Gradle "Build cache is disabled" - Enable Caching in CI

By Daniel Zoghalchali·Latchkey

Gradle reported that its build cache is disabled, so it cannot reuse task outputs from a previous run. Nothing breaks, but every CI build does the full work - compilation, tests, packaging - even when nothing changed.

What this error means

A --scan or info-level log shows Build cache is disabled, and CI builds take the same long time regardless of how small the change is. Tasks never report FROM-CACHE.

gradle

> Task :compileJava
Build cache is disabled
Calculating task graph as no cached configuration is available...

BUILD SUCCESSFUL in 6m 12s   # full rebuild every run

Diagnose it: get the real failure out of Gradle

Gradle summarises failures aggressively, and the top-level message frequently describes a downstream symptom rather than the cause. Re-run the failing task with diagnostics before changing build logic.

Terminal

# the actual stack, plus what Gradle decided about the build
./gradlew <task> --stacktrace --info

# is a stale daemon or cache involved?
./gradlew --stop
./gradlew <task> --no-daemon --no-build-cache

# what does Gradle think the environment is?
./gradlew -version

Common causes

org.gradle.caching is not set

The build cache is off by default; without org.gradle.caching=true (or --build-cache) Gradle never stores or reuses outputs.

No persistent cache directory in CI

Even with caching on, an ephemeral runner with no cached ~/.gradle starts empty every time, so there is nothing to reuse.

No remote build cache configured

Local-only cache does not survive across runners; without a shared remote cache, parallel jobs cannot share outputs.

How to fix it

Enable the build cache

Turn on caching for every invocation via gradle.properties.

properties

# gradle.properties
org.gradle.caching=true

Persist the Gradle caches in CI

Cache the user home so local cache entries survive between runs.

yaml

# cache key on wrapper + build scripts
~/.gradle/caches
~/.gradle/wrapper

Configure a remote build cache

Share outputs across runners with a remote cache backend.

gradle

// settings.gradle
buildCache {
  remote(HttpBuildCache) {
    url = 'https://gradle-cache.example.com/cache/'
    push = System.getenv('CI') != null
  }
}

Configuration cache and CI

The configuration cache rejects build logic that reads mutable state at execution time, which is why enabling it surfaces errors an existing build never showed.
Run with --configuration-cache-problems=warn first to see the full list rather than failing on the first one.
A cached configuration keyed to a different environment is worse than none. Include the JDK version in your cache key.

How to prevent it

Keep org.gradle.caching=true committed in gradle.properties.
Persist ~/.gradle/caches and ~/.gradle/wrapper between CI runs.
Use a remote build cache so outputs are shared across runners and PRs.

Frequently asked questions

What causes Gradle "Build cache is disabled"?

There are 3 common causes: org.gradle.caching is not set, no persistent cache directory in ci, and no remote build cache configured. The build cache is off by default; without org.gradle.caching=true (or --build-cache) Gradle never stores or reuses outputs.

How do I fix Gradle "Build cache is disabled"?

There are 3 fixes depending on which cause you have: enable the build cache, persist the gradle caches in ci, and configure a remote build cache. Work through them in order, since the first is the most common.

What does Gradle "Build cache is disabled" actually mean?

A --scan or info-level log shows Build cache is disabled, and CI builds take the same long time regardless of how small the change is.

How do I stop Gradle "Build cache is disabled" happening again?

Keep org.gradle.caching=true committed in gradle.properties. The prevention section lists 3 changes that keep it from recurring.