Use when you need to apply Java exception handling best practices — including using specific exception types, managing resources with try-with-resources, securing exception messages, preserving error context via exception chaining, validating inputs early with fail-fast principles, handling thread interruption correctly, documenting exceptions with @throws, enforcing logging policy, translating exceptions at API boundaries, managing retries and idempotency, enforcing timeouts, attaching suppres…
Use when you need to apply Java exception handling best practices — including using specific exception types, managing resources with try-with-resources, securing exception messages, preserving error context via exception chaining, validating inputs early with fail-fast principles, handling thread interruption correctly, documenting exceptions with @throws, enforcing logging policy, translating exceptions at API boundaries, managing retries and idempotency, enforcing timeouts, attaching suppressed exceptions, and propagating failures in async/reactive code.
This should trigger for requests such as Exception handling; Use try-with-resources in Java code; Create exception chaining in Java code; Apply fail-fast validation in Java code; Review Java exception taxonomy and propagation.
Part of Plinth Toolkit
Similar popular skills
Related neighbors and high-traction skills in the same topics — useful to compare before installing.
Structured logging with correlation IDs, avoiding log-and-throw duplication
API boundary translation via centralized exception mappers
Bounded retry with backoff for idempotent operations only
Timeout enforcement with deadline propagation
Throwable#addSuppressed for secondary cleanup failures
Never catching Throwable/Error
Observability via error metrics
Failure propagation in async CompletionStage code
Scope: The reference is organized by examples (good/bad code patterns) for each core area. Apply recommendations based on applicable examples.
Constraints
Before applying any exception handling changes, ensure the project compiles. If compilation fails, stop immediately — do not proceed until resolved. After applying improvements, run full verification.
MANDATORY: Run ./mvnw compile or mvn compile before applying any changes
SAFETY: If compilation fails, stop immediately — do not proceed until the project is in a valid state
VERIFY: Run ./mvnw clean verify or mvn clean verify after applying improvements
BEFORE APPLYING: Read the reference for detailed good/bad examples, constraints, and safeguards for each exception handling pattern
When to use this skill
Exception handling
Use try-with-resources in Java code
Create exception chaining in Java code
Apply fail-fast validation in Java code
Review Java exception taxonomy and propagation
Workflow
Compile project before exception-handling changes
Run ./mvnw compile or mvn compile and stop immediately if compilation fails.
Read exception-handling reference
Read references/126-java-exception-handling.md and identify applicable failure-handling and observability improvements.
Apply exception-handling improvements
Refactor to specific exceptions, safe resource handling, error translation, and consistent logging patterns.
Verify with full build
Run ./mvnw clean verify or mvn clean verify after applying improvements.
Reference
For detailed guidance, examples, and constraints, see [references/126-java-exception-handling.md](references/126-java-exception-handling.md).
