gradle/gradle · error · GradleException

Could not start Gradle daemon.

Error message

Could not start Gradle daemon.

What it means

Error "Could not start Gradle daemon." thrown in gradle/gradle.

Source

Thrown at platforms/core-runtime/client-services/src/main/java/org/gradle/launcher/daemon/client/DefaultDaemonStarter.java:271

                LOGGER.debug("Gradle daemon process is now detached.");
            } finally {
                CompositeStoppable.stoppable(execActionFactory).stop();
            }

            return outputConsumer.getResponse().mapFailure(failure ->
                new InitializationException(
                    DaemonMessages.UNABLE_TO_START_DAEMON + "\n" +
                    "This problem might be caused by incorrect configuration of the daemon.\n" +
                    "For example, an unrecognized jvm option is used.\n" +
                    new DocumentationRegistry().getDocumentationRecommendationFor("details on the daemon", "gradle_daemon") + "\n" +
                    "Process command line: " + Joiner.on(" ").join(args),
                    failure
                )
            ).get();
        } catch (GradleException e) {
            throw e;
        } catch (Exception e) {
            throw new GradleException("Could not start Gradle daemon.", e);
        } finally {
            LOGGER.info("An attempt to start the daemon took {}.", clock.getElapsed());
        }
    }

}

View on GitHub (pinned to 534f27719b)

Solutions

1. Check the daemon log under ~/.gradle/daemon/<version>/ for the startup error.
2. Verify JAVA_HOME points to a supported JDK version for this Gradle release.
3. Validate org.gradle.jvmargs in gradle.properties; remove invalid or excessive memory settings.
4. Run with --no-daemon to bypass daemon startup.

When it happens

Trigger: The daemon process is forked but exits or fails before completing its startup handshake.

Common situations: Invalid JVM options in org.gradle.jvmargs; Java home pointing to an incompatible JVM; low memory or restrictive sandboxing on the host.

AI-assisted analysis of gradle/gradle@534f27719b (2026-08-22). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7edeafaeb926adb7. Report an issue: GitHub.