# Gradle Task Expert

> Expert guidance for authoring and configuring Gradle tasks using Groovy DSL and Kotlin DSL (KTS) for Gradle 9.5.1 with Configuration Cache, up-to-date checks, and input/output modeling. Use this skill whenever the user asks about registering Gradle tasks, configuring task actions, resolving configuration cache violations, migrating from eager to lazy task APIs, declaring inputs/outputs with prope…

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-josephsanjaya-skills-gradle-task-expert`
- **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior
- **Seller:** [JosephSanjaya](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/josephsanjaya)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Cloud & Infrastructure](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/cloud-infrastructure)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [JosephSanjaya](https://github.com/JosephSanjaya)
- **Source:** https://github.com/JosephSanjaya/skills/tree/main/gradle-task-expert

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-josephsanjaya-skills-gradle-task-expert
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# Gradle Task Expert

Provide design, configuration, and debugging assistance for Gradle task authoring and task registration under Groovy DSL and Kotlin DSL (KTS). Ensure compliance with Gradle 9.5.1+ standards, task configuration avoidance, and configuration cache rules. Check the references index and guide routing below to target specific details.

## Gradle Task Lifecycle & Compatibility (2026)

| Concept | Modern / Gradle 9.5.1+ | Legacy / Outdated | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Registration** | `tasks.register("name")` (Lazy) | `tasks.create("name")` or `task name` (Eager) | **Lazy ONLY** for Configuration Avoidance. |
| **API Target** | `Property`, `DirectoryProperty`, `RegularFileProperty` | Plain Java type fields (`File`, `String`, etc.) | **Managed Properties** for provider chaining. |
| **Caching** | `@CacheableTask` or `@DisableCachingByDefault` | No caching annotations | Custom tasks **must** declare one or the other. |
| **CLI Verification** | `--scan` or `tasks --provenance` | Custom diagnostic print statements | Leverage Gradle's built-in troubleshooting. |

## Task Registration & Configuration Avoidance

Do not use legacy eager APIs (`tasks.create()`, `tasks.all`, `tasks.getByName()`). Always register tasks lazily and wire them using the Provider API:

| Eager API (Avoid) | Lazy API (Prefer) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| `tasks.create("foo") { ... }` | `tasks.register("foo") { ... }` | Avoids realizing task until needed. |
| `tasks.getByName("foo")` | `tasks.named("foo")` | Defers task lookup. |
| `tasks.all { ... }` | `tasks.configureEach { ... }` | Does not trigger instant task realization. |
| `tasks.withType(Test) { ... }` | `tasks.withType(Test).configureEach { ... }` | Keeps container configuration lazy. |

## Reference Index

- [basics.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/basics.md)
  - Core task anatomy, lifecycle phases, lazy task registration APIs, TaskProvider, and Gradle 9.5.1 deprecations.
  - *Read when*: Understanding task lifecycle, implementing `DefaultTask`, or using Gradle 9.5.1+ features.
- [configuration-cache.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/configuration-cache.md)
  - Configuration cache rules, preventing `Project` instance leaks in task actions, lazily reading env/sys properties, secure secrets handling, and script-object capture via `onlyIf`/`doFirst`/`Provider.map {}` lambdas in `.gradle.kts`.
  - *Read when*: Fixing configuration cache violations, avoiding configuration-time execution, handling environment variables, or getting "cannot serialize Gradle script object references" errors.
- [inputs-outputs.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/inputs-outputs.md)
  - Managed properties, up-to-date checks, path sensitivity, Kotlin getter `@get:` requirements, incremental tasks via `InputChanges`, `SourceTask.source()` double-registration, `onlyIf` purity rules, and `val` shadowing of `Project` extension properties.
  - *Read when*: Declaring inputs/outputs, troubleshooting caching/incremental execution, modeling file parameters, or using `onlyIf` with side effects.
- [groovy-vs-kts.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/groovy-vs-kts.md)
  - Comprehensive comparison between Groovy and Kotlin DSL formats, type-safe task accessors, and migration rules.
  - *Read when*: Migrating build scripts from Groovy to Kotlin DSL, or writing task wiring in both languages.
- [testing-debugging.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/testing-debugging.md)
  - Unit testing tasks with `ProjectBuilder`, functional testing with TestKit (`GradleRunner`), and CLI debugging.
  - *Read when*: Writing automated tests for tasks or diagnosing execution/cache failures.

## Guide Routing

| Symptom / Query | Reference |
|---|---|
| "How to migrate task from Groovy to KTS" or "tasks.register syntax differences" | [groovy-vs-kts.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/groovy-vs-kts.md) |
| "Configuration cache state could not be cached because Project instance leaked" | [configuration-cache.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/configuration-cache.md) |
| "Task output is not cacheable" or "How to define inputs and outputs" | [inputs-outputs.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/inputs-outputs.md) |
| "Kotlin getter annotations not picked up" or "Missing task properties" | [inputs-outputs.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/inputs-outputs.md) |
| "`source()` and `inputs.files()` both declared on same Detekt/SourceTask" | [inputs-outputs.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/inputs-outputs.md) |
| "Detekt autoformat task scans whole project instead of diff files" or "`source()` vs `setSource()` on Detekt task" | [inputs-outputs.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/inputs-outputs.md) |
| "`Provider>` not expanding in `setSource()` or `files()`" | [inputs-outputs.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/inputs-outputs.md) |
| "Side effects in `onlyIf`" or "mkdirs / writeText inside onlyIf" | [inputs-outputs.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/inputs-outputs.md) |
| "`val rootDir` shadowing or `val projectDir` shadows Project extension" | [inputs-outputs.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/inputs-outputs.md) |
| "How to run command in task action for configuration cache" | [configuration-cache.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/configuration-cache.md) |
| `"cannot serialize Gradle script object references"` error | [configuration-cache.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/configuration-cache.md) |
| "`onlyIf {}` or `doFirst {}` in `.gradle.kts` breaks CC" | [configuration-cache.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/configuration-cache.md) |
| "`Provider.map {}` in script breaks configuration cache" | [configuration-cache.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/configuration-cache.md) |
| "How to write a functional test using GradleRunner or TestKit" | [testing-debugging.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/testing-debugging.md) |
| "Gradle 9.5.1 task deprecations or Task.doFirst / Task.doLast smells" | [basics.md](file:///Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/basics.md) |

- All reference files and linked documentation **must** be referenced using their absolute file:/// paths under `/Users/jsanjaya/.gemini/config/skills/gradle-task-expert/references/`.
- Tasks **must** be registered lazily using `register` or `registering`, and wired lazily via `flatMap` / `map` / `set` using the Provider API.
- Do **not** allow imperative tasks without type definitions (`tasks.register("foo") { doLast { ... } }`) unless it is a quick prototyping step. Custom business logic must live in abstract classes extending `DefaultTask`.
- Do **not** leak `Project` references in task actions, and do not call build-logic execution routines during the configuration phase.
- Custom tasks must explicitly declare cacheability: `@CacheableTask` or `@DisableCachingByDefault(because = "...")`.

## Source & license

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

- **Author:** [JosephSanjaya](https://github.com/JosephSanjaya)
- **Source:** [JosephSanjaya/skills](https://github.com/JosephSanjaya/skills)
- **License:** MIT

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

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** no
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** no
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-josephsanjaya-skills-gradle-task-expert
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/josephsanjaya
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

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Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.