During January 2026, Thomas McArdle focused on optimizing the build process for the datastore-proto module in the android/nowinandroid repository. He removed the androidComponents.beforeVariants block from the Gradle Kotlin DSL build script, streamlining dependency management and reducing build complexity. This targeted refactoring improved build reliability and maintainability, enabling faster feature delivery and simplifying future enhancements. Working primarily with Kotlin and the Android Gradle Plugin, Thomas addressed potential configuration drift by tightening dependency handling at the module level. Although no bugs were fixed during this period, his work contributed to a more efficient and maintainable build system for the project.