diff --git a/android/module.go b/android/module.go
index 4dc1688..c4cc5e6 100644
--- a/android/module.go
+++ b/android/module.go
@@ -2157,8 +2157,18 @@
 			ctx.OtherModulePropertyErrorf(m, property, "release_flag requires 1 argument, found %d", condition.NumArgs())
 			return proptools.ConfigurableValueUndefined()
 		}
-		if v, ok := ctx.Config().productVariables.BuildFlags[condition.Arg(0)]; ok {
-			return proptools.ConfigurableValueString(v)
+		if ty, ok := ctx.Config().productVariables.BuildFlagTypes[condition.Arg(0)]; ok {
+			v := ctx.Config().productVariables.BuildFlags[condition.Arg(0)]
+			switch ty {
+			case "unspecified", "obsolete":
+				return proptools.ConfigurableValueUndefined()
+			case "string":
+				return proptools.ConfigurableValueString(v)
+			case "bool":
+				return proptools.ConfigurableValueBool(v == "true")
+			default:
+				panic("unhandled release flag type: " + ty)
+			}
 		}
 		return proptools.ConfigurableValueUndefined()
 	case "product_variable":
diff --git a/android/variable.go b/android/variable.go
index 419bd61..a3fdafb 100644
--- a/android/variable.go
+++ b/android/variable.go
@@ -492,6 +492,8 @@
 
 	BuildFlags map[string]string `json:",omitempty"`
 
+	BuildFlagTypes map[string]string `json:",omitempty"`
+
 	BuildFromSourceStub *bool `json:",omitempty"`
 
 	BuildIgnoreApexContributionContents *bool `json:",omitempty"`