elastic/elasticsearch · error · IllegalArgumentException

Release version not specified

Error message

Release version not specified

What it means

Thrown by TagVersionsTask.executeTask() when releaseVersion is still null — i.e. the @Option(option="release") setter was never invoked with a version string before the task ran. The task cannot proceed because every subsequent step keys off the release version.

Source

Thrown at build-tools-internal/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gradle/internal/release/TagVersionsTask.java:57

    @Inject
    public TagVersionsTask(BuildLayout layout) {
        super(layout);
    }

    @Option(option = "release", description = "The release version to be tagged")
    public void release(String version) {
        releaseVersion = Version.fromString(version);
    }

    @Option(option = "tag-version", description = "Version id to tag. Of the form <VersionType>:<id>.")
    public void tagVersions(List<String> version) {
        this.tagVersions = splitVersionIds(version);
    }

    @TaskAction
    public void executeTask() throws IOException {
        if (releaseVersion == null) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Release version not specified");
        }
        if (tagVersions.isEmpty()) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("No version tags specified");
        }

        LOGGER.lifecycle("Tagging version {} component ids", releaseVersion);

        var versions = expandV7Version(tagVersions);

        for (var v : versions.entrySet()) {
            Path recordFile = switch (v.getKey()) {
                case INDEX_VERSION_TYPE -> rootDir.resolve(INDEX_VERSIONS_RECORD);
                default -> throw new IllegalArgumentException("Unknown version type " + v.getKey());
            };

            LOGGER.lifecycle("Adding version record for {} to [{}]: [{},{}]", v.getKey(), recordFile, releaseVersion, v.getValue());

            Path file = rootDir.resolve(recordFile);

View on GitHub (pinned to db6a809a66)

Solutions

1. Invoke the task with the --release option, e.g. ./gradlew tagVersions --release=8.10.0.
2. If driving the task programmatically, call task.release(version) before task.executeTask().
3. Add a Gradle DSL check (doFirst or @Input) that fails earlier with a clearer message when --release is absent.

Example fix

// before
./gradlew tagVersions --tag-version=Index:42

// after
./gradlew tagVersions --release=8.10.0 --tag-version=Index:42

// In a Gradle doFirst on the tagVersions task
tasks.named('tagVersions').configure(t -> t.doFirst(spec -> {
    TagVersionsTask task = (TagVersionsTask) spec.getTask();
    if (!task.getProviders().gradleProperty("release").isPresent()) {
        throw new GradleException("--release=<version> is required");
    }
}));

When it happens

Trigger: Running the tagVersions task without passing --release=<version> on the Gradle command line, or with an empty value, or invoking executeTask() programmatically without first calling release(String).

Common situations: A release runbook step that supplies --release was skipped or refactored away; the property was renamed; CI invoked the task without the expected -P/-- options.

Related errors

• No version tags specified
• At least one of add-branch, remove-branch or update-branch m
• No versions to add or remove specified
• Unknown version type {key}
• Expected branch and version in format <branch>:<version>

AI-assisted analysis of elastic/elasticsearch@db6a809a66 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/2a18e644e056bda9. Report an issue: GitHub.