diff --git a/services/core/java/com/android/server/role/RoleManagerService.java b/services/core/java/com/android/server/role/RoleManagerService.java
index b065470..b5ad235 100644
--- a/services/core/java/com/android/server/role/RoleManagerService.java
+++ b/services/core/java/com/android/server/role/RoleManagerService.java
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Objects;
 import java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture;
 import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
@@ -106,7 +107,7 @@
         intentFilter.addAction(Intent.ACTION_USER_REMOVED);
         getContext().registerReceiverAsUser(new BroadcastReceiver() {
             @Override
-            public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
+            public void onReceive(@NonNull Context context, @NonNull Intent intent) {
                 if (TextUtils.equals(intent.getAction(), Intent.ACTION_USER_REMOVED)) {
                     int userId = intent.getIntExtra(Intent.EXTRA_USER_HANDLE, 0);
                     onRemoveUser(userId);
@@ -129,10 +130,11 @@
             userState = getUserStateLocked(userId);
         }
         String packagesHash = computeComponentStateHash(userId);
-        boolean needGrant;
+        String lastGrantPackagesHash;
         synchronized (mLock) {
-            needGrant = !packagesHash.equals(userState.getLastGrantPackagesHashLocked());
+            lastGrantPackagesHash = userState.getLastGrantPackagesHashLocked();
         }
+        boolean needGrant = !Objects.equals(packagesHash, lastGrantPackagesHash);
         if (needGrant) {
             // Some vital packages state has changed since last role grant
             // Run grants again
@@ -144,7 +146,6 @@
                         public void onSuccess() {
                             result.complete(null);
                         }
-
                         @Override
                         public void onFailure() {
                             result.completeExceptionally(new RuntimeException());
@@ -163,7 +164,8 @@
         }
     }
 
-    private String computeComponentStateHash(int userId) {
+    @Nullable
+    private String computeComponentStateHash(@UserIdInt int userId) {
         PackageManagerInternal pm = LocalServices.getService(PackageManagerInternal.class);
         ByteArrayOutputStream out = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
 
@@ -198,8 +200,7 @@
     private RoleUserState getUserStateLocked(@UserIdInt int userId) {
         RoleUserState userState = mUserStates.get(userId);
         if (userState == null) {
-            userState = new RoleUserState(userId);
-            userState.readSyncLocked();
+            userState = RoleUserState.newInstanceLocked(userId);
             mUserStates.put(userId, userState);
         }
         return userState;
@@ -386,11 +387,11 @@
         }
 
         @Override
-        public void onShellCommand(FileDescriptor in, FileDescriptor out,
-                FileDescriptor err, String[] args, ShellCallback callback,
-                ResultReceiver resultReceiver) {
-            (new RoleManagerShellCommand(this)).exec(
-                    this, in, out, err, args, callback, resultReceiver);
+        public void onShellCommand(@Nullable FileDescriptor in, @Nullable FileDescriptor out,
+                @Nullable FileDescriptor err, @NonNull String[] args,
+                @Nullable ShellCallback callback, @NonNull ResultReceiver resultReceiver) {
+            new RoleManagerShellCommand(this).exec(this, in, out, err, args, callback,
+                    resultReceiver);
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/services/core/java/com/android/server/role/RoleManagerShellCommand.java b/services/core/java/com/android/server/role/RoleManagerShellCommand.java
index e1977ef..336b311 100644
--- a/services/core/java/com/android/server/role/RoleManagerShellCommand.java
+++ b/services/core/java/com/android/server/role/RoleManagerShellCommand.java
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@
 
 package com.android.server.role;
 
+import android.annotation.NonNull;
+import android.annotation.Nullable;
 import android.app.role.IRoleManager;
 import android.app.role.IRoleManagerCallback;
 import android.os.RemoteException;
@@ -27,13 +29,17 @@
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 
 class RoleManagerShellCommand extends ShellCommand {
+
+    @NonNull
     private final IRoleManager mRoleManager;
 
-    RoleManagerShellCommand(IRoleManager roleManager) {
+    RoleManagerShellCommand(@NonNull IRoleManager roleManager) {
         mRoleManager = roleManager;
     }
 
     private class Callback extends IRoleManagerCallback.Stub {
+
+        @NonNull
         private final CompletableFuture<Void> mResult = new CompletableFuture<>();
 
         public int waitForResult() {
@@ -58,7 +64,7 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    public int onCommand(String cmd) {
+    public int onCommand(@Nullable String cmd) {
         if (cmd == null) {
             return handleDefaultCommands(cmd);
         }
diff --git a/services/core/java/com/android/server/role/RoleUserState.java b/services/core/java/com/android/server/role/RoleUserState.java
index f218d3a..3e3e156 100644
--- a/services/core/java/com/android/server/role/RoleUserState.java
+++ b/services/core/java/com/android/server/role/RoleUserState.java
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Objects;
 
 /**
  * Stores the state of roles for a user.
@@ -70,25 +71,41 @@
     private final int mUserId;
 
     @GuardedBy("RoleManagerService.mLock")
-    private int mVersion;
+    private int mVersion = VERSION_UNDEFINED;
 
     @GuardedBy("RoleManagerService.mLock")
-    private String mLastGrantPackagesHash = null;
+    @Nullable
+    private String mLastGrantPackagesHash;
 
     /**
      * Maps role names to its holders' package names. The values should never be null.
      */
     @GuardedBy("RoleManagerService.mLock")
-    @Nullable
-    private ArrayMap<String, ArraySet<String>> mRoles = null;
+    @NonNull
+    private ArrayMap<String, ArraySet<String>> mRoles = new ArrayMap<>();
 
     @GuardedBy("RoleManagerService.mLock")
     private boolean mDestroyed;
 
+    @NonNull
     private final Handler mWriteHandler = new Handler(BackgroundThread.getHandler().getLooper());
 
-    public RoleUserState(@UserIdInt int userId) {
+    private RoleUserState(@UserIdInt int userId) {
         mUserId = userId;
+
+        readSyncLocked();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Create a new instance of user state, and read its state from disk if previously persisted.
+     *
+     * @param userId the user id for the new user state
+     *
+     * @return the new user state
+     */
+    @GuardedBy("RoleManagerService.mLock")
+    public static RoleUserState newInstanceLocked(@UserIdInt int userId) {
+        return new RoleUserState(userId);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -116,7 +133,9 @@
     }
 
     /**
-     * Get the hash representing the state of packages during the last time initial grants was run
+     * Get the hash representing the state of packages during the last time initial grants was run.
+     *
+     * @return the hash representing the state of packages
      */
     @GuardedBy("RoleManagerService.mLock")
     public String getLastGrantPackagesHashLocked() {
@@ -124,10 +143,16 @@
     }
 
     /**
-     * Set the hash representing the state of packages during the last time initial grants was run
+     * Set the hash representing the state of packages during the last time initial grants was run.
+     *
+     * @param lastGrantPackagesHash the hash representing the state of packages
      */
     @GuardedBy("RoleManagerService.mLock")
-    public void setLastGrantPackagesHashLocked(String lastGrantPackagesHash) {
+    public void setLastGrantPackagesHashLocked(@Nullable String lastGrantPackagesHash) {
+        throwIfDestroyedLocked();
+        if (Objects.equals(mLastGrantPackagesHash, lastGrantPackagesHash)) {
+            return;
+        }
         mLastGrantPackagesHash = lastGrantPackagesHash;
         writeAsyncLocked();
     }
@@ -250,9 +275,9 @@
      * Schedule writing the state to file.
      */
     @GuardedBy("RoleManagerService.mLock")
-    void writeAsyncLocked() {
+    private void writeAsyncLocked() {
         throwIfDestroyedLocked();
-        int version = mVersion;
+
         ArrayMap<String, ArraySet<String>> roles = new ArrayMap<>();
         for (int i = 0, size = CollectionUtils.size(mRoles); i < size; ++i) {
             String roleName = mRoles.keyAt(i);
@@ -260,15 +285,16 @@
             roleHolders = new ArraySet<>(roleHolders);
             roles.put(roleName, roleHolders);
         }
+
         mWriteHandler.removeCallbacksAndMessages(null);
         // TODO: Throttle writes.
-        mWriteHandler.sendMessage(PooledLambda.obtainMessage(
-                RoleUserState::writeSync, this, version, roles, mLastGrantPackagesHash));
+        mWriteHandler.sendMessage(PooledLambda.obtainMessage(RoleUserState::writeSync, this,
+                mVersion, mLastGrantPackagesHash, roles));
     }
 
     @WorkerThread
-    private void writeSync(int version, @NonNull ArrayMap<String, ArraySet<String>> roles,
-            String packagesHash) {
+    private void writeSync(int version, @Nullable String packagesHash,
+            @NonNull ArrayMap<String, ArraySet<String>> roles) {
         AtomicFile atomicFile = new AtomicFile(getFile(mUserId), "roles-" + mUserId);
         FileOutputStream out = null;
         try {
@@ -280,7 +306,7 @@
                     "http://xmlpull.org/v1/doc/features.html#indent-output", true);
             serializer.startDocument(null, true);
 
-            serializeRoles(serializer, version, roles, packagesHash);
+            serializeRoles(serializer, version, packagesHash, roles);
 
             serializer.endDocument();
             atomicFile.finishWrite(out);
@@ -296,19 +322,26 @@
 
     @WorkerThread
     private void serializeRoles(@NonNull XmlSerializer serializer, int version,
-            @NonNull ArrayMap<String, ArraySet<String>> roles, String packagesHash)
+            @Nullable String packagesHash, @NonNull ArrayMap<String, ArraySet<String>> roles)
             throws IOException {
         serializer.startTag(null, TAG_ROLES);
+
         serializer.attribute(null, ATTRIBUTE_VERSION, Integer.toString(version));
-        serializer.attribute(null, ATTRIBUTE_PACKAGES_HASH, packagesHash);
+
+        if (packagesHash != null) {
+            serializer.attribute(null, ATTRIBUTE_PACKAGES_HASH, packagesHash);
+        }
+
         for (int i = 0, size = roles.size(); i < size; ++i) {
             String roleName = roles.keyAt(i);
             ArraySet<String> roleHolders = roles.valueAt(i);
+
             serializer.startTag(null, TAG_ROLE);
             serializer.attribute(null, ATTRIBUTE_NAME, roleName);
             serializeRoleHolders(serializer, roleHolders);
             serializer.endTag(null, TAG_ROLE);
         }
+
         serializer.endTag(null, TAG_ROLES);
     }
 
@@ -317,6 +350,7 @@
             @NonNull ArraySet<String> roleHolders) throws IOException {
         for (int i = 0, size = roleHolders.size(); i < size; ++i) {
             String roleHolder = roleHolders.valueAt(i);
+
             serializer.startTag(null, TAG_HOLDER);
             serializer.attribute(null, ATTRIBUTE_NAME, roleHolder);
             serializer.endTag(null, TAG_HOLDER);
@@ -327,11 +361,7 @@
      * Read the state from file.
      */
     @GuardedBy("RoleManagerService.mLock")
-    public void readSyncLocked() {
-        if (mRoles != null) {
-            throw new IllegalStateException("This RoleUserState has already read the roles.xml");
-        }
-
+    private void readSyncLocked() {
         File file = getFile(mUserId);
         try (FileInputStream in = new AtomicFile(file).openRead()) {
             XmlPullParser parser = Xml.newPullParser();
@@ -339,8 +369,6 @@
             parseXmlLocked(parser);
         } catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
             Slog.i(LOG_TAG, "roles.xml not found");
-            mRoles = new ArrayMap<>();
-            mVersion = VERSION_UNDEFINED;
         } catch (XmlPullParserException | IOException e) {
             throw new IllegalStateException("Failed to parse roles.xml: " + file, e);
         }
@@ -362,13 +390,14 @@
                 return;
             }
         }
+        Slog.w(LOG_TAG, "Missing <" + TAG_ROLES + "> in roles.xml");
     }
 
     private void parseRolesLocked(@NonNull XmlPullParser parser) throws IOException,
             XmlPullParserException {
         mVersion = Integer.parseInt(parser.getAttributeValue(null, ATTRIBUTE_VERSION));
         mLastGrantPackagesHash = parser.getAttributeValue(null, ATTRIBUTE_PACKAGES_HASH);
-        mRoles = new ArrayMap<>();
+        mRoles.clear();
 
         int type;
         int depth;