apache/maven · error · MissingProjectException

The goal you specified requires a project to execute but the

Error message

The goal you specified requires a project to execute but there is no POM in this directory ({}). Please verify you invoked Maven from the correct directory.

What it means

DefaultLifecycleStarter.execute() throws MissingProjectException before any task calculation when the requested tasks require a project but session.getRequest().isProjectPresent() is false — i.e., Maven was started in a directory containing no pom.xml (and none supplied with -f/-p). The directory printed is the execution root directory.

Source

Thrown at impl/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/lifecycle/internal/DefaultLifecycleStarter.java:86

        this.eventCatapult = eventCatapult;
        this.defaultLifeCycles = defaultLifeCycles;
        this.buildListCalculator = buildListCalculator;
        this.lifecycleDebugLogger = lifecycleDebugLogger;
        this.lifecycleTaskSegmentCalculator = lifecycleTaskSegmentCalculator;
        this.builders = builders;
    }

    @Override
    public void execute(MavenSession session) {
        eventCatapult.fire(ExecutionEvent.Type.SessionStarted, session, null);

        ReactorContext reactorContext = null;
        ProjectBuildList projectBuilds = null;
        MavenExecutionResult result = session.getResult();

        try {
            if (buildExecutionRequiresProject(session) && projectIsNotPresent(session)) {
                throw new MissingProjectException("The goal you specified requires a project to execute"
                        + " but there is no POM in this directory (" + session.getExecutionRootDirectory() + ")."
                        + " Please verify you invoked Maven from the correct directory.");
            }

            List<TaskSegment> taskSegments = lifecycleTaskSegmentCalculator.calculateTaskSegments(session);
            projectBuilds = buildListCalculator.calculateProjectBuilds(session, taskSegments);

            if (projectBuilds.isEmpty()) {
                throw new NoGoalSpecifiedException("No goals have been specified for this build."
                        + " You must specify a valid lifecycle phase or a goal in the format <plugin-prefix>:<goal> or"
                        + " <plugin-group-id>:<plugin-artifact-id>[:<plugin-version>]:<goal>."
                        + " Available lifecycle phases are: " + defaultLifeCycles.getLifecyclePhaseList() + ".");
            }

            if (logger.isDebugEnabled()) {
                lifecycleDebugLogger.debugReactorPlan(projectBuilds);
            }

View on GitHub (pinned to e4093d4e12)

Solutions

cd into the directory that contains pom.xml and re-run
Or point Maven at the POM explicitly: mvn -f /path/to/project/pom.xml package
If the goal genuinely needs no project (e.g. archetype:generate from scratch), verify its name — most core phases do require one
In CI, assert the POM exists before invoking Maven

Example fix

# before
cd /tmp && mvn package   # no pom.xml in /tmp

# after
cd /path/to/project && mvn package
# or: mvn -f /path/to/project/pom.xml package

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

// guard scripts/embedders before invoking
if (!Files.exists(rootDir.resolve("pom.xml"))) {
    throw new IllegalStateException("No pom.xml in " + rootDir + " - cd or use -f");
}

Try / catch

catch (MissingProjectException e) {
    // message names the offending directory; switch cwd or add -f and retry
}

Prevention

Always invoke Maven with an explicit -f path in CI scripts
Assert pom.xml existence in pipeline pre-steps
Set projectless goals apart from project builds in scripts

When it happens

Trigger: Running 'mvn package' (or any project-requiring goal) in a folder without a pom.xml; running from a parent folder assuming the reactor will find child POMs; -f pointing at a directory or file that does not exist so no project got loaded.

Common situations: Wrong terminal/cwd when launching Maven; CI checking out a subdirectory but running the build from the workspace root; scripts run in $HOME or /tmp; POM named something other than pom.xml without -f.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of apache/maven@e4093d4e12 (2026-08-21). Data as JSON: /api/errors/b71a4f4272b2cd7f. Report an issue: GitHub.