (copy output into secret KEYSTORE_BASE64)
+      #
+      # Reference KEYSTORE_PASSWORD / KEY_ALIAS / KEY_PASSWORD from your
+      # signingConfig (or via -Pandroid.injected.signing.* as below).
+      - name: Decode keystore
+        run: |
+          echo "${{ secrets.KEYSTORE_BASE64 }}" | base64 -d > "$RUNNER_TEMP/release.keystore"
+
+      - name: Build release
+        run: |
+          ./gradlew --no-daemon ${{ steps.task.outputs.task }} \
+            -Pandroid.injected.signing.store.file="$RUNNER_TEMP/release.keystore" \
+            -Pandroid.injected.signing.store.password="${{ secrets.KEYSTORE_PASSWORD }}" \
+            -Pandroid.injected.signing.key.alias="${{ secrets.KEY_ALIAS }}" \
+            -Pandroid.injected.signing.key.password="${{ secrets.KEY_PASSWORD }}"
+
+      # Collects whichever artifact the task produced — apk or aab.
+      - name: Collect artifact
+        run: |
+          mkdir -p out
+          find app/build/outputs -type f \( -name "*-release.apk" -o -name "*-release.aab" \) \
+            -exec cp {} out/ \;
+          ls -l out
+
+      - name: Upload artifact
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: release-artifacts
+          path: out/*
+          if-no-files-found: error
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/builder-image.yml b/builder-image.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..141c2f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/builder-image.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+name: build-android-builder-image
+
+# Builds the Android toolchain image and pushes it to the Gitea registry.
+# Push a tag like `2026.06` to cut an immutable toolchain; pushes to main
+# refresh the moving `latest` tag.
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+    tags: ["*"]
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+env:
+  REGISTRY: git.helu.ca
+  IMAGE: git.helu.ca/r/android
+
+jobs:
+  build-image:
+    runs-on: [self-hosted, arm64]
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      # Determine which tags to push:
+      #  - a git tag  -> use it verbatim (e.g. 2026.06) + latest
+      #  - main branch -> latest only
+      - name: Compute tags
+        id: tags
+        run: |
+          if [ "${{ gitea.ref_type }}" = "tag" ]; then
+            REF="${{ gitea.ref_name }}"
+            echo "tags=${IMAGE}:${REF},${IMAGE}:latest" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          else
+            echo "tags=${IMAGE}:latest" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          fi
+
+      - name: Log in to Gitea registry
+        uses: docker/login-action@v3
+        with:
+          registry: ${{ env.REGISTRY }}
+          username: ${{ gitea.actor }}
+          password: ${{ secrets.GITEA_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: Set up Buildx
+        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
+
+      - name: Build and push (linux/arm64)
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
+        with:
+          context: .
+          file: ./Dockerfile
+          platforms: linux/arm64
+          push: true
+          tags: ${{ steps.tags.outputs.tags }}
+          # Bump these here if you want to override the Dockerfile defaults
+          # build-args: |
+          #   BUILD_TOOLS_VERSION=35.0.0
+          #   PLATFORM_VERSION=android-35
\ No newline at end of file