Fixing "Provided Metadata instance has version 2.1.0" Build Error in Flutter

Problem Statement

When building an Android APK generated with Flutter, you may encounter the following critical error:

ERROR: R8: java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: 
Provided Metadata instance has version 2.1.0, 
while maximum supported version is 2.0.0. 
To support newer versions, update the kotlinx-metadata-jvm library.

FAILURE: Build failed with an exception.
* What went wrong:
Execution failed for task ':app:minifyReleaseWithR8'.
> A failure occurred while executing com.android.build.gradle.internal.tasks.R8Task$R8Runnable
  Compilation failed to complete

This error occurs due to version incompatibility between Kotlin libraries in your Android build pipeline. Specifically:

• Your project uses Kotlin 2.1.0 (or newer) components
• The kotlinx-metadata-jvm library in your build environment only supports up to version 2.0.0
• The R8 compiler fails during code minification due to this mismatch

Common causes include:

• Outdated Android Gradle Plugin (AGP)
• Incompatible Kotlin Gradle plugin versions
• Missing updates to supporting libraries like Hilt
• Gradle wrapper version conflicts

---

Recommended Solutions

1. Update Android Gradle Plugin and Gradle Wrapper (Recommended)

Modify settings.gradle:

plugins {
    id "com.android.application" version "8.6.0" apply false
    // ... other plugins ...
}

Update Gradle Wrapper (gradle-wrapper.properties):

distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-8.7-all.zip
```diff

::: tip Why this works
Newer AGP versions (8.6.0+) include updated `kotlinx-metadata-jvm` dependencies that support Kotlin 2.1.0+ metadata formats. Upgrading Gradle ensures compatibility with the latest Android tooling.
:::

### 2. Update Kotlin Gradle Plugin
Modify your `settings.gradle` to reference a **Kotlin plugin version ≥ 2.1.0**:

```gradle{6}
plugins {
    // ... other plugins ...
    id "org.jetbrains.kotlin.android" version "2.1.0" apply false
}

Important

Only perform this after upgrading AGP to 8.5.2+ to avoid compatibility issues.

3. Add kotlinx-metadata-jvm Dependency (Alternative)

In your app-level build.gradle:

dependencies {
    // Add anywhere in dependencies block
    runtimeOnly("org.jetbrains.kotlin:kotlinx-metadata-jvm:0.9.0")
}

::: note When to use this Reserve this for temporary fixes if AGP updates are not immediately feasible. Prefer primary solutions for long-term stability. :::

4. Update Hilt Dependency (If Using Hilt)

For projects using Dependency Injection with Hilt:

// Top-level build.gradle
dependencies {
    classpath 'com.google.dagger:hilt-android-gradle-plugin:2.56.1'
}

---

Verification Steps

After implementing any solution:

1. Clean your build artifacts:

flutter clean

2. Regenerate dependencies:

flutter pub get

3. Rebuild your APK:

flutter build apk

---

Solution Comparison

Approach	Stability	Longevity	Complexity
AGP + Gradle Upgrade ★	High	Long-term solution	Moderate
Kotlin Plugin Update	Medium	Requires AGP sync	Simple
kotlinx-metadata-jvm Entry	Medium	Temporary workaround	Simple
Hilt Update	Situational	Only if using Hilt	Simple

Avoid Downgrading Kotlin

Downgrading Kotlin (e.g., to 2.0.0) may resolve the immediate error but often introduces new compatibility issues with modern Flutter plugins and Kotlin libraries.

---

Version mismatches in the Kotlin build chain frequently cause this error during Android release builds. The recommended solution is updating both Android Gradle Plugin and Gradle wrapper to their latest compatible versions, ensuring all tooling components support newer Kotlin metadata formats. Since the Flutter ecosystem evolves rapidly, maintaining updated build dependencies prevents similar issues with future Kotlin releases.