[warn] The StartParameter.settingsFile property has been deprecated.`net.researchgate.release`

[leoherbie]

In Gradle version 8.12, the problems report (build/reports/problems/problems-report.html) shows the following:

net.researchgate.release`

        - [warn]  The StartParameter.settingsFile property has been deprecated.`net.researchgate.release`
        This is scheduled to be removed in Gradle 9.0.
        The StartParameter.settingsFile property has been deprecated.
                - Solutions
            [enum]  Please use 'projectDir' to specify the directory of the default project instead.
            [enum]  Setting custom build file to select the default project has been deprecated.

[Vampire]

There is an if in the code, that the property is not used in Gradle 9+, so this warning will not make your build fail when ugprading

[arnaudj]

Surprisingly, it seems groovy is eagerly evaluating the line behind the if using the deprecated settingsFile.

This triggers the following error on Gradle 9.

Environment:

------------------------------------------------------------
Gradle 9.2.1
------------------------------------------------------------

Build time:    2025-11-17 13:40:48 UTC
Revision:      30ecdc708db275e8f8769ea0620f6dd919a58f76

Kotlin:        2.2.20
Groovy:        4.0.28
Ant:           Apache Ant(TM) version 1.10.15 compiled on August 25 2024
Launcher JVM:  25.0.1 (Eclipse Adoptium 25.0.1+8-LTS)
Daemon JVM:    ..... \jdk-25.0.1 (no JDK specified, using current Java home)
OS:            Windows 11 10.0 amd64

Build:

 ./gradlew package --stacktrace
...

`* What went wrong:
A problem occurred evaluating root project 'xyzabcdefg'.
> Failed to apply plugin class 'net.researchgate.release.ReleasePlugin'.
   > No such property: settingsFile for class: org.gradle.api.internal.StartParameterInternal

Caused by: org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.PluginApplicationException: Failed to apply plugin class 'net.researchgate.release.ReleasePlugin'.
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.DefaultPluginManager.doApply(DefaultPluginManager.java:176)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.DefaultPluginManager.addImperativePlugin(DefaultPluginManager.java:91)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.DefaultPluginManager.addImperativePlugin(DefaultPluginManager.java:98)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.DefaultPluginContainer.apply(DefaultPluginContainer.java:77)
        at org.gradle.api.plugins.PluginContainer$apply.call(Unknown Source)
        at com.ullink.gradle.release.ReleaseUllinkPlugin.apply(ReleaseUllinkPlugin.groovy:30)
        at com.ullink.gradle.release.ReleaseUllinkPlugin.apply(ReleaseUllinkPlugin.groovy)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.ImperativeOnlyPluginTarget.applyImperative(ImperativeOnlyPluginTarget.java:55)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.RuleBasedPluginTarget.applyImperative(RuleBasedPluginTarget.java:50)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.DefaultPluginManager.addPlugin(DefaultPluginManager.java:190)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.DefaultPluginManager.access$100(DefaultPluginManager.java:54)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.DefaultPluginManager$AddPluginBuildOperation.run(DefaultPluginManager.java:285)
        at org.gradle.internal.operations.DefaultBuildOperationRunner$1.execute(DefaultBuildOperationRunner.java:29)
        at org.gradle.internal.operations.DefaultBuildOperationRunner$1.execute(DefaultBuildOperationRunner.java:26)
        at org.gradle.internal.operations.DefaultBuildOperationRunner$2.execute(DefaultBuildOperationRunner.java:66)
        at org.gradle.internal.operations.DefaultBuildOperationRunner$2.execute(DefaultBuildOperationRunner.java:59)
        at org.gradle.internal.operations.DefaultBuildOperationRunner.execute(DefaultBuildOperationRunner.java:166)
        at org.gradle.internal.operations.DefaultBuildOperationRunner.execute(DefaultBuildOperationRunner.java:59)
        at org.gradle.internal.operations.DefaultBuildOperationRunner.run(DefaultBuildOperationRunner.java:47)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.DefaultPluginManager.lambda$doApply$0(DefaultPluginManager.java:170)
        at org.gradle.internal.code.DefaultUserCodeApplicationContext.apply(DefaultUserCodeApplicationContext.java:44)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.DefaultPluginManager.doApply(DefaultPluginManager.java:169)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.DefaultPluginManager.apply(DefaultPluginManager.java:148)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.DefaultObjectConfigurationAction.applyType(DefaultObjectConfigurationAction.java:162)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.DefaultObjectConfigurationAction.access$200(DefaultObjectConfigurationAction.java:44)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.DefaultObjectConfigurationAction$3.run(DefaultObjectConfigurationAction.java:99)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.DefaultObjectConfigurationAction.execute(DefaultObjectConfigurationAction.java:185)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.project.AbstractPluginAware.apply(AbstractPluginAware.java:49)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.project.DefaultProject.apply(DefaultProject.java:1551)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.project.ProjectScript.apply(ProjectScript.java:37)
        at build_a8hxc40ez2avxttokav8fdds5.run(.... build.gradle:52)
        at org.gradle.groovy.scripts.internal.DefaultScriptRunnerFactory$ScriptRunnerImpl.run(DefaultScriptRunnerFactory.java:91)
        ... 169 more

Caused by: groovy.lang.MissingPropertyException: No such property: settingsFile for class: org.gradle.api.internal.StartParameterInternal
        at net.researchgate.release.ReleasePlugin$_apply_closure5.doCall$original(ReleasePlugin.groovy:107)
        at net.researchgate.release.ReleasePlugin$_apply_closure5.doCall(ReleasePlugin.groovy)
        at org.gradle.util.internal.ClosureBackedAction.execute(ClosureBackedAction.java:73)
        at org.gradle.util.internal.ConfigureUtil.configureTarget(ConfigureUtil.java:166)
        at org.gradle.util.internal.ConfigureUtil.configureSelf(ConfigureUtil.java:142)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.AbstractTask.configure(AbstractTask.java:688)
        at org.gradle.api.DefaultTask.configure(DefaultTask.java:322)
        at org.gradle.api.DefaultTask.configure(DefaultTask.java:46)
        at org.gradle.util.internal.ConfigureUtil.configure(ConfigureUtil.java:105)
        at org.gradle.util.internal.ConfigureUtil$WrappedConfigureAction.execute(ConfigureUtil.java:178)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.DefaultTaskContainer.create(DefaultTaskContainer.java:377)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.DefaultTaskContainer.create(DefaultTaskContainer.java:74)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.DefaultTaskContainer_Decorated.create(Unknown Source)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.DefaultTaskContainer_Decorated$create.call(Unknown Source)
        at net.researchgate.release.ReleasePlugin.apply(ReleasePlugin.groovy:100)
        at net.researchgate.release.ReleasePlugin.apply(ReleasePlugin.groovy)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.ImperativeOnlyPluginTarget.applyImperative(ImperativeOnlyPluginTarget.java:55)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.RuleBasedPluginTarget.applyImperative(RuleBasedPluginTarget.java:50)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.DefaultPluginManager.addPlugin(DefaultPluginManager.java:190)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.DefaultPluginManager.access$100(DefaultPluginManager.java:54)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.DefaultPluginManager$AddPluginBuildOperation.run(DefaultPluginManager.java:285)
        at org.gradle.internal.operations.DefaultBuildOperationRunner$1.execute(DefaultBuildOperationRunner.java:29)
        at org.gradle.internal.operations.DefaultBuildOperationRunner$1.execute(DefaultBuildOperationRunner.java:26)
        at org.gradle.internal.operations.DefaultBuildOperationRunner$2.execute(DefaultBuildOperationRunner.java:66)
        at org.gradle.internal.operations.DefaultBuildOperationRunner$2.execute(DefaultBuildOperationRunner.java:59)
        at org.gradle.internal.operations.DefaultBuildOperationRunner.execute(DefaultBuildOperationRunner.java:166)
        at org.gradle.internal.operations.DefaultBuildOperationRunner.execute(DefaultBuildOperationRunner.java:59)
        at org.gradle.internal.operations.DefaultBuildOperationRunner.run(DefaultBuildOperationRunner.java:47)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.DefaultPluginManager.lambda$doApply$0(DefaultPluginManager.java:170)
        at org.gradle.internal.code.DefaultUserCodeApplicationContext.apply(DefaultUserCodeApplicationContext.java:44)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.plugins.DefaultPluginManager.doApply(DefaultPluginManager.java:169)
        ... 200 more

Passing this context through GPT 5, it yields

"Groovy evaluates all property references in the closure at runtime, before it evaluates control-flow guards like if statements.".
" Groovy dynamic property resolution happens earlier (when the script is being compiled / bound). So Groovy must first compile the expression tree and resolve all identifiers, including settingsFile, to turn it into a MetaClass call."

Via IDEA, decompiled ReleasePlugin.class (bytecode version : 52.0 (Java 8)) seems to corroborate that.

            public Object doCall(Object it) {
                CallSite[] var2 = $getCallSiteArray();
                var2[0].callGetProperty(ReleasePlugin.class);
                String var10000 = "Runs the build process in a separate gradle run.";	// nb: This is https://github.com/researchgate/gradle-release/blob/main/src/main/groovy/net/researchgate/release/ReleasePlugin.groovy#L109C29-L109C65
                Object var3 = var2[1].call(var2[2].callGetProperty(var2[3].call(project.get())));
                ScriptBytecodeAdapter.setGroovyObjectProperty(var3, _apply_closure5.class, this, "startParameter");
                var2[4].call(var2[5].callGetProperty(var2[6].callGroovyObjectGetProperty(this)), var2[7].callGetProperty(var2[8].callGetProperty(var2[9].call(project.get()))));
                var2[10].call(var2[11].callGetProperty(var2[12].callGroovyObjectGetProperty(this)), "release.releasing", "true");
                Object var4 = var2[13].callGetProperty(project.get());
                ScriptBytecodeAdapter.setProperty(var4, (Class)null, var2[14].callGroovyObjectGetProperty(this), "projectDir");
                Object var5 = var2[15].callGetProperty(var2[16].callGetProperty(var2[17].call(project.get())));
                ScriptBytecodeAdapter.setProperty(var5, (Class)null, var2[18].callGroovyObjectGetProperty(this), "settingsFile");	// nb: eager resolution?
                Object var6 = var2[19].callGetProperty(var2[20].callGetProperty(var2[21].call(project.get())));
                ScriptBytecodeAdapter.setProperty(var6, (Class)null, var2[22].callGroovyObjectGetProperty(this), "gradleUserHomeDir");
                Object var7 = var2[23].callGetProperty(project.get());
                ScriptBytecodeAdapter.setGroovyObjectProperty(var7, _apply_closure5.class, this, "buildName");

Would it be an option to use projectDir instead, for the time being, until #304 is implemented? (found reference via #379)

[Vampire]

Nope, you are using an outdated version of the plugin.
As you can see from the stacktrace, the error happens in line 107, which was the line that call is on before the if was added.
AI answers are useless for things you don't anyway know yourself.
Within the if, the line would be 116.
:-)

[arnaudj]

Nope, you are using an outdated version of the plugin.

Indeed, thank you @Vampire for the correction and quick reply.
(I guess that explains why I didn't see the gradle 9 check in the disassembly :)