[MNG-8311] Empty but existing <localRepository/> in settings.xml defaulting to current working directory

• Type: Bug
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Fixed
• Affects Version/s: 4.0.0-beta-4
• Fix Version/s: 4.0.0-beta-5
• Component/s: Core, Settings

Environment

 Apache Maven 4.0.0-beta-4 (697c543b4e3bbec1b99e9d4d1ee8e0302e748f09)
Maven home: /home/runner/work/maven-repro/maven-repro/apache-maven-4.0.0-beta-4
Java version: 21.0.4, vendor: Eclipse Adoptium, runtime: /usr/lib/jvm/temurin-21-jdk-amd64
Default locale: en, platform encoding: UTF-8
OS name: "linux", version: "6.5.0-1025-azure", arch: "amd64", family: "unix"

• Assignee: Tamas Cservenak
• Reporter: Daniel Schmid
• Created: 15/Oct/24 09:47
• Updated: 16/Oct/24 14:20
• Resolved: 16/Oct/24 14:20

Description

If a ~/.m2/settings.xml with an empty <localRepository/> element exists in Maven 4, it downloads dependencies to the current working directory as opposed to ~/.m2/repository.

Steps to reproduce:

• Create a settings.xml with the exact content from the settings.xml in the quick overview. The important part is the empty <localRepository/>.
• Run mvn verify or similar
• Observe it downloading dependencies to the current repository as opposed to ~/.m2/repository

Full reproducer using GitHub Actions: https://github.com/danthe1st/maven-repro/tree/wrong-local-repo
build log with Maven 4 (actual result): https://github.com/danthe1st/maven-repro/actions/runs/11343337296/job/31545681467

The output of mvn verify -X includes:

[DEBUG] Using local repository at /home/runner/work/maven-repro/maven-repro 

Files after mvn verify with Maven 4 (the maven.tar.gz and apache-maven-4.0.0-beta-4 directories aren't created from mvn verify):

Run ls
aopalliance
apache-maven-4.0.0-beta-4
com
commons-codec
commons-io
javax
maven.tar.gz
net
org
pom.xml
settings.template.xml
src
target

build log with Maven 3 (expected result): https://github.com/danthe1st/maven-repro/actions/runs/11343337296/job/31545681854

The output of mvn verify -X includes:

[DEBUG] Using local repository at /home/runner/.m2/repository 

Files after mvn verify with Maven 3:

Run ls
pom.xml
settings.template.xml
src
target

Issue Links

• links to: GitHub Pull Request #388
• links to: GitHub Pull Request #1801