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Run/Debug Configuration: Maven

Last modified: 10 April 2025

Required plugin: Maven (downloaded and enabled by default)

Create: Run | Edit Configurations | Add New Configuration | Maven

For more information, refer to the run configuration for Maven goals section.

Check how to delegate a project build to Maven.

Check how to create a default run configuration.

You can run Maven goals using run configuration. The default options listed in such a configuration are enough to run your task. If you want, you can also create an advanced configuration using additional options or adding more goals and arguments.

Create a run/debug Maven configuration

  1. From the main menu, select Add Configuration. Alternatively, right-click any task in the Maven tool window and select Modify Run Configuration.

    Maven run configuration

  2. Specify a name of your configuration in the Name field to quickly identify it when editing or running the configuration, for example, from the Run popup AltShiftF10 or the Maven tool window.

  3. Specify where you want your configuration to run on. The default Local Machine option will run your configuration locally on your computer.

    You can change the location of your run execution. For example, use SSH or Docker to run your target.

    You can also run your target on WSL. If you need to configure a new target or change the existing configuration, click Manage targets and in the Run Targets dialog, add your changes. For more information, refer to Run targets.

  4. If you need, specify Store as project file that saves the file with the run configuration settings, so you can share it with other team members. The default location is .idea/runConfigurations. However, if you do not want to share the .idea directory, you can save the configuration to any other directory within the project.

    To change the location, select this option and click the Manage File Location icon and in the dialog that opens, add the new location.

  5. Specify which Maven version should be used to execute the run configuration.

    Use this list to select a bundled Maven version that is available (for Maven2, version 2.2.1 and for Maven3, version 3.1), the result of resolved system variables such as MAVEN_HOME or MAVEN2_HOME, or the Maven wrapper. You can also specify your own Maven version that is installed on your machine. You can click the Browse button  and select the necessary directory in the dialog that opens.

    note

    The Maven2 version is not bundled with IntelliJ IDEA. If you need to use it in your project, download and enable the Maven2 support plugin. Then, install the needed Maven version locally.

  6. You must specify a valid cycle phase or a goal in the Run field to have an executable run configuration. Alternatively, if you are creating a run configuration from the Maven tool window, the goal you have selected will be displayed in this field. However, you can specify additional external goals and arguments for your run configuration. Use spaces to separate one goal from another. If you want to see the available list of Maven goals and arguments, click the Insert Tasks and Arguments icon in the field.

  7. Specify the location of your Maven project.

    You can either enter it manually or click the Browse button and point to the desired location in the dialog that opens. However, if you are creating a run configuration from the Maven tool window, IntelliJ IDEA will display the name of your project automatically.

    If you need, you can specify a path to the build script file instead of the project path. This might be helpful if you have a custom build script to which you want to refer.

  8. Specify profiles if you have them declared in your project. For more information about Maven profiles, see Maven profiles.

  9. If you need, specify the environment variables that you want to use in you project.

  10. The following default options are enabled, but you can click Modify options to add new options or remove some of the default ones in Add Run Options:

    • Open run/debug tool window when started - automatically opens the Run/Debug tool window when the configuration is executed and several debugger options

    • Maven Options - lists the default Maven options inherited from the Maven settings. If you want to change them, unselect the Inherit from settings option or click Modify to add new Maven options.

    • Java Options - lists the default Java options inherited from the Maven settings. If you want to change them, unselect the Inherit from settings option or click Modify to add new Maven options.

Modify run options

Click Modify options to add more run options or remove some of the default ones described above.

Add Run Options

Operating System

Item

Description

Allow multiple instances

Select this option to allow running multiple instances of this run configuration in parallel. By default, it is disabled, and when you start this configuration while another instance is still running, IntelliJ IDEA suggests stopping the running instance and starting another one. This is helpful when a run configuration consumes a lot of resources and there is no good reason to run multiple instances.

Java Options

Item

Description

VM options

Specify the options to be passed to the Java virtual machine when launching the application, for example, -mx, -verbose, and so on.

When specifying JVM options, follow these rules:

  • Use spaces to separate individual options.

  • If the value of an option includes spaces, enclose either the value or the actual spaces with double quotes.

  • If an option includes double quotes as part of the value, escape the double quotes using backslashes.

  • You can pass environment variable values to custom Java properties.

-Xmx1024m -Dspaces="some arg" -Dmy.prop=\"quoted_value\" -Dfoo=${MY_ENV_VAR}

Use code completion in this field: start typing the name of a flag, and the IDE suggests a list of available command line options. This works for -XX: and -X options and some standard options that are not configured by IntelliJ IDEA automatically, like -ea, but not for -cp or –release.

The -classpath option specified in this field overrides the classpath of the module.

JRE

Specify a version of Java to use in your run configuration.

Maven Options

Item

Description

Profiles

Specify the profiles to be used separated with space.

User settings

Specify the file that contains user-specific configuration for Maven in the text field. If you need to specify another file, check the Override option, click the ellipsis button and select the desired file in the Select Maven Settings File dialog.

Local repository

By default, the field shows the path to the local directory under the user home that stores the downloads and contains the temporary build artifacts that you have not yet released. If you need to specify another directory, check the Override option, click the ellipsis button and select the desired path in the Select Maven Local Repository dialog.

Thread Count

Use this field to set the -T option for parallel builds. This option is available for Maven 3 and later versions.

For more information, refer to parallel builds in Maven 3 feature.

Skip Tests

If this option is checked, the tests will be skipped when running or debugging the Maven project.

Use plugin registry

Check this option to enable referring to the Maven Plugin Registry.

This option corresponds to the --no-plugin-registry command-line option.

Print exception stacktraces

If this option is checked, exception stack traces are generated.

This option corresponds to the --errors command-line option.

Always update snapshots

Select this checkbox to always update snapshot dependencies.

Resolve Workspace artifacts

We recommend that you use this checkbox if you have dependent modules in your project.

By default, this checkbox is not selected. In this case, classes of dependent modules are searched in .jar files in a Maven local repository. If you select this checkbox, the classes of the dependent modules will be searched in the module compilation output. In this case, each time you make changes to the dependent module, you don't need to deploy them into a local repository.

Executed goals recursively

If this option is cleared, the build does not recur into the nested projects.

Clearing this option equals to --non-recursive command-line option.

Work offline

f this option is checked, Maven works in the offline mode and uses only those resources that are available locally.

This option corresponds to the --offline command-line option.

Checksum policy

Select the desired level of checksum matching while downloading artifacts. You can opt to fail downloading when checksums do not match --strict-checksums, or issue a warning --lax-checksums.

Output level

Select the desired level of the output log, which allows plugins to create messages at levels of debug, info, warn, and error, or disable output log.

Multiproject build fail policy

Specify how to treat a failure in a multiproject build. You can choose to:

  • Fail the build at the very first failure, which corresponds to the command line option --fail-fast.

  • Fail the build at the end, which corresponds to the command line option --fail-at-end.

  • Ignore failures, which corresponds to the command line option --fail-never.

Logs

The following options are related to logging the execution of this configuration. For more information, refer to Logs.

Item

Description

Specify logs to be shown in the console

Specify which log files to display while running the application.

Click the Add button to add a new log. In the Edit Log Files Aliases dialog, configure the following:

  • Alias: The name of the tab where the log will be displayed.

  • Log File Location: Specify the path to the log file or an Ant pattern. If several files of a rolling log match the pattern, IntelliJ IDEA will display the most recent one.

  • Show all files coverable by pattern: Show all logs that match the pattern.

For logs in the table, you can configure the following options:

  • Is Active: Display the specified log file.

  • Skip Content: Do not display old log messages from previous runs.

Save console output to file

Save the console output to the specified location. Type the path manually or click the browse button and point to the desired location in the dialog that opens.

Show console when a message is printed to stdout

Activate the console when the application writes to the standard output stream.

Show console when a message is printed to stderr

Activate the console when the application writes to the standard error stream.

Before Launch

In this area, you can specify tasks to be performed before starting the selected run/debug configuration. The tasks are performed in the order they appear in the list.

Item

Description

Add before launch task

Enable this option to add one of the following available tasks:

  • Launch Web Browser: select this option to have a browser started. In the dialog that opens, select the type of the browser and provide the start URL. Also, specify if you want the browser be launched with JavaScript debugger.

  • Run External tool: run an external application. In the dialog that opens, select one or multiple applications you want to run. If it is not defined in IntelliJ IDEA yet, add its definition. For more information, refer to External tools.

  • Run Another Configuration: select to execute another run/debug configuration and wait until it finishes before starting the current configuration. If you want to run several configurations in parallel, use a compound run/debug configuration.

  • Run Remote External Tool: add a remote SSH external tool.

  • Run Gradle task: run a Gradle task. In the dialog that opens, specify the task and provide additional configuration if necessary.

  • Build: select to compile the specified module. The Build Module action will be executed.

    If an error occurs during compilation, IntelliJ IDEA won't attempt to start the run/debug configuration.

  • Build Project: select to compile the entire project. The Build Project action will be executed.

    If an error occurs during compilation, IntelliJ IDEA won't attempt to start the run/debug configuration.

  • Build, no error check: the same as the Build option, but IntelliJ IDEA will try to start the run/debug configuration irrespective of the compilation results.

  • Build Artifacts: select this option to build an artifact or artifacts. In the dialog that opens, select the artifact or artifacts that should be built.

  • Run Maven Goal: select this option to run a Maven goal. In the dialog that opens, select the goal to be run.

  • Run Grunt task: select this option to run a Grunt task.

    In the Grunt task dialog that opens, specify the Gruntfile.js where the required task is defined, select the task to execute, and specify the arguments to pass to the Grunt tool.

    Specify the location of the Node.js interpreter, the parameters to pass to it, and the path to the grunt-cli package.

  • Run gulp task: select this option to run a Gulp task.

    In the Gulp task dialog that opens, specify the Gulpfile.js where the required task is defined, select the task to execute, and specify the arguments to pass to the Gulp tool.

    Specify the location of the Node.js interpreter, the parameters to pass to it, and the path to the gulp package.

  • Run npm script: select this option to execute an npm script.

    In the NPM Script dialog that opens, specify the npm run/debug configuration settings.

  • Compile TypeScript: select to run the built-in TypeScript compiler and thus make sure that all the changes you made to your TypeScript code are reflected in the generated JavaScript files. In the TypeScript Compile Settings dialog that opens, select or clear the Check errors checkbox to configure the behaviour of the compiler in case any errors are detected:

    • If the Check errors checkbox is selected, the compiler will show all the errors and the run configuration will not start.

    • If the Check errors checkbox is cleared, the compiler will show all the detected errors but the run configuration still will be launched.

  • Disconnect Data Source: select this option if you want to disrupt the connection to a data source before the run/debug configuration is run.

Open run/debug tool window when started

Depending on the type of configuration, open the Run, Debug, or Services tool window when you start this run configuration. If this option is disabled, you can open the tool window manually:

  • View | Tool Windows | Run or Alt04

  • View | Tool Windows | Debug or Alt05

  • View | Tool Windows | Services or Alt08

Focus run/debug tool window when started

Focus on the run configuration tool window when the tests are running.

Show the run/debug configuration settings before start

Show the run configuration settings before actually starting it.

See also

Reference

Concepts

External Links