gradle/gradle · error · InvalidUserDataException

You can't map a property that does not exist: propertyName={

Error message

You can't map a property that does not exist: propertyName={propertyName}

What it means

Gradle throws this error when the following condition is violated: You can't map a property that does not exist: propertyName=<propertyName>

Source

Thrown at platforms/core-configuration/model-core/src/main/java/org/gradle/internal/extensibility/ConventionAwareHelper.java:67

public class ConventionAwareHelper implements ConventionMapping {
    //prefix internal fields with _ so that they don't get into the way of propertyMissing()
    private final IConventionAware _source;
    // These are properties that could have convention mapping applied to them
    private final Set<String> _propertyNames;
    // These are properties that should not be allowed to use convention mapping
    private final Set<String> _ineligiblePropertyNames;

    private final Map<String, MappedPropertyImpl> _mappings = new HashMap<>();

    public ConventionAwareHelper(IConventionAware source) {
        this._source = source;
        this._propertyNames = JavaPropertyReflectionUtil.propertyNames(source);
        this._ineligiblePropertyNames = new HashSet<>();
    }

    private MappedProperty map(String propertyName, MappedPropertyImpl mapping) {
        if (!_propertyNames.contains(propertyName)) {
            throw new InvalidUserDataException(
                "You can't map a property that does not exist: propertyName=" + propertyName);
        }

        Class<? extends IConventionAware> sourceType = _source.getClass();

        // Route ConventionMapping("oldName") to the renamed lazy property's `.convention()` API
        // (e.g. CreateStartScripts: getOutputDir File -> getOutputDirectory DirectoryProperty).
        // The eager getter is kept as a backward-compat bridge but external plugins still register conventions with the old name.
        String renamedProperty = ProviderApiMigrationConventionHelper.findRenamedProperty(sourceType, propertyName);
        if (renamedProperty != null) {
            propertyName = renamedProperty;
        }

        if (_ineligiblePropertyNames.contains(propertyName)) {
            Method getter = JavaPropertyReflectionUtil.findGetterMethod(sourceType, propertyName);
            // When there's a convention-supporting object, use its `.convention()` method instead
            // This is something we added to support properties migrated in the future from
            // Java bean to Property where old code uses ConventionMapping to set conventions.

View on GitHub (pinned to 534f27719b)

Solutions

1. Verify the path is correct and that the file or directory actually exists before referencing it.
2. Create the missing file/directory or update the build script to point at an existing location.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at platforms/core-configuration/model-core/src/main/java/org/gradle/internal/extensibility/ConventionAwareHelper.java:67 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of gradle/gradle@534f27719b (2026-08-22). Data as JSON: /api/errors/94d6478da6bf36e2. Report an issue: GitHub.