Supported Devices

Support is release-manifest driven. A device is supported only when the Android release manifest names its codename and the artifact set was validated for that codename.

Support Tiers

Tier	Meaning	Flashing guidance
`lab-validated`	A maintainer flashed the release on this codename and completed post-flash validation.	Eligible for normal installer use.
`candidate`	Build artifacts exist and basic dry-run checks pass, but a full flash validation is pending.	Dry-run only unless a release owner approves lab testing.
`manual`	Artifacts are useful for development but no automated support is promised.	Manual fastboot workflow only.
`blocked`	Known incompatible, locked, or unsafe target.	Do not flash.

Minimum Device Criteria

A release may list stricter requirements, but supported devices generally need:

Unlockable bootloader.
ADB authorization from a booted Android state or a known bootloader serial.
Fastboot support for every partition in the manifest.
Slot behavior matching the manifest (a, b, or none).
Dynamic partition handling matching the artifact set.
Recovery path documented for stock images or a previous known-good release.

Carrier-locked or enterprise-managed devices often fail the bootloader requirement even when their retail model name matches a supported device.

Manifest Entries

Each release manifest should include one entry per supported codename:

json

{
  "codename": "caiman",
  "marketingName": "Pixel 9 Pro",
  "tier": "candidate",
  "slots": ["a", "b"],
  "dynamicPartitions": true,
  "rollbackSupported": true,
  "notes": "Example only. Promote to lab-validated after a real flash pass."
}

Use codenames from adb shell getprop ro.product.device or fastboot getvar product, not marketing names, as the installer target key.

Adding a Device to a Release

Add the codename to the release manifest.
Confirm every required artifact is present and hashed.
Run manifest validation.
Run the installer dry-run with --artifact-dir or explicit --image mappings.
Flash only on lab hardware with an unlocked bootloader.
Run post-flash validation and capture the property output.
Promote the tier to lab-validated only after validation passes.