diff --git a/java/dex.go b/java/dex.go
index 055d47983..24600c20f 100644
--- a/java/dex.go
+++ b/java/dex.go
@@ -263,10 +263,10 @@ func (d *dexer) r8Flags(ctx android.ModuleContext, flags javaBuilderFlags) (r8Fl
 }
 
 func (d *dexer) compileDex(ctx android.ModuleContext, flags javaBuilderFlags, minSdkVersion sdkSpec,
-	classesJar android.Path, jarName string) android.ModuleOutPath {
+	classesJar android.Path, jarName string) android.OutputPath {
 
 	// Compile classes.jar into classes.dex and then javalib.jar
-	javalibJar := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "dex", jarName)
+	javalibJar := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "dex", jarName).OutputPath
 	outDir := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "dex")
 
 	zipFlags := "--ignore_missing_files"
@@ -329,7 +329,7 @@ func (d *dexer) compileDex(ctx android.ModuleContext, flags javaBuilderFlags, mi
 		})
 	}
 	if proptools.Bool(d.dexProperties.Uncompress_dex) {
-		alignedJavalibJar := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "aligned", jarName)
+		alignedJavalibJar := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "aligned", jarName).OutputPath
 		TransformZipAlign(ctx, alignedJavalibJar, javalibJar)
 		javalibJar = alignedJavalibJar
 	}
diff --git a/java/dexpreopt.go b/java/dexpreopt.go
index ac00592a7..da621003a 100644
--- a/java/dexpreopt.go
+++ b/java/dexpreopt.go
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ func odexOnSystemOther(ctx android.ModuleContext, installPath android.InstallPat
 	return dexpreopt.OdexOnSystemOtherByName(ctx.ModuleName(), android.InstallPathToOnDevicePath(ctx, installPath), dexpreopt.GetGlobalConfig(ctx))
 }
 
-func (d *dexpreopter) dexpreopt(ctx android.ModuleContext, dexJarFile android.ModuleOutPath) {
+func (d *dexpreopter) dexpreopt(ctx android.ModuleContext, dexJarFile android.WritablePath) {
 	// TODO(b/148690468): The check on d.installPath is to bail out in cases where
 	// the dexpreopter struct hasn't been fully initialized before we're called,
 	// e.g. in aar.go. This keeps the behaviour that dexpreopting is effectively
diff --git a/java/hiddenapi.go b/java/hiddenapi.go
index 2cd025e43..eafbf5df0 100644
--- a/java/hiddenapi.go
+++ b/java/hiddenapi.go
@@ -89,8 +89,8 @@ type hiddenAPIIntf interface {
 
 var _ hiddenAPIIntf = (*hiddenAPI)(nil)
 
-func (h *hiddenAPI) hiddenAPI(ctx android.ModuleContext, name string, primary bool, dexJar android.ModuleOutPath,
-	implementationJar android.Path, uncompressDex bool) android.ModuleOutPath {
+func (h *hiddenAPI) hiddenAPI(ctx android.ModuleContext, name string, primary bool, dexJar android.OutputPath,
+	implementationJar android.Path, uncompressDex bool) android.OutputPath {
 	if !ctx.Config().IsEnvTrue("UNSAFE_DISABLE_HIDDENAPI_FLAGS") {
 
 		// Modules whose names are of the format <x>-hiddenapi provide hiddenapi information
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ func (h *hiddenAPI) hiddenAPI(ctx android.ModuleContext, name string, primary bo
 			// hiddenapi information for a module on the boot jars list then encode
 			// the gathered information in the generated dex file.
 			if name == bootJarName {
-				hiddenAPIJar := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "hiddenapi", name+".jar")
+				hiddenAPIJar := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "hiddenapi", name+".jar").OutputPath
 
 				// More than one library with the same classes can be encoded but only one can
 				// be added to the global set of flags, otherwise it will result in duplicate
diff --git a/java/java.go b/java/java.go
index 59ec94d5b..d49b64f66 100644
--- a/java/java.go
+++ b/java/java.go
@@ -1689,35 +1689,44 @@ func (j *Module) compile(ctx android.ModuleContext, aaptSrcJar android.Path) {
 
 	// Combine the classes built from sources, any manifests, and any static libraries into
 	// classes.jar. If there is only one input jar this step will be skipped.
-	var outputFile android.ModuleOutPath
+	var outputFile android.OutputPath
 
 	if len(jars) == 1 && !manifest.Valid() {
+		// Optimization: skip the combine step as there is nothing to do
+		// TODO(ccross): this leaves any module-info.class files, but those should only come from
+		// prebuilt dependencies until we support modules in the platform build, so there shouldn't be
+		// any if len(jars) == 1.
+
+		// Transform the single path to the jar into an OutputPath as that is required by the following
+		// code.
 		if moduleOutPath, ok := jars[0].(android.ModuleOutPath); ok {
-			// Optimization: skip the combine step if there is nothing to do
-			// TODO(ccross): this leaves any module-info.class files, but those should only come from
-			// prebuilt dependencies until we support modules in the platform build, so there shouldn't be
-			// any if len(jars) == 1.
-			outputFile = moduleOutPath
+			// The path contains an embedded OutputPath so reuse that.
+			outputFile = moduleOutPath.OutputPath
+		} else if outputPath, ok := jars[0].(android.OutputPath); ok {
+			// The path is an OutputPath so reuse it directly.
+			outputFile = outputPath
 		} else {
+			// The file is not in the out directory so create an OutputPath into which it can be copied
+			// and which the following code can use to refer to it.
 			combinedJar := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "combined", jarName)
 			ctx.Build(pctx, android.BuildParams{
 				Rule:   android.Cp,
 				Input:  jars[0],
 				Output: combinedJar,
 			})
-			outputFile = combinedJar
+			outputFile = combinedJar.OutputPath
 		}
 	} else {
 		combinedJar := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "combined", jarName)
 		TransformJarsToJar(ctx, combinedJar, "for javac", jars, manifest,
 			false, nil, nil)
-		outputFile = combinedJar
+		outputFile = combinedJar.OutputPath
 	}
 
 	// jarjar implementation jar if necessary
 	if j.expandJarjarRules != nil {
 		// Transform classes.jar into classes-jarjar.jar
-		jarjarFile := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "jarjar", jarName)
+		jarjarFile := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "jarjar", jarName).OutputPath
 		TransformJarJar(ctx, jarjarFile, outputFile, j.expandJarjarRules)
 		outputFile = jarjarFile
 
@@ -1762,7 +1771,7 @@ func (j *Module) compile(ctx android.ModuleContext, aaptSrcJar android.Path) {
 	implementationAndResourcesJar := outputFile
 	if j.resourceJar != nil {
 		jars := android.Paths{j.resourceJar, implementationAndResourcesJar}
-		combinedJar := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "withres", jarName)
+		combinedJar := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "withres", jarName).OutputPath
 		TransformJarsToJar(ctx, combinedJar, "for resources", jars, manifest,
 			false, nil, nil)
 		implementationAndResourcesJar = combinedJar
@@ -1788,7 +1797,7 @@ func (j *Module) compile(ctx android.ModuleContext, aaptSrcJar android.Path) {
 				android.PathForSource(ctx, "build/make/core/proguard.jacoco.flags"))
 		}
 		// Dex compilation
-		var dexOutputFile android.ModuleOutPath
+		var dexOutputFile android.OutputPath
 		dexOutputFile = j.dexer.compileDex(ctx, flags, j.minSdkVersion(), outputFile, jarName)
 		if ctx.Failed() {
 			return
@@ -1807,11 +1816,11 @@ func (j *Module) compile(ctx android.ModuleContext, aaptSrcJar android.Path) {
 		// merge dex jar with resources if necessary
 		if j.resourceJar != nil {
 			jars := android.Paths{dexOutputFile, j.resourceJar}
-			combinedJar := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "dex-withres", jarName)
+			combinedJar := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "dex-withres", jarName).OutputPath
 			TransformJarsToJar(ctx, combinedJar, "for dex resources", jars, android.OptionalPath{},
 				false, nil, nil)
 			if *j.dexProperties.Uncompress_dex {
-				combinedAlignedJar := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "dex-withres-aligned", jarName)
+				combinedAlignedJar := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "dex-withres-aligned", jarName).OutputPath
 				TransformZipAlign(ctx, combinedAlignedJar, combinedJar)
 				dexOutputFile = combinedAlignedJar
 			} else {
@@ -1875,7 +1884,7 @@ func (j *Module) compileJavaClasses(ctx android.ModuleContext, jarName string, i
 		jarName += strconv.Itoa(idx)
 	}
 
-	classes := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "javac", jarName)
+	classes := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "javac", jarName).OutputPath
 	TransformJavaToClasses(ctx, classes, idx, srcFiles, srcJars, flags, extraJarDeps)
 
 	if ctx.Config().EmitXrefRules() {
@@ -1955,12 +1964,12 @@ func (j *Module) compileJavaHeader(ctx android.ModuleContext, srcFiles, srcJars
 }
 
 func (j *Module) instrument(ctx android.ModuleContext, flags javaBuilderFlags,
-	classesJar android.Path, jarName string) android.ModuleOutPath {
+	classesJar android.Path, jarName string) android.OutputPath {
 
 	specs := j.jacocoModuleToZipCommand(ctx)
 
 	jacocoReportClassesFile := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "jacoco-report-classes", jarName)
-	instrumentedJar := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "jacoco", jarName)
+	instrumentedJar := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "jacoco", jarName).OutputPath
 
 	jacocoInstrumentJar(ctx, instrumentedJar, jacocoReportClassesFile, classesJar, specs)
 
@@ -2937,7 +2946,7 @@ func (j *Import) GenerateAndroidBuildActions(ctx android.ModuleContext) {
 			}
 			j.dexpreopter.uncompressedDex = *j.dexProperties.Uncompress_dex
 
-			var dexOutputFile android.ModuleOutPath
+			var dexOutputFile android.OutputPath
 			dexOutputFile = j.dexer.compileDex(ctx, flags, j.minSdkVersion(), outputFile, jarName)
 			if ctx.Failed() {
 				return