Maven goals

Last modified: 14 April 2021

IntelliJ IDEA lets you run, debug and manage Maven goals in your project.

Run Maven goals

You can use several ways to run Maven goals such as use the Run Anything window, use the context menu in the Maven tool window, or create a run configuration for one or several Maven goals.

Run a Maven goal from the Run Anything window

  1. In the Maven tool window, on the toolbar, click the Execute Maven Goal button. Alternatively, press Ctrl twice to open the Run Anything window.

    Run Anything dialog

  2. In the Run Anything window, start typing a name of the goal you want to execute. The window also displays a list of recent Maven goal entries.

    If you have a multi-module project and need to execute a goal from the specific module then in the Run Anything window, in the top-right corner, from the Project list, select a module, or a directory you need and in the search field enter the goal's name.

    note

    If you have options such as offline mode, profiles, or skip test configured for the project, IntelliJ IDEA will automatically include the configuration into the running scope.

  3. IntelliJ IDEA runs the selected goal and displays the result in the Run tool window.

    Maven Run tool window

Run a Maven goal from the context menu

  1. In the Maven tool window, click Lifecycle to open a list of Maven goals.

  2. Right-click the desired goal and from the context menu select Run 'name of the goal'. IntelliJ IDEA runs the specified goal and adds it to the Run Configurations node.

Run a Maven goal or a set of goals via Run configuration

IntelliJ IDEA lets you create a run configuration for one specific goal or a set of several goals.

  1. In the Maven tool window, click Lifecycle to open a list of Maven goals.

  2. Right-click a goal for which you want to create a Run configuration. (To select several Maven goals, press Ctrl and highlight the desired goals.)

  3. From the list select Create 'goal name'.

  4. In the Create Run/Debug Configuration: 'goal name' dialog, specify the goal settings (you can specify any Maven commands and arguments) and click OK.

    the context menu
    IntelliJ IDEA displays the goal under the Run Configurations node.
    the Run Configurations node

  5. Double-click the goal to run it or right-click the goal and from the context menu select Run.

Configure triggers for Maven goals

IntelliJ IDEA lets you run Maven goals before your project's execution or set other conditions using the goal activation configuration.

  1. In the Maven tool window, click Lifecycle to open a list of goals.

  2. In the list that opens, right-click the goal for which you want to set a trigger.

  3. From the context menu, select an activation phase.

    For example, when you use the Execute Before Build action as a trigger, the goal with such trigger is executed before you run the project's build action (Build | Build Project ). If the build action is delegated to Maven, then the Maven install command is executed. When you use Execute Before Rebuild, the goal with such trigger is executed before you run the project's rebuild action (Build | Rebuild Project ). If the rebuild action is delegated to Maven, then the Maven clean,install commands are executed.

    the Execute Before Build option

    The name of the activation is added to the selected goal in the Maven tool window.

    Maven goal with the trigger

You can also create a run/debug configuration that would depend on a Maven goal.

  1. From the main menu, select Run | Edit Configurations to open the run/debug configuration for your project.

  2. In the Run/Debug Configurations dialog, in the Before Launch section, click the Add button.

  3. In the list that opens, select Run Maven Goal.

    the Run/Debug configuration: Before Launch

  4. In the Select Maven Goal dialog, specify a project and a goal that you want to execute before launching the project.

    Select Maven Goal

  5. Click OK.

Associate Maven goals with keyboard shortcuts

You can associate a Maven goal with a keyboard shortcut and execute goals with a single key.

  1. In the Maven tool window, right-click the desired goal.

  2. From the context menu, select Assign Shortcut. The Keymap dialog opens.

  3. In the Keymap dialog, under the Maven node navigate to your goal.

  4. Right-click the goal and from the list that opens, select a type of the shortcut you want to assign.

    the Keymap dialog

  5. In the dialog that opens, depending on the shortcut's type, configure your shortcut and click OK.

    the Keyboard Shortcut dialog
    The shortcut is displayed against your goal in the Maven tool window.

While in the Keymap dialog, you can add a new goal to which you want to assign a shortcut.

  1. In the Keymap dialog, under the Maven node, click Choose a phase/goal to assign a shortcut.

  2. In the dialog that opens, select a goal you need and click OK.

    the Choose Maven Goal dialog
    The goal is added to the list under the Maven node. Now you can configure the shortcut.

Debug Maven goals

You can create a regular debug configuration for one or several Maven goals. You can also select a goal in the Maven tool window and start a debugging session.

Debug a Maven goal

You can start a debugging session for a single Maven goal or a Maven run configuration that may contain more than one Maven goal.

  1. Open the Maven tool window.

  2. Under the Lifecycle node, select a goal for which you want to start a debugging session. (Look for existing Maven run configurations under the Run Configurations node to start a debugging session for the created configuration.)

  3. Right-click the goal and from the context menu select Debug [name of the goal]. IntelliJ IDEA starts a debugging session.