diff --git a/java/java.go b/java/java.go
index 0d39a6a78..6667a52f1 100644
--- a/java/java.go
+++ b/java/java.go
@@ -1812,6 +1812,28 @@ func (al *ApiLibrary) DepsMutator(ctx android.BottomUpMutatorContext) {
 	}
 }
 
+// API signature file names sorted from
+// the narrowest api scope to the widest api scope
+var scopeOrderedSourceFileNames = allApiScopes.Strings(
+	func(s *apiScope) string { return s.apiFilePrefix + "current.txt" })
+
+func (al *ApiLibrary) sortApiFilesByApiScope(ctx android.ModuleContext, srcFiles android.Paths) android.Paths {
+	sortedSrcFiles := android.Paths{}
+
+	for _, scopeSourceFileName := range scopeOrderedSourceFileNames {
+		for _, sourceFileName := range srcFiles {
+			if sourceFileName.Base() == scopeSourceFileName {
+				sortedSrcFiles = append(sortedSrcFiles, sourceFileName)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	if len(srcFiles) != len(sortedSrcFiles) {
+		ctx.ModuleErrorf("Unrecognizable source file found within %s", srcFiles)
+	}
+
+	return sortedSrcFiles
+}
+
 func (al *ApiLibrary) GenerateAndroidBuildActions(ctx android.ModuleContext) {
 
 	rule := android.NewRuleBuilder(pctx, ctx)
@@ -1862,6 +1884,8 @@ func (al *ApiLibrary) GenerateAndroidBuildActions(ctx android.ModuleContext) {
 		ctx.ModuleErrorf("Error: %s has an empty api file.", ctx.ModuleName())
 	}
 
+	srcFiles = al.sortApiFilesByApiScope(ctx, srcFiles)
+
 	cmd := metalavaStubCmd(ctx, rule, srcFiles, homeDir)
 
 	al.stubsFlags(ctx, cmd, stubsDir)
diff --git a/java/java_test.go b/java/java_test.go
index dd9867704..6110e21cb 100644
--- a/java/java_test.go
+++ b/java/java_test.go
@@ -1864,12 +1864,12 @@ func TestJavaApiLibraryAndProviderLink(t *testing.T) {
 	provider_bp_a := `
 	java_api_contribution {
 		name: "foo1",
-		api_file: "foo1.txt",
+		api_file: "current.txt",
 	}
 	`
 	provider_bp_b := `java_api_contribution {
 		name: "foo2",
-		api_file: "foo2.txt",
+		api_file: "current.txt",
 	}
 	`
 	ctx, _ := testJavaWithFS(t, `
@@ -1897,11 +1897,11 @@ func TestJavaApiLibraryAndProviderLink(t *testing.T) {
 	}{
 		{
 			moduleName:         "bar1",
-			sourceTextFileDirs: []string{"a/foo1.txt"},
+			sourceTextFileDirs: []string{"a/current.txt"},
 		},
 		{
 			moduleName:         "bar2",
-			sourceTextFileDirs: []string{"a/foo1.txt", "b/foo2.txt", "api1/current.txt", "api2/current.txt"},
+			sourceTextFileDirs: []string{"a/current.txt", "b/current.txt", "api1/current.txt", "api2/current.txt"},
 		},
 	}
 	for _, c := range testcases {
@@ -1918,25 +1918,25 @@ func TestJavaApiLibraryAndDefaultsLink(t *testing.T) {
 	provider_bp_a := `
 	java_api_contribution {
 		name: "foo1",
-		api_file: "foo1.txt",
+		api_file: "current.txt",
 	}
 	`
 	provider_bp_b := `
 	java_api_contribution {
 		name: "foo2",
-		api_file: "foo2.txt",
+		api_file: "current.txt",
 	}
 	`
 	provider_bp_c := `
 	java_api_contribution {
 		name: "foo3",
-		api_file: "foo3.txt",
+		api_file: "current.txt",
 	}
 	`
 	provider_bp_d := `
 	java_api_contribution {
 		name: "foo4",
-		api_file: "foo4.txt",
+		api_file: "current.txt",
 	}
 	`
 	ctx, _ := testJavaWithFS(t, `
@@ -1985,15 +1985,15 @@ func TestJavaApiLibraryAndDefaultsLink(t *testing.T) {
 	}{
 		{
 			moduleName:         "bar1",
-			sourceTextFileDirs: []string{"a/foo1.txt"},
+			sourceTextFileDirs: []string{"a/current.txt"},
 		},
 		{
 			moduleName:         "bar2",
-			sourceTextFileDirs: []string{"a/foo1.txt", "b/foo2.txt"},
+			sourceTextFileDirs: []string{"a/current.txt", "b/current.txt"},
 		},
 		{
 			moduleName:         "bar3",
-			sourceTextFileDirs: []string{"c/foo3.txt", "a/foo1.txt", "b/foo2.txt", "d/foo4.txt", "api1/current.txt", "api2/current.txt"},
+			sourceTextFileDirs: []string{"c/current.txt", "a/current.txt", "b/current.txt", "d/current.txt", "api1/current.txt", "api2/current.txt"},
 		},
 	}
 	for _, c := range testcases {
@@ -2010,13 +2010,13 @@ func TestJavaApiLibraryJarGeneration(t *testing.T) {
 	provider_bp_a := `
 	java_api_contribution {
 		name: "foo1",
-		api_file: "foo1.txt",
+		api_file: "current.txt",
 	}
 	`
 	provider_bp_b := `
 	java_api_contribution {
 		name: "foo2",
-		api_file: "foo2.txt",
+		api_file: "current.txt",
 	}
 	`
 	ctx, _ := testJavaWithFS(t, `
@@ -2063,13 +2063,13 @@ func TestJavaApiLibraryLibsLink(t *testing.T) {
 	provider_bp_a := `
 	java_api_contribution {
 		name: "foo1",
-		api_file: "foo1.txt",
+		api_file: "current.txt",
 	}
 	`
 	provider_bp_b := `
 	java_api_contribution {
 		name: "foo2",
-		api_file: "foo2.txt",
+		api_file: "current.txt",
 	}
 	`
 	lib_bp_a := `
@@ -2138,13 +2138,13 @@ func TestJavaApiLibraryStaticLibsLink(t *testing.T) {
 	provider_bp_a := `
 	java_api_contribution {
 		name: "foo1",
-		api_file: "foo1.txt",
+		api_file: "current.txt",
 	}
 	`
 	provider_bp_b := `
 	java_api_contribution {
 		name: "foo2",
-		api_file: "foo2.txt",
+		api_file: "current.txt",
 	}
 	`
 	lib_bp_a := `
@@ -2212,13 +2212,13 @@ func TestJavaApiLibraryFullApiSurfaceStub(t *testing.T) {
 	provider_bp_a := `
 	java_api_contribution {
 		name: "foo1",
-		api_file: "foo1.txt",
+		api_file: "current.txt",
 	}
 	`
 	provider_bp_b := `
 	java_api_contribution {
 		name: "foo2",
-		api_file: "foo2.txt",
+		api_file: "current.txt",
 	}
 	`
 	lib_bp_a := `