Make A TWRP Tree For Your Device & Build.md

How To Make A Working TWRP Device Tree For Your MediaTek Device & Start Building Them, Online

This Guide is tested on 64-bit mt6735/53 chipset device. It will also work on any 64-bit and 32-bit devices.

You will need something from your Stock ROM first. Get them all and Try to modify it using the procedure.

Note: This guide will be helpful for you if you have older mediatek devices (android-5.1 or android-6.0), but up-to-date devices can also work.

Update: This guide had a few typos and derps (Oops..), but I've tried to make it free of those now (Dated November 18, 2020)

Bonus: You can also use this tool by @SebaUbuntu, @yshalsager and @mauronofrio to auto generate the twrp tree. The tool is best if your device runs on android-9.0. The tools is still not 100% compatible to all devices, but I'll still recommend it and give it 8.5/10 in the scale of varsatility.

Table of contents

1. Get Your Official Stock Recovery and Stock ROM's build.prop

• You have to get your device's Stock "recovery.img" from the Official Firmware which you can (or maybe can't) get from the device manufacturer's website.
• You have to get the build.prop file (from ROM's /system/build.prop) because there are a few key things that we need.
  • Use ADB to Pull the file by the command adb pull /system/build.prop

2. Extract the ramdisk and prebuilt kernel

• Use Carliv Image Kitchen to extract the image from Windows or Linux.
• Need a Guide to Use it? Read This.

3. Create A GitHub Repository

• You have to Create a GitHub Repository with the name of the device.
  • For Example: something like android_device_Walton_PrimoRX5 or twrp_device_Walton_PrimoRX5 or whatever you want to call it.
• Go to https://github.com/settings/tokens/new/
  • It will take you to a page to create a New personal access token.
  • Name your Token as anything you like, for example: "GitHubToken" and save the Token Value in Notepad. We will need it later.

4. Make Note Of These Things From build.prop

• Write down the keys and their values in Notepad or something of the followings:
• For ease, I am showing from my device. As in "Keys" = "Values"

  ro.build.product=gionee6735_65u_m0                        # Company Given Codename for the Device.
  ro.product.board=Primo_RX5                                # The Board Name for Build.
  ro.product.brand=WALTON                                   # The Brand and The Manufacturer
  ro.product.manufacturer=WALTON                              # can be of the Same Name.
  ro.product.name=Primo_RX5                                 # The Device Name and/or The Codename
  ro.product.device=Primo_RX5                                 # we will be using.
  ro.product.model=Primo RX5                                # A Nickname, we will ignore it.
  ro.mediatek.platform=MT6735                               # The Chipset Platform of the Project.
  ro.mediatek.project.path=device/gionee/gionee6735_65u_m0  # The Original Build Location from Company.
  ro.product.cpu.abi=arm64-v8a                              # Shows if the device is 6-bit or 32-bit.
  

5. Put Some Stock Files In The Folder

The final directory structure of my device looks like below:

.
├── Android.mk
├── AndroidProducts.mk
├── BoardConfig.mk
├── omni_Primo_RX5.mk
├── omni.dependencies
├── prebuilt
│   └── Image.gz-dtb
├── README.md
└── recovery
    └── root
        ├── etc
        │   └── recovery.fstab
        ├── factory_init.project.rc
        ├── factory_init.rc
        ├── factory_init.usb.rc
        ├── fstab.mt6735
        ├── init.recovery.mt6735.rc
        ├── meta_init.c2k.rc
        ├── meta_init.modem.rc
        ├── meta_init.project.rc
        ├── meta_init.rc
        ├── sbin
        │   └── permissive.sh
        └── ueventd.mt6735.rc

• Create a Folder named prebuilt and put the unpacked recovery.img-kernel inside it. You might rename that file to just kernel.

  I'll simply refer the prebuilt kernel as kernel in the guide.

  • If the kernel is 64-bit, the name should be Image.gz
  • If the kernel is 32-bit, the name should be zImage
  • If the kernel has appended dtb, -dtb should be added as suffix, like Image.gz-dtb for my 64-bit device
• Create another Folder named recovery. Go in there and create a folder named root.
• In the root folder, Put your factory_init.*.rc files, meta_init.*.rc files, ueventd.mt****.rc, init.recovery.mt****.rc files. Ignore any files that are not present.
• Make a new folder named etc inside root. Make a file named recovery.fstab
  • Use THIS FILE as a reference point for fstab and edit it.
  • You Must edit the Mount Addresses (Like /dev/block/platform/mtk-msdc.0/11230000.msdc0/by-name/system), Alternate Short Mount Addresses (Like /dev/block/mmcblk0p20).
    • You can get Some of the Mount Addresses by ADB Commands from PC, using adb shell cat /proc/self/mountstats or adb shell cat /proc/self/mounts or adb shell cat /proc/self/mountinfo.
    • Also check whether the Basic FSType (emmc or ext4) of the partitions match with your devices.
    • If you fail to know the Alternate Short Mount Addresses, Just erase them.
• Make a new folder named sbin inside root. Make a file named permissive.sh with below content. Make it executable, chmod a+x permissive.sh

  #!/sbin/sh
  
  setenforce 0
  
  # Get your device's block path where "system", "recovery", etc. lives.
  # That can be "/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name" or something like that.
  mkdir -p /dev/block/platform/mtk-msdc.0/by-name/
  busybox mount -o bind /dev/block/platform/mtk-msdc.0/11230000.msdc0/by-name/ /dev/block/platform/mtk-msdc.0/by-name/

  The above script is for adding Old-Style Mount Points as-well-as New-Style Mount Points to avoid ROM Conflicts.

6. Create A New File Called "Android.mk"

• Make a new File, name it Android.mk, with the below content

  # Replace ${_CODENAME_} with your Device CodeName's Value. Mine is Primo_RX5.
  # Replace ${_VENDORNAME_} with your Brand/Vendor/Manufacturer's Value, Mine is WALTON 
  
  ifneq ($(filter ${_CODENAME_},$(TARGET_DEVICE)),)
  LOCAL_PATH := device/${_VENDORNAME_}/${_CODENAME_}
  include $(call all-makefiles-under,$(LOCAL_PATH))
  endif

7. Create A New File Called "AndroidProducts.mk"

• Make a new File, name it AndroidProducts.mk, with the below content

  # Replace ${_CODENAME_} with your Device Name's Value.
  # Replace ${_VENDORNAME_} with your Brand/Vendor/Manufacturer's Value.
  # The part of last line in mine looks like "omni_Primo_RX5.mk"
  
  PRODUCT_MAKEFILES := $(LOCAL_DIR)/omni_${_CODENAME_}.mk

  Note: I had a typo in this part, fixed now.

8. Create The Base File Called "BoardConfig.mk"

• Make a new File, name it BoardConfig.mk, with the below content

  LOCAL_PATH := device/${_VENDORNAME_}/${_CODENAME_}
  
  TARGET_BOARD_PLATFORM := mt6735               # From ro.mediatek.platform, but lowercase value
  TARGET_NO_BOOTLOADER := true
  TARGET_BOOTLOADER_BOARD_NAME := Primo_RX5     # From ro.product.board
  
  # These two are for MTK Chipsets only
  BOARD_USES_MTK_HARDWARE := true
  BOARD_HAS_MTK_HARDWARE := true
  
  # Recovery
  TARGET_USERIMAGES_USE_EXT4 := true
  TARGET_USERIMAGES_USE_F2FS := true            # To add info about F2FS Filesystem Data Block
  # Put The Size of your Recovery Partition below, get it from your "MT****_Android_scatter.txt"
  BOARD_RECOVERYIMAGE_PARTITION_SIZE := 16777216
  # BOARD_USES_FULL_RECOVERY_IMAGE := true      # Uncomment this line if you want to remove size restriction
  BOARD_FLASH_BLOCK_SIZE := 0                   # Might be different for your chip
  BOARD_HAS_NO_REAL_SDCARD := true              # Depricated
  # BOARD_HAS_NO_SELECT_BUTTON := true          # Depricated
  BOARD_SUPPRESS_SECURE_ERASE := true
  BOARD_HAS_NO_MISC_PARTITION := true           # Delete if your partition table has /misc
  BOARD_RECOVERY_SWIPE := true
  BOARD_USES_MMCUTILS := true
  BOARD_SUPPRESS_EMMC_WIPE := true
  BOARD_CHARGER_SHOW_PERCENTAGE := true
  RECOVERY_SDCARD_ON_DATA := true               # Optional: If /sdcard partition is emulated on /data partition 
  
  # TWRP stuff
  TW_EXCLUDE_SUPERSU := true                    # true/false: Add SuperSU or not
  TW_INCLUDE_CRYPTO := true                     # true/false: Add Data Encryption Support or not
  TW_INPUT_BLACKLIST := "hbtp_vm"               # Optional: Disables virtual mouse
  TW_SCREEN_BLANK_ON_BOOT := true
  TW_THEME := portrait_hdpi                     # Set the exact theme you wanna use. If resulation doesn't match, define the height/width
  DEVICE_RESOLUTION := 720x1280                 # The Resolution of your Device
  TARGET_SCREEN_HEIGHT := 1280                    # The height
  TARGET_SCREEN_WIDTH := 720                      # The width
  TARGET_RECOVERY_PIXEL_FORMAT := "RGBA_8888"
  # Set the Brightness Control File Path below (as per your chip/device)
  TW_BRIGHTNESS_PATH := /sys/class/leds/lcd-backlight/brightness
  TW_SECONDARY_BRIGHTNESS_PATH := /sys/devices/platform/leds-mt65xx/leds/lcd-backlight/brightness
  # Set the Path of Logical Units (LUNs) for Storage below (as per your chip/device)
  TARGET_USE_CUSTOM_LUN_FILE_PATH := /sys/devices/platform/mt_usb/musb-hdrc.0.auto/gadget/lun%d/file
  TARGET_USE_CUSTOM_LUN_FILE_PATH := /sys/class/android_usb/android0/f_mass_storage/lun/file
  TW_MAX_BRIGHTNESS := 255
  TW_DEFAULT_BRIGHTNESS := 80                   # Set custom brightness, low is better
  
  TW_INCLUDE_NTFS_3G := true                    # Include NTFS Filesystem Support
  TW_INCLUDE_FUSE_EXFAT := true                 # Include Fuse-ExFAT Filesystem Support
  TWRP_INCLUDE_LOGCAT := true                   # Include LogCat Binary
  TW_INCLUDE_FB2PNG := true                     # Include Screenshot Support
  TW_DEFAULT_LANGUAGE := en                     # Set Default Language 
  TW_EXTRA_LANGUAGES := false
  
  # Kernel
  TARGET_IS_64_BIT := true                      # true/false: Determine if the device is 64-bit or not
  TARGET_PREBUILT_KERNEL := $(LOCAL_PATH)/prebuilt/kernel
  TARGET_PREBUILT_RECOVERY_KERNEL := $(LOCAL_PATH)/prebuilt/kernel
  # Get the CMDLine, Base, Pagesize and offsets from Unpacked recovery image and put below
  BOARD_KERNEL_CMDLINE := bootopt=64S3,32N2,64N2 androidboot.selinux=permissive
  BOARD_KERNEL_BASE := 0x40078000
  BOARD_KERNEL_PAGESIZE := 2048
  BOARD_MKBOOTIMG_ARGS := --ramdisk_offset 0x03f88000 --tags_offset 0x0df88000
  
  # Set FSTAB
  TARGET_RECOVERY_FSTAB := $(LOCAL_PATH)/recovery/root/etc/recovery.fstab
  
  TARGET_BOARD_SUFFIX := _64                    # Remove if the device is 32-bit
  TARGET_USES_64_BIT_BINDER := true             # Remove if the device is 32-bit
  
  # Architecture
  # According to the device's architecture (64-bit or 32-bit)
  ifeq ($(TARGET_IS_64_BIT),true)
  TARGET_ARCH := arm64
  TARGET_ARCH_VARIANT := armv8-a
  TARGET_CPU_ABI := arm64-v8a
  TARGET_CPU_ABI2 :=
  TARGET_CPU_VARIANT := cortex-a53             # Change the value to "generic" if build fails suddenly due to arch error
  TARGET_2ND_ARCH := arm
  TARGET_2ND_ARCH_VARIANT := armv7-a-neon
  TARGET_2ND_CPU_ABI := armeabi-v7a
  TARGET_2ND_CPU_ABI2 := armeabi
  TARGET_2ND_CPU_VARIANT := cortex-a53         # Change the value to "generic" if build fails suddenly due to arch error
  TARGET_CPU_ABI_LIST_64_BIT := $(TARGET_CPU_ABI)
  TARGET_CPU_ABI_LIST_32_BIT := $(TARGET_2ND_CPU_ABI),$(TARGET_2ND_CPU_ABI2)
  TARGET_CPU_ABI_LIST := $(TARGET_CPU_ABI_LIST_64_BIT),$(TARGET_CPU_ABI_LIST_32_BIT)
  else
  TARGET_ARCH := arm
  TARGET_ARCH_VARIANT := armv7-a-neon
  TARGET_CPU_ABI := armeabi-v7a
  TARGET_CPU_ABI2 := armeabi
  TARGET_CPU_VARIANT := cortex-a7              # Change the value to "generic" if build fails suddenly due to arch error
  TARGET_CPU_ABI_LIST := $(TARGET_CPU_ABI),$(TARGET_CPU_ABI2)
  endif
  

9. Create A New File Called "omni_${CODENAME}.mk" as in "omni_Primo_RX5.mk"

• Make a new File, name it omni_${_CODENAME_}.mk, with the below content

  $(call inherit-product, $(SRC_TARGET_DIR)/product/full_base.mk)
  
  # Add this line if your device is 64-bit
  $(call inherit-product, $(SRC_TARGET_DIR)/product/core_64_bit.mk)
  # Otherwise, If you have 32-bit device, add the below line instead of above line
  $(call inherit-product, $(SRC_TARGET_DIR)/product/core_minimal.mk
  
  # Another common config inclusion
  $(call inherit-product, $(SRC_TARGET_DIR)/product/embedded.mk)
  
  # If you are building from OmniROM's minimal source, Inherit some common Omni stuff.
  $(call inherit-product, vendor/omni/config/common.mk)
  
  # Replace ${_CODENAME_} with your Device Name's Value.
  # Replace ${_VENDORNAME_} with your Brand's / Manufacturer's Value.
  PRODUCT_COPY_FILES += device/${_VENDORNAME_}/${_CODENAME_}/prebuilt/kernel:kernel
  # Fles under $(LOCAL_PATH)/recovery/root/ gets automatically copied into recovery
  # PRODUCT_COPY_FILES += $(LOCAL_PATH)/recovery/root/*:root/*
  
  PRODUCT_DEVICE := ${_CODENAME_}
  PRODUCT_NAME := omni_${_CODENAME_}
  PRODUCT_BRAND := ${_VENDORNAME_}
  PRODUCT_MODEL := ${_CODENAME_}
  PRODUCT_MANUFACTURER := ${_VENDORNAME_}
  
  # Forcefully add mtp support (adb is already there)
  PRODUCT_DEFAULT_PROPERTY_OVERRIDES += \
      persist.sys.usb.config=mtp
  
  # Add fingerprint from Stock ROM build.prop
  PRODUCT_BUILD_PROP_OVERRIDES += \
      # These lines are from my device. You MUST Replace yours.
      BUILD_FINGERPRINT="WALTON/Primo_RX5/Primo_RX5:6.0/MRA58K/1465782828:user/release-keys" \
      PRIVATE_BUILD_DESC="full_gionee6735_65u_m0-user 6.0 MRA58K 1465782828 release-keys"

10. Publish the GitHub Repository

• If you have done the above process entirely online inside github.com, then it is okay.
• But, if you have done the above things Locally on your PC, Just upload the entire Folder or git push to server.

  No detail or tutorial will be provided here. This is A-B-C of Git, Man!