diff --git a/android/build.gradle b/android/build.gradle
index 8dbe2cac5..6c9ff14fa 100644
--- a/android/build.gradle
+++ b/android/build.gradle
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ android {
         implementation deps.lithoCore
         implementation deps.lithoWidget
         implementation deps.rhino
-        implementation deps.leakcanary
+        compileOnly deps.leakcanary
 
         testImplementation deps.mockito
         testImplementation deps.robolectric
diff --git a/docs/leak-canary-plugin.md b/docs/leak-canary-plugin.md
index 107b90c48..ede27ffef 100644
--- a/docs/leak-canary-plugin.md
+++ b/docs/leak-canary-plugin.md
@@ -9,6 +9,16 @@ The LeakCanary plugin provides developers with Flipper support for [LeakCanary](
 
 Note: this plugin is only available for Android.
 
+Ensure that you already have an explicit dependency in your application's
+`build.gradle`, e.g.
+
+```groovy
+dependencies {
+  debugImplementation 'com.squareup.leakcanary:leakcanary-android:1.6.1'
+  releaseImplementation 'com.squareup.leakcanary:leakcanary-android-no-op:1.6.1'
+}
+```
+
 ### Android
 
 First, add the plugin to your Flipper client instance: