gradle-standards

name	gradle-standards
description	Gradle build configuration standards for Java projects. Covers version catalogs, dependency bundles, multi-module setup, BOM management, and common troubleshooting. Use when configuring Gradle builds or reviewing dependency management.
compatibility	Java projects using Gradle 8.x or 9.x
metadata	{"version":"2.1.0","technology":"java","category":"build","tags":["gradle","java","dependencies","build"]}

Gradle Standards

Standards for Gradle configuration in Java projects, including version catalogs, dependency bundles, and multi-module setup.

When to use this skill

• Setting up a new Gradle project
• Adding or updating dependencies
• Configuring multi-module builds
• Troubleshooting dependency conflicts
• Migrating to version catalogs
• Cleaning up unused dependencies
• Optimizing build performance
• When asked for "gradle dependencies cleanup"

Skill Contents

Sections

• When to use this skill
• Quick Start
• Key Principles
• Version Conflicts
• References
• Related Rules
• Dependency Resolution Stack
• Related Skills

Available Resources

📚 references/ - Detailed documentation

• cleanup workflow
• multi module
• native dependency locking
• optimization
• scope optimization
• troubleshooting
• unused detection
• version catalogs

---

Quick Start

1. Version Centralization (Required)

All versions MUST be centralized in gradle/libs.versions.toml:

[versions]
spring-boot = "3.5.9"
grpc = "1.78.0"

[libraries]
spring-boot-starter-web = { module = "org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-web", version.ref = "spring-boot" }
spring-boot-starter-actuator = { module = "org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-actuator", version.ref = "spring-boot" }

2. Use in build.gradle

dependencies {
    // ✅ CORRECT: Use version catalog with explicit dependencies
    implementation libs.spring.boot.starter.web
    implementation libs.spring.boot.starter.actuator

    // ❌ NEVER: Hardcode versions
    // implementation "org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-web:3.5.9"
}

Key Principles

Principle	Description
Centralize Versions	All versions in libs.versions.toml, never inline
Explicit Dependencies	Declare each dependency explicitly for clarity
Use Native Locking	Use Gradle's native dependency locking (Gradle 9+ recommended)
Never Downgrade	Don't replace existing versions with older ones
Use platform() for BOMs	Import BOMs via platform(), never enforcedPlatform() or mavenBom directives
Catalog First	All versions should come from the version catalog; use resolutionStrategy.force only as a last resort for security
Lock Dependencies	Generate gradle.lockfile for ALL submodules (use custom resolveAndLockAll task with --write-locks; see native-dependency-locking.md for task definition)

Version Conflicts

All projects should preferably use the versions defined in the version catalog. When the resolved version doesn't match the catalog for some reason, prefer fixing the root cause:

1. First: Define the correct version in the version catalog and declare the dependency explicitly
2. Second: Use platform() to import a BOM that manages the version (e.g., Spring Boot dependencies)
3. Last resort: Use resolutionStrategy.force only for security-critical overrides where the above approaches don't work

// AVOID unless absolutely necessary for security
configurations.configureEach {
    resolutionStrategy {
        // Only for security-critical overrides as a last resort
        force libs.commons.compress  // CVE fix not yet in BOM
    }
}

References

Reference	Description
references/version-catalogs.md	Complete version catalog guide
references/multi-module.md	Multi-module project setup
references/native-dependency-locking.md	Gradle native locking (Gradle 9+ recommended)
references/cleanup-workflow.md	Dependency cleanup process
references/unused-detection.md	Finding unused dependencies
references/optimization.md	Build optimization techniques
references/troubleshooting.md	Common issues and solutions

Related Rules

• java-gradle-best-practices - Full Gradle configuration reference
• java-versions-and-dependencies - Version management policies

Dependency Resolution Stack

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  1. VERSION CATALOG (libs.versions.toml)                            │
│     Single source of truth for declared versions                    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  2. RESOLUTION STRATEGY (build.gradle)                              │
│     Use Gradle's native resolutionStrategy for:                     │
│     - force() for security fixes                                    │
│     - eachDependency for group alignment                            │
│     - dependencySubstitution for module replacement                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  3. LOCK FILE (gradle.lockfile)                                     │
│     Native Gradle locking (Gradle 9+ recommended)                   │
│     Captures EXACT resolved versions                                │
│                                                                     │
│  ⚠️  CRITICAL: Multi-module projects need lockfiles for ALL modules │
│     Use: ./gradlew resolveAndLockAll --write-locks                  │
│     NOT: ./gradlew dependencies --write-locks (root only!)          │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Lock File:

• Native locking - Built-in, no plugins, recommended for Gradle 9+

Multi-Module Lockfile Generation:

# ✅ CORRECT: Generates lockfiles for ALL submodules
./gradlew resolveAndLockAll --write-locks --refresh-dependencies --no-daemon --no-scan

# ❌ WRONG: Only generates for ROOT project
./gradlew dependencies --write-locks

# Verify coverage (lockfiles should ≈ build.gradle files)
find . -name "gradle.lockfile" | wc -l
find . -name "build.gradle" | wc -l

Related Skills

Skill	Purpose
dependency-management	Version catalogs and BOMs
dependabot-security	Security vulnerability fixes
java-coverage	JaCoCo configuration in Gradle
java-testing	Test configuration with Spock