Installation

There are three ways to get codeanalyzer-java, depending on what you’re doing.

Fat JAR The standard distribution. Requires a JVM. Best for direct use and scripting.

Native binary A GraalVM-compiled executable. No JVM needed at runtime.

Via the Python SDK pip install cldk bundles a compatible JAR — no build needed.

Prerequisites

• A Linux, macOS, or WSL machine.
• SDKMan! for managing JDK / GraalVM versions (recommended).

Install SDKMan! if you don’t have it:

curl -s "https://get.sdkman.io" | bash
source "$HOME/.sdkman/bin/sdkman-init.sh"

Option 1: Fat JAR (recommended)

The fat JAR is the standard distribution — the CLDK SDK expects a JVM, and this is the simplest path.

1. Install a JDK (Java 11 or above). List available versions and install one:

   sdk list java | grep sem      # IBM Semeru builds
   sdk install java 17.0.10-sem
   sdk use java 17.0.10-sem

2. Build the JAR:

   git clone https://github.com/codellm-devkit/codeanalyzer-java
   cd codeanalyzer-java
   ./gradlew fatJar

3. Use it — the JAR lands at build/libs/codeanalyzer-2.3.7.jar:

   java -jar build/libs/codeanalyzer-2.3.7.jar -i /path/to/project -a 2 -o ./output

Option 2: Native binary (GraalVM)

A native image needs no JVM at runtime. This is heavier to build but gives a standalone executable.

1. Install GraalVM (17 or above):

   sdk list java | grep graal
   sdk install java 21.0.2-graalce
   sdk use java 21.0.2-graalce

2. Compile the native binary. -PbinDir is optional; without it the binary lands in build/bin:

   ./gradlew nativeCompile -PbinDir=$HOME/.local/bin

3. Run it (assuming the output dir is on your $PATH):

   codeanalyzer -i /path/to/project -a 2 -o ./output

Native image and reflection

If a native binary throws unexpected exceptions that the JAR doesn’t, the bundled reflect-config.json is likely stale. Regenerate it with the native-image agent, then rebuild:

./gradlew fatJar
java -agentlib:native-image-agent=config-output-dir=src/main/resources/META-INF/native-image-config \
  -jar build/libs/codeanalyzer-2.3.7.jar -i /path/to/sample/project -a 2 -v
./gradlew nativeCompile

Option 3: Via the Python SDK

If your goal is to use Java analysis from Python, you don’t need to build anything. The CLDK SDK ships a compatible JAR and discovers it automatically:

pip install cldk

from cldk import CLDK

analysis = CLDK(language="java").analysis(project_path="commons-cli")
print(len(analysis.get_classes()), "classes")

To point the SDK at a JAR you built yourself, pass analysis_backend_path. See Python SDK integration.

Verify your install

java -jar build/libs/codeanalyzer-2.3.7.jar --version
# 2.3.7

If you see the version string, you’re ready — head to the Quickstart.