A build tool does more than compile code: it shapes how teams and agents develop, test, troubleshoot, and evolve a project. Maven, Gradle, and Kotlin Toolchain approach that responsibility from different directions.
Using a Spring application as our live test case, we will compare their configuration models, developer experience, flexibility, performance, ecosystem maturity and what they offer in terms of agentic development.
How well do agents use them? Does their output pollute context? When does extensibility become overhead? And what changes once a project outgrows its initial setup?
This session offers no universal recommendation. Instead, it gives JVM developers a practical way to recognize the trade-offs and choose intentionally.