# Maven plugin doesn't work without java plugin

**URL:** <https://discuss.gradle.org/t/maven-plugin-doesnt-work-without-java-plugin/17162>\
**Category:** Help/Discuss\
**Created:** [April 27, 2016, 3:23pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/maven-plugin-doesnt-work-without-java-plugin/17162 "2016-04-27T15:23:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![swpalmer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/gradle/user_avatar/discuss.gradle.org/swpalmer/32/80_2.png) [@swpalmer](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/swpalmer)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 3:23pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/maven-plugin-doesnt-work-without-java-plugin/17162/1 "2016-04-27T15:23:18Z")

</div>

I have a project that produces a zip as the artifact.  
If I do this:

```
apply plugin: 'java'
apply plugin: 'maven'

```

Then I get an ‘install’ tasks and things work fine.

If I do this:

```
apply plugin: 'base'
apply plugin: 'maven'

```

Then the maven plugin fails to create an ‘install’ task. In both cases I have no Java code to compile and the artifact is produced by a Zip task and declared as an artifact:

```
task buildMyZip(type: Zip) {
    // config here
}

artifacts {
    sdkBase buildMyZip
    archives buildMyZip
}

```

Since the project has no Java code and nothing to do with Java, it seems that I shouldn’t be applying the java plugin, but is my only option to make it work to jsue the java plugin or the (still incubating!) maven-publish plugin?