If you run mvn without args, then Maven runs the default goal, so it should NOT print help. You could argue that the message should be clearer if there are no args AND there is no default goal.
2c, Gary On Tue, Sep 8, 2026, 09:44 Björn Raupach <[email protected]> wrote: > Hello Apache Maven developers, > > I'm looking for an explanation of a behaviour in Maven that I'm still > unclear about. > > If I type the mvn command without any arguments I get an BUILD FAILURE. > > What I consider the better option is printing the usage or help instead. > The output I am getting when executing mvn -h. > > In my humble opinion, this is a quick fix and a small, yet notable, > improvement to usability for command line users. > > Something like this in the mvn shell script just before the final exec. > > if [ "$#" -eq 0 ]; then > set -- "-h" > fi > > kind regards > Björn > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] > For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected] > >
