Gradle (Micronaut Committer)

Use this skill for Micronaut framework maintainer work. Do not default to end-user app guidance.

Goal

Apply correct, source-backed Gradle changes in Micronaut repositories, using the micronaut-build plugin contracts and current Gradle best practices.

Current coverage target: repositories on Gradle major line 9.x.

For dependency-intelligence tasks (version freshness, stability, release cadence, CVE/license checks), use the embedded maven-tools MCP via skill_mcp.

Procedure

1. Identify build shape and active plugins.
2. Map requested work to exact micronaut-build plugin behavior.
3. Execute minimal maintainer-safe change.
4. Verify with targeted and aggregate Gradle tasks.

1) Establish build shape first

• Inspect settings.gradle or settings.gradle.kts for settings plugins and dependency management.
• Confirm io.micronaut.build.shared.settings is present unless the repository intentionally diverged.
• Validate settings-scoped plugins (especially Develocity wiring) in settings.gradle(.kts), not in project build.gradle(.kts).
• Confirm root build applies io.micronaut.build.internal.parent for standard aggregation behavior.
• Inspect root and impacted module build files for applied plugin IDs and micronautBuild extension usage.
• Inspect buildSrc/convention plugins before modifying module build scripts.
• Inspect gradle.properties and gradle/*.versions.toml for version source and overrides.
• Treat module directory names and Gradle project paths separately; if standardized names are enabled, use :micronaut-* paths for task targeting.
• If module paths are unclear, run ./gradlew projects.
• If dependency resolution is involved, capture dependencyInsight before changing files.

2) Use source-of-truth plugin contracts

• Use references/micronaut-build-plugins.md as the authoritative plugin behavior map.
• Treat micronaut-build source as primary truth. Its README may be outdated.
• Remember default plugin IDs are internal: io.micronaut.build.internal.<name>.
• Important exception: io.micronaut.build.shared.settings.

3) Execute maintainer workflows

• Build failures: reproduce with minimal task path, then expand to module check, then root validation.
• Catalog/version updates: use plugin-provided workflows (updateVersionCatalogs, useLatestVersions) where available.
• Catalog imports: prefer micronautBuild { importMicronautCatalog() } and alias-specific imports over ad hoc BOM wiring when repository conventions use settings extension catalog import.
• Dependency intelligence: use the maven-tools MCP for latest stable versions, upgrade comparisons, and dependency health signals before changing catalogs or BOM constraints.
• Dependency scope hygiene: choose api only for public API surface; use implementation for internals; use compileOnly/runtimeOnly intentionally.
• BOM/publishing: verify BOM generation, inlining behavior, publication metadata, and signing gates.
• Binary compatibility: keep baseline discovery and accepted API changes explicit; never silently suppress regressions.
• Docs/quality: treat root-only aggregator plugins and docs pipelines as first-class checks.
• Layering: prefer convention plugin changes (buildSrc) over duplicating logic in many module build files.

4) Verify before completion

• Run at least one targeted task and one aggregate task:
  • ./gradlew :<module>:check
  • ./gradlew check
• For maintainer pipelines, include docs and style gates where applicable:
  • ./gradlew check docs
  • ./gradlew spotlessApply spotlessCheck
• For API-affecting changes, run compatibility checks:
  • ./gradlew japiCmp
• For newly added published modules, define when binary compatibility checks start in module build logic (example):

micronautBuild {
    binaryCompatibility.enabledAfter("2.0.0")
}

• Use the repository's intended first compatible release version instead of blindly reusing 2.0.0.
• Add focused diagnostics when needed:
  • ./gradlew dependencyInsight --configuration <conf> --dependency <module>
  • ./gradlew --scan <task>
• Report exact commands and outcomes.

Guardrails

• Do not use enforcedPlatform when plugin logic explicitly forbids it.
• Do not bypass Micronaut version mismatch checks except intentional development-version flows.
• Do not apply root-only plugins to subprojects.
• Do not replace framework maintainer workflows with generic app-centric shortcuts.

Best Practices

Use references/gradle-best-practices.md for operational standards on:

• configuration and build cache behavior,
• provider/lazy configuration patterns,
• toolchains and reproducibility,
• secure publishing and dependency verification,
• CI reliability.

Examples

• "Diagnose why micronaut-core version mismatch fails on compileClasspath."
• "Update version catalogs safely and apply latest allowed minor versions."
• "Fix Sonatype release pipeline behavior for a non-snapshot release."
• "Investigate binary compatibility failure and validate accepted changes file usage."

Validation Checklist

• Active plugins identified from build files.
• Decisions mapped to micronaut-build source behavior.
• Changes align with maintainer workflows.
• Verification tasks run and outcomes captured.
• No end-user-only Gradle guidance substituted for framework operations.

References

• references/micronaut-build-plugins.md
• references/gradle-best-practices.md