compileKotlin block in build.gradle file throws error "Could not find method compileKotlin() for arguments [...]"

Question

I'm trying to configure Kotlin to work with Java 1.8 in my Android project. I've tried adding the compileKotlin block at the bottom of my build.gradle file, but I get an error if I do so.

The error that occurs is the following:

Error:(38, 0) Could not find method compileKotlin() for arguments [build_dvcqiof5pov8xt8flfud06cm3$_run_closure4@66047120] on project ':core' of type org.gradle.api.Project.

The project runs fine without this block. What am I missing? Here's the complete build.gradle file, it's pretty basic stuff:

apply plugin: 'com.android.library'
apply plugin: 'kotlin-android'


android {
    compileSdkVersion 25
    buildToolsVersion '25.0.2'


    defaultConfig {
        minSdkVersion 24
        targetSdkVersion 25
        versionCode 1
        versionName '1.0.0'

        testInstrumentationRunner 'android.support.test.runner.AndroidJUnitRunner'

    }

    buildTypes {
        release {
            minifyEnabled false
            proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'
        }
    }
}

dependencies {
    compile 'com.android.support:appcompat-v7:25.3.1'
    compile "org.jetbrains.kotlin:kotlin-stdlib-jre7:$kotlin_version"
    compile 'com.google.android.support:wearable:2.0.2'
}

repositories {
    mavenCentral()
}

compileKotlin {
    sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
    targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8

    kotlinOptions {
        jvmTarget = '1.8'
        apiVersion = '1.1'
        languageVersion = '1.1'
    }
}

user_3660290 · Answer

From the kotlin-android documentation:

Android plugin also adds kotlinOptions extension to android section to set options for all kotlin tasks:

android {
    kotlinOptions {
        jvmTarget = '1.8'
        noStdlib = true
    }
}

user_328679 · Answer

Not a direct answer to the question, but Google led me to this answer when experiencing the same compileKotlin block in build.gradle file throws error “Could not find method compileKotlin() for arguments […]” error.

In my case the problem was caused by importing a code module to my project that contained only Java code. The fix was to ensure the following is in the Java-specific module's build.gradle:

apply plugin: 'kotlin-android'

user_9730773 · Answer

In some projects I've Just used refresh gradle dependencies and solved the problem:

Right click on project's name and select refresh gradle dependencies.

compileKotlin block in build.gradle file throws error "Could not find method compileKotlin() for arguments [...]"

4 Answers