Should I upgrade to Gradle 9 now?
Plan a Gradle upgrade path after Gradle 9 raised the daemon runtime minimum to JVM 17 and introduced Kotlin, Groovy, and API changes that can break plugins, convention code, and CI images.
Blockers
- Gradle 9 requires JVM 17 or higher to run the daemon.
- Gradle 9 minimum supported Kotlin Gradle Plugin version is 2.0.0.
- Gradle 9 minimum supported Android Gradle Plugin version is 8.4.0.
- Gradle 9 introduces Kotlin, Groovy, and API changes that can break plugins, convention code, and CI images.
Who this is for
- enterprise
- monorepo
- small-team
Candidates
Stage on Gradle 8.14.x with JDK 17 first, then cut to Gradle 9
As of 2026-04-03, Gradle's compatibility matrix shows Gradle 8.14.x still in the 8.x line while Gradle 9 requires JVM 17 or higher to run the daemon. This staging path lets teams standardize CI, local dev, and wrapper execution around JDK 17 before taking Gradle 9's language and API breakage. It is useful for clearing deprecations that become removals in Gradle 9, including removed repository and command-line features such as `jcenter()` and custom build layout options. It also buys time to inventory plugin compatibility before adopting Gradle 9 minimums such as Kotlin Gradle Plugin 2.0.0 and Android Gradle Plugin 8.4.0.
When to choose
Best for enterprise or monorepo builds where CI image drift, internal plugins, or many subprojects make a direct major-version jump risky. Choose this when your immediate blocker is the JVM 17 runtime shift, not a specific Gradle 9 feature.
Tradeoffs
Lowest-risk rollout and easier rollback, but it delays access to Gradle 9 behavior and prolongs time spent on a transitional build stack.
Cautions
Do not treat this as a long-term endpoint. Gradle 9 removes deprecated APIs and behavior, so you still need a second pass for Kotlin DSL, plugin API, Groovy, and configuration-cache compatibility.
Upgrade directly to Gradle 9.x and refactor build logic for Kotlin 2.2 and Groovy 4
As of 2026-04-03, Gradle 9.0.0 requires JVM 17 or higher for the Gradle daemon, embeds Kotlin 2.2.0, uses Kotlin language version 2.2 for build logic, and upgrades Groovy from 3.0.24 to 4.0.27. Official upgrade guidance also flags stricter nullability from JSpecify annotations in the Gradle API, which can break Kotlin or Java plugin code that previously compiled. Gradle 9 raises minimum supported ecosystem versions, including Kotlin Gradle Plugin 2.0.0 and Android Gradle Plugin 8.4.0. It also turns some previously tolerated configuration-cache patterns into build problems, such as unsupported task-completion listener registration.
When to choose
Best for teams that already run builds on JDK 17 and control their custom plugins or convention plugins. Choose this when you want to consolidate the migration into one window and can actively fix Kotlin DSL, Groovy DSL, and plugin API breakage.
Tradeoffs
Fastest route to the supported major line and newer toolchain behavior, but it has the highest short-term regression risk in internal build logic, plugin tests, and CI.
Cautions
Watch for Kotlin DSL script-label breakage such as `this@Build_gradle`, stricter generic nullability, Groovy 4 package and parser changes, and removed APIs and features. If you publish plugins built with Groovy on Gradle 9, official docs say they require Gradle 7.0 or newer to run.
Try with your AI agent
$ npm install -g pocketlantern $ pocketlantern init # Restart Claude Code, Cursor, or your MCP client, then ask: # "Should I upgrade to Gradle 9 now?"