android gradle plugin 3.0.0-alpha2: Error inflating class android.support.v7.widget.FitWindowsLinearLayout

Question

after upgrading the android gradle plugin from 3.0.0-alpha1 to 3.0.0-alpha2 my application does not start anymore: part of the stacktrace:

Answer 1

UPDATE
This bug has already been fixed - it works for me with gradle plugin 3.0.0-alpha4

ORIGINAL answer (kept for reference)

Actually I didn't have ProGuard enabled for my debug builds, but the Shrinker of the Android Gradle Plugin (which uses the same proguard files.

Temporary workaround for the issue: add the following instructions to the proguard-rules.pro file:

-keep class android.support.v7.widget.** { *; }
-keep class android.support.v4.widget.** { *; }
-keep class android.support.design.** { *; }
-keep class com.bluelinelabs.conductor.** { *; }