AMCL — Axe Minecraft Launcher for HarmonyOS NEXT
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A third-party Minecraft Java Edition launcher targeting HarmonyOS NEXT (Huawei mobile / tablet devices).
1. Project Introduction
AMCL (Axe Minecraft Client Launcher) is an individual-developer project that runs the unmodified Minecraft Java Edition client on HarmonyOS NEXT. It is built directly on the HarmonyOS NEXT C/C++ SDK and the ArkTS UI framework, embedding:
- A patched OpenJDK HotSpot runtime cross-compiled for HarmonyOS NEXT (musl, aarch64)
- A GLFW → XComponent compatibility shim
- A MobileGlues GL → GLES 3.2 translation layer running on Maleoon GPUs
- An OpenAL Soft audio stack backed by OHAudio
- A custom ELF loader that bypasses HarmonyOS’
MAP_XPM(no-write-execute) signing constraint
The project is in pre-1.0 active development. This amcl-public repository hosts the public documentation and technical specifications only — the full application source code remains in a private repository and will be open-sourced only after the project reaches a mature stable release.
2. Scope of Applicability
| Aspect | Supported scope |
|---|---|
| Operating system | HarmonyOS NEXT, API level 20 (SDK 6.0.0) or later |
| Devices | Huawei phones and tablets with a Maleoon-family GPU (verified on HUAWEI Mate 70) |
| Game | Minecraft Java Edition only (no Bedrock support and none planned) |
| Account | Microsoft genuine login (OAuth 2.0 Auth Code + PKCE; Xbox Live → XSTS → Mojang); offline accounts for development testing |
| Network | Direct Mojang servers; BMCLAPI mirror with user consent |
AMCL is intended for end-users who own a legal Minecraft Java Edition account. It does not redistribute the Minecraft client .jar; all game files are downloaded at runtime from official servers.
3. Adaptation Progress
3.1 Mod loaders
| Loader | Status |
|---|---|
| Vanilla | ✅ Supported |
| Fabric | ✅ Supported |
| Forge | ✅ Supported |
| NeoForge | ❌ Not yet — data layer only (mod browsing works, install service pending) |
| Quilt | ❌ Not yet |
| OptiFine | ❌ Not yet |
3.2 JDK runtimes
AMCL ships two patched OpenJDK builds, cross-compiled in Docker for HarmonyOS NEXT (musl, aarch64). Runtime artifacts are downloaded on first launch from a dedicated GitHub Releases:
JDK repository: https://github.com/LZZLHY/mc-ohos-resources/releases
| Runtime | Release tag | Asset | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenJDK 17 | v17.0.13-ohos-4 |
jdk17-ohos-full-v4.zip (≈109 MB) |
✅ Stable |
| OpenJDK 21 | v21.0.5-ohos-6 |
jdk21-ohos-full.zip (≈113 MB) |
⚠️ Experimental |
3.3 Minecraft version coverage
The MC version → required JDK mapping follows Mojang’s official java-runtime selection (see the Minecraft Wiki):
| MC version range | Required JDK | AMCL adaptation status |
|---|---|---|
| ≤ 1.12.2 | Java 8 + LWJGL 2.x | ❌ Not yet adapted |
| 1.13 – 1.16.5 | Java 8 + LWJGL 3 | ❌ Not yet adapted |
| 1.17 | Java 16 | ❌ Not yet adapted |
| 1.18 – 1.20.4 | Java 17 | ✅ Adapted (verified on 1.20.4) |
| 1.20.5 – 1.21.x | Java 21 | ✅ Adapted (experimental) |
| 26.1 and newer | Java 25 | ❌ Not yet adapted |
Notes:
- Beginning with Minecraft Java Edition 26.1, the Mojang launcher bundles Java SE 25.
- AMCL routes a chosen MC version to the appropriate JDK automatically (
autoSelectVersion); manual override is available in Settings.
4. Future Outlook
Short-term (toward the first stable v1.0):
- Cross-compile and integrate OpenJDK 8 to unlock the entire 1.0 – 1.16.5 catalogue (the largest body of legacy mods)
- Cross-compile OpenJDK 16 for the 1.17 slot
- Port LWJGL 2.x to HarmonyOS NEXT so pre-1.13 clients (still using LWJGL 2) can run
- Implement the NeoForge install service (the data layer is already wired)
- Add Quilt and OptiFine adapters
- Cross-compile OpenJDK 25 for the 26.1+ slot once Mojang’s snapshot cadence stabilises
Long-term (parity with mature desktop launchers HMCL / PCL2):
- Multi-account vault with HUKS AES-GCM-256 at-rest encryption
- Skin & cape management (preview, upload, change)
- Modrinth + CurseForge integrated mod browsing and one-click install
- Resource pack / shader pack / world / data pack one-click install
- Full version isolation (per-version
.minecraftdirectory and per-version JVM args) - Custom virtual key layouts with cloud sync
- Crash reporter with automatic JVM thread dump and log harvesting
- Background download manager with multi-mirror, multi-thread, resumable downloads
5. Known Issues
The first public preview (v1.0.0-alpha.1, this release) carries the following limitations:
- HAP is unsigned. The published HAP is produced by DevEco Studio’s default unsigned profile. Real-device installation requires either (a) joining the Huawei Developer programme and self-signing, or (b) waiting for a signed redistribution we will publish once an organisational signing certificate is approved.
- HarmonyOS NEXT API 20 only. Earlier ROMs (API ≤ 19) will reject the bundle.
- The
ALLOW_WRITABLE_CODE_MEMORYACL is required for the JIT path of the patched HotSpot to work. Without it, the JDK falls back to the interpreter and the game runs at a fraction of expected FPS. - Microsoft genuine login & HUKS credential encryption are in milestone M2 and only partially complete. The current build allows offline accounts only.
- The OpenJDK 21 path is flagged experimental. Real-headless AWT (our workaround for HarmonyOS NEXT’s missing X11/Wayland) is stable on the tested code paths but has not received full coverage; mods that touch
java.awtmay still throw. - GPU support is currently limited to the Maleoon 910 family. Other Huawei chipsets are likely to work but have not been verified.
- MC version coverage is 1.18 – 1.21.x today. Older and 26.1+ versions report a missing-runtime error at launch.
6. Releases & Downloads
Latest release: v1.0.0-alpha.1 (pre-release).
The HAP file is published as a GitHub release asset of this repository — see the Releases page for the download.
7. Source Code Policy
Only this amcl-public repository (documentation and specifications) is open source. The application source code is kept in a private repository while the project is in pre-1.0 active development and will be open-sourced after the first stable release. Until then, this repository is the canonical public touchpoint for reviewers, future contributors, and developers building similar HarmonyOS-based JVM runtimes.
License
Documentation in this repository is released under the MIT License.
“Minecraft” is a trademark of Mojang Studios. AMCL has no affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement from Mojang Studios, Microsoft Corporation, or Xbox.