Google just made Android Studio, the default tool for building Android apps, friendlier to its competitors. With the stable release of Android Studio Rabbit 2, developers can connect third-party coding agents, including Anthropic's Claude Agent and OpenAI's Codex, alongside Google's own. The feature is called Bring Your Own Agent, or BYOA.
Google announced Rabbit 2's stable release on October 28, 2026. Here is what it does, how it is billed, and the caveats the documentation raises.
Quick summary: Android Studio Rabbit 2, announced stable on October 28, 2026, supports Bring Your Own Agent through the Agent Client Protocol (ACP). Google's notes name Claude Agent, OpenAI Codex and Google Antigravity and support any ACP-compliant agent; Rohit AI counts more than 40, including Junie. The built-in agent has no extra charge; third-party agents run on your own provider account.
What Bring Your Own Agent does
Per Rohit AI's summary of Google's materials, BYOA first appeared in the Canary channel on September 24 and reached the stable channel with Rabbit 2 on October 28. Google's notes name Claude Agent, OpenAI Codex and Google Antigravity and support any ACP-compliant agent; Rohit AI counts more than 40, including Junie. Connected agents can run coding tasks with access to project-structure information, build diagnostics, emulator controls and Logcat. (Source: Rohit AI)
Google's own preview-notes page confirms Android Studio Rabbit 2 is now listed in the Stable channel, with Rabbit 3 in Canary. (Source: Android Developers)
How the connection works
The link uses the Agent Client Protocol, a standard for communication between coding agents and editors. The idea mirrors how language servers standardized editor support for programming languages: an agent that speaks ACP can plug into any editor that does too. Setup, per Rohit AI: pick an agent in the agent window or under Settings > Tools > AI > Agents, then authenticate.
Rohit AI notes one behavior to know: Studio starts a separate agent instance and does not attach to an agent already running in a terminal. So a session you started in your terminal will not appear in the IDE.
What it costs
| Option | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Google's built-in agent | No additional charge | Included with Android Studio |
| Third-party agents (Claude Agent, Codex, Antigravity and others) | Your provider's plan or API billing | Subject to each provider's terms |
| Third-party subscriptions or unlimited usage | Not included | Google does not bundle them |
In other words, Google is opening the door, not paying for the guests. If your Claude or Codex plan has usage caps, the agent inside Android Studio draws on the same allowance.
The caveats
- Release-page mismatch: Rohit AI reports the release page still told users to install the latest Canary build, which conflicts with the stable announcement. Check the official release notes for your channel.
- Separate sessions: the IDE launches its own agent instance rather than attaching to one in your terminal.
- Quality varies: an agent connected over ACP is only as good as the model behind it, so expect different results across the available agents.
- Not a security review: agents with build and emulator access can change a lot of your project, so use version control and review diffs.
Should you switch?
If you already pay for Claude or Codex and build Android apps, trying BYOA costs nothing extra beyond your normal usage. If you only use Google's built-in agent, nothing changes. The real value is flexibility: compare two agents on the same bug, in the same project, without leaving the IDE.
Run the same small task, such as fixing a Compose layout bug, through two different agents on a feature branch. Compare the diffs, not the marketing.
01What is Bring Your Own Agent in Android Studio?
A feature of Android Studio Rabbit 2 that lets you connect third-party coding agents through the Agent Client Protocol alongside Google's built-in agent.
02Which agents work?
Google's notes name Claude Agent, OpenAI Codex and Google Antigravity and support any ACP-compliant agent; Rohit AI counts more than 40, including Junie.
03Is it free?
Google's built-in agent has no extra charge. Third-party agents run on your own provider account; their subscriptions and unlimited usage are not included.
04When did it reach stable?
Google announced Rabbit 2 stable on October 28, 2026. BYOA had been in Canary since September 24.
05Can it attach to an agent already running in my terminal?
No. Per Rohit AI, Studio starts a separate agent instance.
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