Kotlin Spring Proxy Compatibility

Kotlin Spring Proxy Compatibility

Source mapping: Tier 1 critical skill derived from Kotlin_Spring_Developer_Pipeline.md (SK-03).

Mission

Explain exactly why Spring interception does or does not happen for Kotlin code, then propose the safest fix. Focus on runtime behavior, not on code that merely looks annotated.

Read These Inputs

• The class and method carrying @Transactional, @Cacheable, @Async, @Retryable, security annotations, or other proxy-triggering annotations.
• The call site. Determine whether the method is called through another bean or through this.
• Build files. Verify kotlin("plugin.spring"), kotlin("plugin.jpa"), or any custom allOpen and noArg configuration.
• Whether the bean is proxied through an interface or through CGLIB class proxies.
• For persistence problems, read the entity class shape and JPA plugin setup.

Diagnose In This Order

1. Verify whether a proxy should exist at all.
2. Verify whether the call crosses the proxy boundary.
3. Verify whether the class or method is proxyable.
4. Verify whether the annotation is placed on the method Spring actually intercepts.
5. Verify whether build-time plugins opened the relevant classes.
6. Verify whether the bug is actually transactional semantics, not proxy creation.

Core Checks

• Check for self-invocation. A method calling another annotated method in the same class bypasses the proxy.
• Check whether the target class or method is effectively final for the chosen proxy strategy.
• Check whether a JDK proxy is used. If so, interception works through interface methods, not arbitrary class methods.
• Check whether the annotated method is private or otherwise non-interceptable.
• Check whether @Configuration classes, @Service classes, and JPA entities rely on the correct Kotlin compiler plugins.
• Check whether the symptom comes from coroutines or async boundaries rather than proxy absence.

Preferred Fixes

Prefer fixes in this order:

1. Enable the correct Kotlin compiler plugin in Gradle.
2. Move the intercepted method behind a real Spring bean boundary.
3. Adjust interface or proxy strategy only if the current strategy is incompatible.
4. Refactor responsibilities so that external callers cross the proxy naturally.
5. Only as a last resort, inject the proxied bean into itself or use AopContext, and explain why this is a compromise.

Advanced Interception Traps

• @PostConstruct, constructors, and init blocks run on the target object before ordinary proxy interception can help. Advice that depends on transactions, caching, security, or retries will not rescue initialization logic.
• @Async changes threads. Transaction, security, MDC, and request context do not automatically flow the same way they do in synchronous code.
• @Retryable, @Transactional, @Cacheable, and method security can stack. Advisor ordering changes behavior, especially when retries and transactions combine.
• @TransactionalEventListener depends on transaction phase. If no transaction exists, the listener may never fire or may fire immediately depending on fallback behavior.
• @Configuration(proxyBeanMethods = false) disables configuration-class method interception. Treat this as a performance and semantics choice, not a cosmetic flag.
• Interface default methods, non-public methods, and methods reached only from internal helper paths may compile cleanly while still missing interception at runtime.
• In coroutine and reactive flows, transaction and security propagation depend on the underlying stack and context propagation model. A proxy can exist while context still does not flow the way the author expects.

Expert Heuristics

• If the symptom is "annotation present but behavior absent," first ask whether the relevant call crossed a bean boundary. This catches more real bugs than checking open alone.
• If the team wants a local helper method to stay private, do not force proxy semantics onto it. Move the transactional or cache boundary outward instead.
• For caching and security, verify key computation and authorization point as separate concerns from proxy presence.
• For JPA entities and configuration classes, distinguish opening for framework mechanics from opening for general extensibility. The former is usually acceptable; the latter may not be.

Kotlin-Specific Rules

• Prefer compiler plugins over manually marking entire class hierarchies as open.
• Do not generate JPA entities as data class.
• Do not assume annotations on private methods will work because they compile.
• Explain the difference between Kotlin source semantics and Spring runtime semantics.
• If migrating Java to Kotlin, re-check every proxy-reliant class after translation.

Output Contract

Return these sections:

• Broken mechanism: what Spring feature is expected to intercept the call.
• Why it failed: one concrete runtime reason with code evidence.
• Minimal fix: the smallest change that restores interception.
• Safer design option: only if the current structure invites future proxy bugs.
• Verification: how to prove the annotation now takes effect.

Guardrails

• Do not suggest making every class open manually without first checking compiler plugins.
• Do not confuse proxy absence with wrong propagation, wrong cache key, or other business logic issues.
• Do not recommend data class entities or blanket allOpen for unrelated code.
• Do not leave self-invocation unexplained. It is one of the most common hidden causes.

Quality Bar

A good run of this skill makes the proxy model explicit and the fix easy to verify. A bad run tells the user to add annotations or open keywords without proving why interception failed.

Source & license

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

• Author: yalishevant
• Source: yalishevant/kotlin-backend-agent-skills
• License: MIT

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