This chapter provides the information you need to migrate your Gradle 9.x.y builds to the latest. For migrating to Gradle 9.0.0, see the older migration guide first.

We recommend the following steps for all users:

  1. Try running gradle help --scan and view the deprecations view of the generated Build Scan.

    Deprecations View of a Gradle Build Scan

    This lets you see any deprecation warnings that apply to your build.

    Alternatively, you can run gradle help --warning-mode=all to see the deprecations in the console, though it may not report as much detailed information.

  2. Update your plugins.

    Some plugins will break with this new version of Gradle because they use internal APIs that have been removed or changed. The previous step will help you identify potential problems by issuing deprecation warnings when a plugin tries to use a deprecated part of the API.

  3. Run gradle wrapper --gradle-version 9.1.0 to update the project to 9.1.0.

  4. Try to run the project and debug any errors using the Troubleshooting Guide.

Upgrading from 9.0.0 and earlier

Deprecations

Deprecation of multi-string dependency notation

In an effort to simplify and standardize the Gradle API, the multi-string dependency notation used in dependency management has been deprecated and will no longer be permitted in Gradle 10. Gradle will primarily accept dependency declarations in the form of a single string, with each dependency coordinate separated by a colon.

Below are examples of the deprecated multi-string notation:

build.gradle.kts
dependencies {
    implementation(group = "org", name = "foo", version = "1.0")
    implementation(group = "org", name = "foo", version = "1.0", configuration = "conf")
    implementation(group = "org", name = "foo", version = "1.0", classifier = "classifier")
    implementation(group = "org", name = "foo", version = "1.0", ext = "ext")
}

testing.suites.named<JvmTestSuite>("test") {
    dependencies {
        implementation(module(group = "org", name = "foo", version = "1.0"))
    }
}
build.gradle
dependencies {
    implementation(group: 'org', name: 'foo', version: '1.0')
    implementation(group: 'org', name: 'foo', version: '1.0', configuration: 'conf')
    implementation(group: 'org', name: 'foo', version: '1.0', classifier: 'classifier')
    implementation(group: 'org', name: 'foo', version: '1.0', ext: 'ext')
}

testing.suites.test {
    dependencies {
        implementation(module(group: 'org', name: 'foo', version: '1.0'))
    }
}

These declarations should be replaced with the single-string notation:

build.gradle.kts
dependencies {
    implementation("org:foo:1.0")
    implementation("org:foo:1.0") {
        targetConfiguration = "conf"
    }
    implementation("org:foo:1.0:classifier")
    implementation("org:foo:1.0@ext")
}

testing.suites.named<JvmTestSuite>("test") {
    dependencies {
        implementation("org:foo:1.0")
    }
}
build.gradle
dependencies {
    implementation("org:foo:1.0")
    implementation("org:foo:1.0") {
        targetConfiguration = "conf"
    }
    implementation("org:foo:1.0:classifier")
    implementation("org:foo:1.0@ext")
}

testing.suites.test {
    dependencies {
        implementation("org:foo:1.0")
    }
}

In some cases, a complete single-string notation may not be known up front. Instead of concatenating the coordinates into a new string, it is possible to use a DependencyFactory to create Dependency instances directly from the individual components:

build.gradle.kts
val group = "org"
val artifactId = "foo"
val version = "1.0"

configurations.dependencyScope("implementation") {
    dependencies.add(project.dependencyFactory.create(group, artifactId, version))
}
build.gradle
def group = "org"
def artifactId = "foo"
def version = "1.0"

configurations.dependencyScope("implementation") {
    dependencies.add(project.dependencyFactory.create(group, artifactId, version))
}

Deprecation of ReportingExtension.file(String)

The file() method on ReportingExtension has been deprecated and will be removed in Gradle 10.0.0.

Instead, use ReportingExtension.getBaseDirectory() with file(String) or dir(String).

Deprecation of ReportingExtension.getApiDocTitle()

The getApiDocTitle() method on ReportingExtension has been deprecated and will be removed in Gradle 10.0.0.

There is no direct replacement for this method.

Deprecation of JavaForkOptions.setAllJvmArgs()

The setAllJvmArgs() method on JavaForkOptions and, by inheritance, on JavaExecSpec has been deprecated and will be removed in Gradle 10.0.0.

Instead, to overwrite existing JVM arguments, use:

  • JavaForkOptions.jvmArgs()

  • JavaForkOptions.setJvmArgs()

  • Provide a CommandLineArgumentProvider to add arguments via JavaForkOptions.getJvmArgumentProviders()

Note that setAllJvmArgs() method on JavaForkOptions cleared all fork options before setting jvmArgs. The properties cleared included:

  • System properties configured via JavaForkOptions.systemProperties

  • JVM argument providers configured via JavaForkOptions.jvmArgumentProviders

  • Argument providers configured via JavaExecSpec.argumentProviders

  • Memory settings configured via JavaForkOptions.minHeapSize and JavaForkOptions.maxHeapSize

  • All other JVM arguments configured via JavaForkOptions.jvmArgs

  • The assertion and debug flags configured via JavaForkOptions.enableAssertions and JavaForkOptions.debug

If the arguments you provide to setJvmArgs() or jvmArgs() depend on any of the above properties being cleared, you will need to manually clear them.

Consider the following snippets for examples of how to implement this change:

build.gradle.kts
plugins {
    id("java")
}

tasks.register<JavaExec>("myRunTask") {
    jvmArgumentProviders.clear() // Clear existing JVM argument providers
    maxHeapSize = null // Clear max heap size
    jvmArgs = listOf("-Dfoo", "-Dbar") // Set new JVM arguments
}
build.gradle
plugins {
    id("java")
}

tasks.named('myRunTask', JavaExec) {
    jvmArgumentProviders.clear() // Clear existing JVM argument providers
    maxHeapSize = null // Clear max heap size
    jvmArgs = ["-Dfoo", "-Dbar"] // Set new JVM arguments
}

Deprecation of archives configuration

The archives configuration added by the base plugin has been deprecated and will be removed in Gradle 10.0.0. Adding artifacts to the archives configuration will now result in a deprecation warning.

If you want the artifact to be built when running the assemble task, add the artifact (or the task that produces it) as a dependency on assemble:

build.gradle.kts
val specialJar = tasks.register<Jar>("specialJar") {
    archiveBaseName.set("special")
    from("build/special")
}

tasks.named("assemble") {
    dependsOn(specialJar)
}

Deprecation of the Configuration.visible property

Prior to Gradle 9.0.0, any configuration with isVisible() returning true would implicitly trigger artifact creation when running the assemble task. This behavior was removed in Gradle 9.0.0, and the Configuration.visible property no longer has any effect. The property is now deprecated and will be removed in Gradle 10.0.0. You can safely remove any usage of visible.

If you want the artifacts of a configuration to be built when running the assemble task, add an explicit task dependency on assemble:

build.gradle.kts
val specialJar = tasks.register<Jar>("specialJar") {
    archiveBaseName.set("special")
    from("build/special")
}

configurations {
    consumable("special") {
        outgoing.artifact(specialJar)
    }
}

tasks.named("assemble") {
    dependsOn(specialJar)
}

Deprecation of non-string projectProperties in GradleBuild task

The GradleBuild task now deprecates using non-String values in startParameter.projectProperties. While the type is declared as Map<String, String>, there was no strict enforcement, allowing non-String values to be set. This deprecated behavior will be removed in Gradle 10.0.0.

If you are using non-String values in project properties, convert them to String representation:

build.gradle.kts
val myIntProp = 42

tasks.register<GradleBuild>("nestedBuild") {
    startParameter.projectProperties.put("myIntProp", "$myIntProp") // Convert int to String
}
build.gradle
def myIntProp = 42

tasks.register('nestedBuild', GradleBuild) {
    startParameter.projectProperties.put('myIntProp', "$myIntProp") // Convert int to String
}

Potential breaking changes

Upgrade to ASM 9.8

ASM was upgraded from 9.7.1 to 9.8 to ensure earlier compatibility for Java 25.

Upgrade to Groovy 4.0.28

Groovy has been updated to Groovy 4.0.28.