spring-projects/spring-framework · error · IllegalStateException

Not running in a ConfigurableBeanFactory: {beanFactory}

Error message

Not running in a ConfigurableBeanFactory: {beanFactory}

What it means

ScopedProxyFactoryBean.setBeanFactory throws IllegalStateException when the supplied BeanFactory is not a ConfigurableBeanFactory. Scoped proxies resolve the target bean per-scope via SimpleBeanTargetSource, which needs ConfigurableBeanFactory (for getBean(name, scopedTargetSource) and scoped lifecycle hooks). A plain BeanFactory lacks those operations.

Source

Thrown at spring-aop/src/main/java/org/springframework/aop/scope/ScopedProxyFactoryBean.java:88

	 * Create a new ScopedProxyFactoryBean instance.
	 */
	public ScopedProxyFactoryBean() {
		setProxyTargetClass(true);
	}


	/**
	 * Set the name of the bean that is to be scoped.
	 */
	public void setTargetBeanName(String targetBeanName) {
		this.targetBeanName = targetBeanName;
		this.scopedTargetSource.setTargetBeanName(targetBeanName);
	}

	@Override
	public void setBeanFactory(BeanFactory beanFactory) {
		if (!(beanFactory instanceof ConfigurableBeanFactory cbf)) {
			throw new IllegalStateException("Not running in a ConfigurableBeanFactory: " + beanFactory);
		}
		this.scopedTargetSource.setBeanFactory(beanFactory);

		ProxyFactory pf = new ProxyFactory();
		pf.copyFrom(this);
		pf.setTargetSource(this.scopedTargetSource);

		Assert.notNull(this.targetBeanName, "Property 'targetBeanName' is required");
		Class<?> beanType = beanFactory.getType(this.targetBeanName);
		if (beanType == null) {
			throw new IllegalStateException("Cannot create scoped proxy for bean '" + this.targetBeanName +
					"': Target type could not be determined at the time of proxy creation.");
		}
		if (!isProxyTargetClass() || beanType.isInterface() || Modifier.isPrivate(beanType.getModifiers())) {
			pf.setInterfaces(ClassUtils.getAllInterfacesForClass(beanType, cbf.getBeanClassLoader()));
		}

		// Add an introduction that implements only the methods on ScopedObject.

View on GitHub (pinned to e8729d0438)

Solutions

1. Use a ConfigurableBeanFactory-backed context (AnnotationConfigApplicationContext, GenericApplicationContext, ClassPathXmlApplicationContext).
2. Prefer @Scope(proxyMode = ScopedProxyMode.TARGET_CLASS / INTERFACES) or <aop:scoped-proxy/> which configure the factory bean correctly.
3. If wiring manually, pass the ApplicationContext's internal bean factory (which is ConfigurableBeanFactory).

Example fix

// before
BeanFactory bf = new MyMinimalBeanFactory();
scopedProxyFactoryBean.setBeanFactory(bf); // not ConfigurableBeanFactory

// after
ConfigurableBeanFactory cbf = applicationContext.getBeanFactory();
scopedProxyFactoryBean.setBeanFactory(cbf);

if (!(beanFactory instanceof ConfigurableBeanFactory)) {
    throw new IllegalStateException("Use a ConfigurableBeanFactory-backed context for scoped proxies");
}

boolean isConfigurable(org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanFactory bf) {
    return bf instanceof org.springframework.beans.factory.config.ConfigurableBeanFactory;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Registering a ScopedProxyFactoryBean against a BeanFactory that is only org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanFactory (e.g. a custom minimal implementation) rather than DefaultListableBeanFactory / GenericApplicationContext.

Common situations: Using a stripped-down or custom BeanFactory in tests; bridging Spring AOP into a non-standard container; manual wiring that passes the wrong factory.

Related errors

• MethodInvocation is not a Spring ProxyMethodInvocation: {}
• Property 'target' is required
• [{}] is not an interface
• Could not generate CGLIB subclass of {advised.getTargetClass
• BeanFactory must be set on {getClass().getSimpleName()} to a

AI-assisted analysis of spring-projects/spring-framework@e8729d0438 (2026-08-04). Data as JSON: /data/errors/28f668e92421befc.json. Report an issue: GitHub.