apache/maven · error · ArtifactMetadataRetrievalException

Invalid version for dependency " + dependency.getManagementK

Error message

Invalid version for dependency " + dependency.getManagementKey() + ": " + e.getMessage()

What it means

Thrown by MavenMetadataSource while creating an Artifact for a transitive dependency during metadata retrieval (the legacy resolution path used to discover a dependency's dependencies). createDependencyArtifact catches InvalidVersionSpecificationException from the artifact factory and rethrows it as ArtifactMetadataRetrievalException, naming the dependency's management key (groupId:artifactId:type) and the invalid spec. This means the <version> of some dependency in the resolved graph is not a parseable version or range.

Source

Thrown at compat/maven-compat/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/project/artifact/MavenMetadataSource.java:343

                }
            }

            repositories = new ArrayList<>(repos.values());
        }

        return repositories;
    }

    private Artifact createDependencyArtifact(Dependency dependency, Artifact owner, Artifact pom)
            throws ArtifactMetadataRetrievalException {
        try {
            String inheritedScope = (owner != null) ? owner.getScope() : null;

            ArtifactFilter inheritedFilter = (owner != null) ? owner.getDependencyFilter() : null;

            return createDependencyArtifact(artifactFactory, dependency, inheritedScope, inheritedFilter);
        } catch (InvalidVersionSpecificationException e) {
            throw new ArtifactMetadataRetrievalException(
                    "Invalid version for dependency " + dependency.getManagementKey() + ": " + e.getMessage(), e, pom);
        }
    }

    private static Artifact createDependencyArtifact(
            ArtifactFactory factory, Dependency dependency, String inheritedScope, ArtifactFilter inheritedFilter)
            throws InvalidVersionSpecificationException {
        String effectiveScope = getEffectiveScope(dependency.getScope(), inheritedScope);

        if (effectiveScope == null) {
            return null;
        }

        VersionRange versionRange = VersionRange.createFromVersionSpec(dependency.getVersion());

        Artifact dependencyArtifact = factory.createDependencyArtifact(
                dependency.getGroupId(),
                dependency.getArtifactId(),

View on GitHub (pinned to e4093d4e12)

Solutions

1. Run with -X to see the full graph and identify which artifact's POM carries the bad version (the management key in the message names it)
2. Delete the offending artifact's directory under ~/.m2/repository and re-resolve in case the cached POM is corrupt
3. If the bad version comes from a dependencyManagement section you control, correct the version/range there
4. Exclude the offending dependency (<exclusions>) or pin a good version via dependencyManagement until upstream fixes their POM
5. Report/fix the broken POM in the project that publishes it

Example fix

<!-- before: broken range pulled in transitively -->
<dependency>
  <groupId>bad.libs</groupId><artifactId>bad-lib</artifactId><version>[1.0,2.0</version>
</dependency>
<!-- after: pin a fixed version or exclude -->
<dependencyManagement>
  <dependencies>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>bad.libs</groupId><artifactId>bad-lib</artifactId><version>1.5</version>
    </dependency>
  </dependencies>
</dependencyManagement>

// Pre-parse every dependency version you control before the build
try {
    org.apache.maven.artifact.versioning.VersionRange.createFromVersionSpec(dep.getVersion());
} catch (org.apache.maven.artifact.versioning.InvalidVersionSpecificationException e) {
    fail("dependency " + dep.getManagementKey() + " has invalid version: " + dep.getVersion());
}

When it happens

Trigger: A dependency (usually a transitive one, in a POM Maven just fetched) has a malformed version string: unbalanced range like '[1.0,2.0', empty bounds, or a non-parseable literal such that VersionRange/DefaultArtifactVersion parsing throws InvalidVersionSpecificationException.

Common situations: A third-party POM published with a broken version range; a property left unresolved in a consumed POM (version literally '${foo.version}'); mixed old Maven 2-era metadata; LATEST/RELEASE markers in odd positions; corrupt downloaded POM in the local repo.

Related errors

• A dependency has introduced a cycle
• Unable to get a selected Version for {}
• Failed to process POM for " + artifact.getId() + ": " + miss
• Unable to download the artifact from any repository
• No versions matched the requested parent version range '%s'

AI-assisted analysis of apache/maven@e4093d4e12 (2026-08-21). Data as JSON: /api/errors/419cb16677dfe142. Report an issue: GitHub.