uploadArchive: (No such file or directory) [ant:null] Error reading settings file

uploadArchive is ending with following error. I do have a single project but generating multiple .zip files.

error:
:uploadArchives
[ant:null] Error reading settings file ‘/private/var/folders/wr/s3gyc23s0hjfdcr5h0fm2b79l34dzs/T/gradle_empty_settings4102737532114060106.xml’ - ignoring. Error was: /private/var/folders/wr/s3gyc23s0hjfdcr5h0fm2b79l34dzs/T/gradle_empty_settings4102737532114060106.xml (No such file or directory)

BUILD SUCCESSFUL

buildscript {
  repositories {
      mavenCentral()
  }

  dependencies {
              classpath 'org.apache.maven.wagon:wagon-http:2.2'
  }
}

apply plugin: 'maven'

configurations {
    deployerZips
}

dependencies {
    deployerZips files("filename.zip")
}

uploadArchives {
    repositories{
     mavenDeployer  {
         configuration = configurations.deployerZips
            repository(url: 'https://artifactory.**********'.com/artifactory/libs-releases-local') {
                authentication(userName:artifactoryUsername, password:artifactoryPassword)
                }
            pom.groupId == '**********'
            pom.artifactId =='**********'
            pom.version == '*******'
          }          
    }
}

Wouldn’t it be best to just use the maven-publish plugin ?