diff --git a/android/api_levels.go b/android/api_levels.go
index 9440ee9..a68d8e2 100644
--- a/android/api_levels.go
+++ b/android/api_levels.go
@@ -55,6 +55,9 @@
 }
 
 func (this ApiLevel) FinalInt() int {
+	if this.IsInvalid() {
+		panic(fmt.Errorf("%v is not a recognized api_level\n", this))
+	}
 	if this.IsPreview() {
 		panic("Requested a final int from a non-final ApiLevel")
 	} else {
@@ -63,6 +66,9 @@
 }
 
 func (this ApiLevel) FinalOrFutureInt() int {
+	if this.IsInvalid() {
+		panic(fmt.Errorf("%v is not a recognized api_level\n", this))
+	}
 	if this.IsPreview() {
 		return FutureApiLevelInt
 	} else {
@@ -76,6 +82,9 @@
 // - preview codenames -> preview base (9000) + index
 // - otherwise -> cast to int
 func (this ApiLevel) FinalOrPreviewInt() int {
+	if this.IsInvalid() {
+		panic(fmt.Errorf("%v is not a recognized api_level\n", this))
+	}
 	if this.IsCurrent() {
 		return this.number
 	}
@@ -97,6 +106,11 @@
 	return this.isPreview
 }
 
+// Returns true if the raw api level string is invalid
+func (this ApiLevel) IsInvalid() bool {
+	return this.EqualTo(InvalidApiLevel)
+}
+
 // Returns true if this is the unfinalized "current" API level. This means
 // different things across Java and native. Java APIs do not use explicit
 // codenames, so all non-final codenames are grouped into "current". For native
@@ -113,6 +127,12 @@
 	return this.number == -1
 }
 
+// Returns true if an app is compiling against private apis.
+// e.g. if sdk_version = "" in Android.bp, then the ApiLevel of that "sdk" is at PrivateApiLevel.
+func (this ApiLevel) IsPrivate() bool {
+	return this.number == PrivateApiLevel.number
+}
+
 // Returns -1 if the current API level is less than the argument, 0 if they
 // are equal, and 1 if it is greater than the argument.
 func (this ApiLevel) CompareTo(other ApiLevel) int {
@@ -166,6 +186,19 @@
 	isPreview: true,
 }
 
+// Sentinel ApiLevel to validate that an apiLevel is either an int or a recognized codename.
+var InvalidApiLevel = NewInvalidApiLevel("invalid")
+
+// Returns an apiLevel object at the same level as InvalidApiLevel.
+// The object contains the raw string provied in bp file, and can be used for error handling.
+func NewInvalidApiLevel(raw string) ApiLevel {
+	return ApiLevel{
+		value:     raw,
+		number:    -2, // One less than NoneApiLevel
+		isPreview: true,
+	}
+}
+
 // The first version that introduced 64-bit ABIs.
 var FirstLp64Version = uncheckedFinalApiLevel(21)