Gjs Maven VS Code Extension — VS Code Extension
Maven project support for any language: Java, C++, Python, Kotlin, Scala and more.
Version 1.3.0 - 22/09/2026
Focus on excellent pom.xml editing and Maven command management.
📖 User Guide — module and language detection, Maven Update,
and how the C/C++ include path follows the module you are working on.
Features
📝 pom.xml Intelligence
| Feature |
Details |
| Autocomplete |
Element names, scope values, packaging types, lifecycle phases, common plugins |
| Hover docs |
Explanations for every POM element and scope value |
| Diagnostics |
Warns about missing required elements, duplicate dependencies, version-less deps |
| Snippets |
Full POM templates for Java, Spring Boot, C++ (NAR), Python/Jython |
⚡ Maven Commands
- Run any lifecycle phase from the sidebar, command palette (
Ctrl+Shift+P) or right-click on pom.xml
- Commands:
clean, compile, test, package, install, deploy, verify, clean install, custom
- Show Effective POM and Dependency Tree
- Add Dependency — pick from curated list or enter coordinates manually
- Automatically uses
mvnw/mvnw.cmd wrapper if present
Four tree views in the Gjs Maven VS Code Extension activity bar:
| View |
Contents |
| Projects |
All pom.xml files with groupId / artifactId / version |
| Lifecycle |
Clickable goals — run any phase with one click |
| Plugins |
Plugins declared in the active POM |
| Dependencies |
All dependencies with scope icons |
🌐 Language Support (Polyglot!)
Gjs Maven VS Code Extension works with projects in any language. It detects what languages your project uses and recommends the right VS Code extensions:
| Language |
Detected via |
Recommended Extension |
| Java |
maven-compiler-plugin, .java files |
Language Support for Java (Red Hat) |
| C++ |
nar-maven-plugin, .cpp/.h files |
C/C++ (Microsoft) |
| Python |
jython, exec-maven-plugin, .py files |
Python (Microsoft) |
| TypeScript |
frontend-maven-plugin, .ts files |
ESLint |
| Kotlin |
kotlin in POM, .kt files |
Kotlin Language |
| Scala |
scala in POM, .scala files |
Metals |
When the project declares the gjs.source.language property, that value wins over
the heuristics above — see Module language.
Gjs Maven VS Code Extension itself focuses on the build layer (pom.xml + Maven commands).
Language-specific editing (IntelliSense, debugging) is delegated to the appropriate language extension.
Maven: Import Only Java Modules Into The Java Language Server keeps the Red Hat
Java extension off the modules that are not Java — it imports the whole reactor
otherwise. Run it once; the selection is saved to
.vscode/gjs-maven-java-modules.json and reapplied on every start, because
dropping projects does not persist on its own. Delete that file, or run
Maven: Stop Restricting The Java Language Server, to turn it off. See
Living with the Java language server.
Getting Started
- Open a folder containing a
pom.xml
- The Gjs Maven VS Code Extension icon appears in the Activity Bar
- Use the Lifecycle panel to run goals, or
Ctrl+Shift+P → Maven: Run Command
Working on a multi-module C/C++ project? See
C/C++ include path in the User Guide —
.vscode/c_cpp_properties.json is kept in sync with the module you are editing,
and should be kept out of version control.
Snippets
Type these prefixes in any pom.xml:
| Prefix |
Inserts |
pom-basic |
Minimal POM template |
pom-spring-boot |
Spring Boot parent POM |
pom-cpp-nar |
C++ native project (nar-maven-plugin) |
pom-python |
Python/Jython via exec-maven-plugin |
dep |
Single dependency block |
plugin |
Plugin block |
execution |
Plugin execution block |
profile |
Build profile |
props |
Common properties block |
Configuration
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
gjsMaven.mavenExecutable |
mvn |
Maven executable path (auto-detects mvnw) |
gjsMaven.javaHome |
"" |
Override JAVA_HOME |
gjsMaven.terminal.useExistingTerminal |
true |
Reuse Maven terminal |
gjsMaven.terminalProfile |
"" |
Terminal (shell) for Maven commands: Cygwin, any profile of terminal.integrated.profiles, or empty for the VS Code default (details) |
gjsMaven.cygwinPath |
"" |
Cygwin folder; empty to detect it |
gjsMaven.cygwin.env |
{} |
Extra environment variables for the Cygwin terminal |
gjsMaven.pomXml.validateOnSave |
true |
Validate pom.xml on save |
gjsMaven.showStatusBar |
true |
Show Maven status bar item |
gjsMaven.showLanguageStatus |
true |
Show the active module and its language in the Editor Language Status panel (why) |
gjsMaven.cpp.associateHeaders |
true |
Associate .h files of C modules with the c language (why) |
Extension Structure
gjs-maven-vscode-extension/
├ icons/
│ └ MavenVSExtension.png
├ src/
│ ├ extension.ts # Entry point
│ ├ commands/
│ │ ├ CygwinScriptRunner.ts
│ │ ├ MavenArchetypeRunner.ts
│ │ ├ MavenCommandRunner.ts # Terminal command execution
│ │ ├ MavenEvaluator.ts
│ │ ├ MavenOptionsManager.ts
│ │ ├ MavenProfileManager.ts
│ │ ├ ImportJavaModulesCommand.ts # prunes redhat.java down to the Java modules
│ │ ├ MavenUpdateCommand.ts
│ │ ├ AddPluginCommand.ts
│ │ ├ AddPropertyCommand.ts
│ │ └ AddDependencyCommand.ts # Interactive dependency picker
│ ├ context/
│ │ └ MavenProjectContext.ts # Active POM, active module, module language
│ ├ cpp/
│ │ ├ CppPropertiesManager.ts # c_cpp_properties.json per active module
│ │ └ HeaderAssociationManager.ts # .h files of C modules -> 'c' language
│ ├ data/
│ │ ├ KnownDependencies.ts
│ │ └ KnownPlugins.ts
│ ├ providers/
│ │ ├ PomXmlCompletionProvider.ts
│ │ ├ PomXmlHoverProvider.ts
│ │ ├ PomXmlDiagnosticsProvider.ts
│ │ ├ MavenDependenciesProvider.ts
│ │ ├ MavenParentProvider.ts
│ │ ├ MavenPropertiesProvider.ts
│ │ ├ MavenProjectsProvider.ts # Tree view: projects
│ │ ├ MavenLifecycleProvider.ts # Tree view: lifecycle
│ │ └ MavenPluginsProvider.ts # Tree views: plugins + deps
│ ├ language/
│ │ └ LanguageSupportManager.ts # Polyglot detection + suggestions
│ ├ ui/
│ │ ├ MavenArchetypesView.ts
│ │ ├ MavenOptionsView.ts
│ │ ├ MavenProfilesView.ts
│ │ ├ MavenStatusBar.ts
│ │ └ ModuleLanguageStatus.ts # Active module + language in Language Status
│ ├ tasks/
│ │ └ MavenTaskProvider.ts # VS Code tasks integration
│ ├ terminal/
│ │ ├ CygwinTerminalProvider.ts # Cygwin terminal profile + detection
│ │ └ MavenShell.ts # Shell for Maven commands, terminal or background
│ └ types/
│ └ PomTextStatus.ts
├ snippets/
│ └ pom-snippets.json
├ docs/
│ └ USER-GUIDE.md
├ package.json
├ tsconfig.json
├ LICENSE
└ README.md
Building & Installing
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Type-check (tsc --noEmit) and bundle with esbuild into out/extension.js
npm run compile
# Package as .vsix (runs the compile step itself)
npm install -g @vscode/vsce
vsce package
# Install locally
code --install-extension gjs-maven-vscode-extension-1.3.0.vsix
The extension ships as a single bundled out/extension.js, with its runtime
dependencies inside; node_modules is not packaged. npm run watch rebuilds
the bundle on every change, without type-checking: run npm run check for that.
