spring-projects/spring-boot · error · MojoExecutionException

Process execution failed

Error message

Process execution failed

What it means

MojoExecutionException thrown by the synchronous JavaProcessExecutor.run path when RunProcess.run throws an IOException — i.e., the process could not be launched or its I/O streams failed, distinct from a clean non-zero exit (which is the sibling message above). The original IOException is chained.

Solutions

1. Inspect the chained IOException — `Cannot run program ...` typically indicates a missing/invalid java executable.
2. Verify the configured toolchain JDK is installed and `java -version` works from that path.
3. Ensure the working directory exists and is writable by the Maven process.
4. On Windows, reduce the argument count or use argfile/@-file expansion if command-line length is the issue.

Example fix

// before: <toolchains><jdk><version>21</version><vendor>temurin</vendor></jdk></toolchains>  (JDK not installed at expected path)
// after:  install Temurin 21 and re-run `mvn spring-boot:run`

// Pre-validate the fork launch inputs:
File javaHome = new File(System.getenv("JAVA_HOME"));
File javaBin = new File(javaHome, "bin/java");
if (!javaBin.canExecute()) {
    throw new IllegalStateException("JAVA_HOME java not executable: " + javaBin);
}
if (workingDirectory != null && !workingDirectory.isDirectory()) {
    throw new IllegalStateException("Working dir missing: " + workingDirectory);
}

try {
    // invoke goal using JavaProcessExecutor.run
} catch (MojoExecutionException ex) {
    if ("Process execution failed".equals(ex.getMessage()) && ex.getCause() instanceof IOException) {
        // verify toolchain/JAVA_HOME and working dir, then retry with corrected config
    }
    throw ex;
}

When it happens

Trigger: IOException from RunProcess.run(true, ...) when starting or communicating with the forked JVM: java executable missing, working directory inaccessible, broken pipe on stdout/stderr, or environment setup failure.

Common situations: Toolchain points to a non-existent JAVA_HOME; workingDirectory doesn't exist or isn't writable; too-long command line on Windows hitting Process limits; antivirus blocking the fork; environment variables contain invalid values for the platform.

Related errors

• Process terminated with exit code
• Unable to build classpath
• A jar or war file is required for building image
• Can't parse ' ' to instant
• Could not build classpath

AI-assisted analysis of spring-projects/spring-boot@270dfe353f (2026-08-11). Data as JSON: /api/errors/0908c8394c7dc2fc. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at build-plugin/spring-boot-maven-plugin/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/maven/JavaProcessExecutor.java:80

				? this.runProcessCustomizer.andThen(customizer) : customizer;
		return new JavaProcessExecutor(this.mavenSession, this.toolchainManager, combinedCustomizer);
	}

	int run(File workingDirectory, List<String> args, Map<String, String> environmentVariables)
			throws MojoExecutionException {
		RunProcess runProcess = new RunProcess(workingDirectory, getJavaExecutable());
		if (this.runProcessCustomizer != null) {
			this.runProcessCustomizer.accept(runProcess);
		}
		try {
			int exitCode = runProcess.run(true, args, environmentVariables);
			if (!hasTerminatedSuccessfully(exitCode)) {
				throw new MojoExecutionException("Process terminated with exit code: " + exitCode);
			}
			return exitCode;
		}
		catch (IOException ex) {
			throw new MojoExecutionException("Process execution failed", ex);
		}
	}

	RunProcess runAsync(File workingDirectory, List<String> args, Map<String, String> environmentVariables)
			throws MojoExecutionException {
		try {
			RunProcess runProcess = new RunProcess(workingDirectory, getJavaExecutable());
			runProcess.run(false, args, environmentVariables);
			return runProcess;
		}
		catch (IOException ex) {
			throw new MojoExecutionException("Process execution failed", ex);
		}
	}

	private boolean hasTerminatedSuccessfully(int exitCode) {
		return (exitCode == 0 || exitCode == EXIT_CODE_SIGINT);
	}

View on GitHub (pinned to 270dfe353f)