111 Java Maven Dependencies

Add Maven dependencies for improved code quality

Add essential Maven dependencies that enhance code quality and safety through a consultative, question-driven approach. This is an interactive SKILL.

What is covered in this Skill?

• JSpecify: (nullness annotations, provided scope)
• Error Prone + NullAway: (enhanced static analysis with compile-time null checking)
• VAVR: (functional programming with Try/Either and immutable collections)
• ArchUnit: (architecture rule enforcement, test scope)

Constraints

Before adding Maven dependencies, ensure the project is in a valid state. Use a consultative, question-driven flow that adds only what the user selects.

• MANDATORY: Run ./mvnw validate or mvn validate before any changes
• SAFETY: If validation fails, stop and ask the user to fix issues—do not proceed until resolved
• BEFORE READING DEPENDENCY REFERENCES: Run the question flow embedded in this SKILL.md first. Ask one consolidated dependency-selection question, then ask only conditional follow-up questions required by the selected options. Read only the dependency references selected by the user's answers. Use consultative language, present trade-offs, and wait for user responses before implementing

When to use this skill

• Add Maven dependencies
• Add JSpecify nullness dependencies
• Add Error Prone NullAway dependencies
• Add VAVR functional dependencies
• Add ArchUnit architecture testing dependencies

Workflow

1. Validate project before changes

Run ./mvnw validate or mvn validate and stop if validation fails.

1. Ask dependency assessment questions before reading references

Run this XML-included question flow before reading any dependency implementation reference. Ask the consolidated dependency-selection question first, wait for the user's answer, and record selected dependency families before continuing. Ask conditional follow-up questions only when required by the selected dependencies.

Question 1: Which code-quality dependencies do you want to add?

Options:

• JSpecify (modern nullness annotations, provided scope; recommended for new projects)
• Error Prone + NullAway (enhanced compiler analysis and compile-time nullness checking; requires JSpecify)
• VAVR (functional programming support with Try/Either and immutable collections)
• ArchUnit (architecture testing with JUnit 5, test scope)
• None
• Other (specify)

Recommendation: Select JSpecify for better null-safety annotations. Add Error Prone + NullAway when you want stronger compile-time analysis. Add VAVR only when functional programming patterns are useful for the project. Add ArchUnit when you want automated architecture governance.

Selection notes:

• If Error Prone + NullAway is selected, also select JSpecify unless the project already has equivalent nullness annotations configured.
• If None is selected, do not add dependency-family references.

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Question 2 (conditional): What is your main project package name?

Note: This question is asked only if Error Prone + NullAway was selected.

This is needed to configure NullAway to analyze your code. For example, if your classes are in com.example.myproject, enter com.example.myproject.

Format: Use dot notation (e.g., com.example.myproject or org.mycompany.myapp)

Example: com.example.myproject

After all applicable questions are answered, confirm the selections and map them to references:

• If JSpecify is selected, read references/111-java-maven-dependencies-jspecify.md.
• If enhanced compiler analysis is selected, use the Error Prone + NullAway section from references/111-java-maven-dependencies-jspecify.md.
• If VAVR is selected, read references/111-java-maven-dependencies-vavr.md.
• If ArchUnit is selected, read references/111-java-maven-dependencies-archunit.md.
• Do not read or apply unselected dependency-family references.

1. Read selected references and add only selected dependencies

Read only the selected dependency-family references, then implement only the dependencies, properties, scopes, plugin configuration, and support files chosen by the user while preserving the existing pom.xml structure.

1. Report trade-offs and next checks

Summarize what was added, why, and any recommended follow-up validations or tooling alignment.

Reference

For detailed guidance, examples, and constraints, see:

• [references/111-java-maven-dependencies-jspecify.md](references/111-java-maven-dependencies-jspecify.md)
• [references/111-java-maven-dependencies-vavr.md](references/111-java-maven-dependencies-vavr.md)
• [references/111-java-maven-dependencies-archunit.md](references/111-java-maven-dependencies-archunit.md)

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: jabrena
• Source: jabrena/cursor-rules-java
• License: Apache-2.0
• Homepage: https://jabrena.github.io/cursor-rules-java/

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.