Gradle MCP

Install

Works in

• Claude Code
• Cursor
• Codex
• SourceCraft
• Koda
• Coddy

Manual install

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gradle": {
      "command": "jbang",
      "args": ["run", "--quiet", "--fresh", "gradle-mcp@rnett"]
    }
  }
}

What it does

gradle-mcp lets an agent work with a Gradle build without parsing terminal output. The tools show the structure of a multi-project build, tasks and properties, run builds in the background and return output only for the tasks you need. Tests run with a filter, and every test has logs and a stack trace. Other capabilities: search across dependency sources, the JDK standard library and Gradle itself, a persistent Kotlin REPL with the project's classes, rendering Compose UI to images for visual checks, Gradle documentation search and Develocity Build Scan publishing. Data formats are compact to save context. Five skills are built in: using-gradle, authoring-gradle-builds, advanced-gradle-dependencies, interacting-with-project-runtime and verifying-compose-ui. The server runs through jbang and needs JDK 21 or newer. The GRADLE_MCP_PROJECT_ROOT variable sets the default project root.

Who it is for. Kotlin and Java developers who build with Gradle and want Claude Code or Cursor to run tests and untangle dependencies themselves.

Example request

Run the :app module tests filtered to CheckoutTest and show the stack traces for the failures

MCP

Transport

stdio

Authentication

not required

Limitations

• A JDK 21 or newer is required, and jbang can install one.
• The author plans to move source downloading and indexing into a separate MCP or CLI.
• If errors come from Class Data Sharing because of native agents from security software, add --no-cds to the jbang command.
• Gradle tasks run on your machine with your user's rights.
• The server works with Gradle builds and does not replace Maven or Bazel. Snapshots run through a separate `gradle-mcp-snapshot@rnett` command.

How to disable. Remove the gradle block from mcpServers in the client config. The skills are bundled into the server and need no separate removal.

README in short

The README lists the capabilities, the JDK 21 requirement, two ways to launch through jbang with ready client JSON and five built-in skills. Full documentation is on the project's site.