How does Atlas handle GraalVM native-image specific configurations during refactoring?

Atlas reads your META-INF/native-image metadata and can help add missing reflect-config.json entries. It also runs the tracing agent, diffs generated metadata, and commits only necessary entries, ensuring your native-image builds remain correct and optimized during refactoring.

Can Atlas ensure Spotless formatting is maintained during GraalVM refactoring?

Yes, Atlas can run Spotless on the diff after applying changes. It integrates with your existing Maven project setup, ensuring that all refactored code adheres to your project's formatting standards and that your codebase remains consistent.

What if a refactor breaks a GraalVM native-image build, but not the JVM tests?

Atlas's workflow emphasizes running mvn -Pnative test after each change. This specifically targets the native-image build, allowing you to catch and address issues related to reflection, resources, or dynamic proxies that only manifest in the native binary, not on the JVM.

How does Atlas prevent accidental changes to files in a Maven project?

Atlas's apply_patch tool anchors on context lines and will refuse to apply a patch if the target file has drifted. Additionally, every file edit generates a unified diff for your approval before it's written, providing a critical safety layer against unintended modifications.

Can Atlas help me update all callers of a refactored GraalVM module?

Yes, Atlas uses lsp findReferences to enumerate all callsites. It then tracks these with todowrite and can assist in drafting and applying apply_patch operations to update those callers, ensuring a complete and consistent migration across your entire Maven project.

Does Atlas support local GraalVM development environments without cloud dependencies?

Absolutely. Atlas can build its code index with local Ollama embeddings, keeping your GraalVM project code off third-party servers. All operations, including running mvn -Pnative test and applying Spotless, execute locally within your terminal environment.

How does Atlas ensure I review all changes before they are committed to my GraalVM project?

Atlas drafts a plan in a read-only agent and asks for permission before switching to a build agent. It computes a unified diff for every file edit and surfaces it for approval, and can even stage and create commits on your behalf, all with explicit user consent and review.

Refactor a legacy GraalVM module with Atlas in 2026

In 2026, GraalVM developers can confidently refactor legacy modules without breaking callers or behavior by leveraging Atlas, the terminal-native AI coding agent. Atlas integrates directly with your Maven project, using its lsp tool to map public surfaces and its bash tool to run mvn -Pnative test for continuous validation, ensuring your native-image builds remain robust.

How to map a GraalVM module's public surface for refactoring?

In 2026, before any refactoring begins on a GraalVM module, Atlas uses its lsp tool to precisely map the module's public surface. This initial step identifies every exported symbol and its 0-9 callers, preventing silent breakage during restructuring and ensuring a complete understanding of the module's external dependencies.

Atlas leverages its lsp tool to perform two critical operations: documentSymbol and findReferences. First, documentSymbol enumerates all public declarations within your GraalVM module, providing a clear understanding of its API. Then, findReferences is executed on each of these symbols to identify every single callsite across your entire Maven project. This comprehensive mapping is crucial for GraalVM's ahead-of-time compilation, where undeclared reflection, missing resources, or dynamic proxies can lead to runtime failures in native-image builds. Atlas's underlying AST indexing, powered by tree-sitter, ensures accurate symbol resolution even in complex Java codebases. The output of this step is a comprehensive list of all external dependencies on the module, which Atlas uses to track migration progress and ensure no caller is overlooked during the refactoring process.

How to pin GraalVM module behavior with mvn -Pnative test?

To guarantee a refactor doesn't alter behavior, Atlas first establishes a green baseline by running existing tests with its bash tool. This critical step involves executing mvn -Pnative test to validate the module's current functionality, including its native-image compatibility, before any code changes are introduced in 2026.

Before Atlas proposes any modifications, it uses its bash tool to execute your existing test suite. For GraalVM projects, this specifically means running mvn -Pnative test. This command compiles and runs your tests against the native binary, not just the JVM, which is vital for catching issues unique to native-image builds, such as problems with reflection, resources, or dynamic proxies that must be declared in META-INF/native-image or reflect-config.json. Atlas records the output of this test run, establishing a 'green' baseline. Any subsequent test failures during the refactoring process can then be directly attributed to the changes made, providing immediate and clear feedback on behavioral regressions. This proactive approach ensures that the module's behavior remains unchanged throughout the refactoring.

How does Atlas apply structural changes safely in a GraalVM project?

Atlas applies structural changes to your GraalVM module using its apply_patch tool, which anchors on context lines to ensure precise modifications. This method prevents accidental changes to drifted files, providing a 100% guarantee that edits are applied only to the intended code, crucial for maintaining Maven project integrity in 2026.

The core of Atlas's refactoring capability lies in its apply_patch tool. Unlike simple find-and-replace, apply_patch operates by seeking each hunk's context and old_lines. If the target file has drifted,meaning the context lines no longer match,apply_patch will fail with 'Failed to find context', preventing unintended modifications to an outdated file. This mechanism is paramount for safety in a GraalVM project, where even minor structural changes can impact native-image compilation or runtime behavior. Atlas computes a unified diff for every proposed file edit, whether it's a source file, a pom.xml configuration, or a reflect-config.json entry, and surfaces it for your approval. This allows developers to meticulously review changes, ensuring that native-image configurations or Spotless formatting rules are not inadvertently broken, and that the refactor aligns with project standards.

Why re-run GraalVM tests after each refactoring hunk?

Instead of a single validation at the end, Atlas re-runs mvn -Pnative test with its bash tool after each apply_patch hunk lands. This iterative approach provides immediate feedback, catching regressions early and ensuring the GraalVM module remains functional throughout the refactoring process in 2026.

A cornerstone of safe refactoring with Atlas is its iterative validation strategy. After each small, atomic change (a 'hunk') is applied via apply_patch, Atlas immediately triggers another test run using its bash tool to execute mvn -Pnative test. This continuous feedback loop is invaluable for GraalVM development, where subtle code changes can introduce issues that only manifest in the native binary, not the JVM. By validating after each hunk, Atlas helps pinpoint the exact change that introduced a regression, making debugging significantly easier. If a test fails, Atlas can immediately suggest reverting the last change or assist in diagnosing the issue. This permission-gated execution of bash ensures that you, the developer, maintain full control over when and how tests are run, providing a robust safety net for complex refactoring tasks.

How to track GraalVM call site migrations with todowrite?

To prevent a partially migrated GraalVM module from being mistaken for a finished one, Atlas uses its todowrite tool to track remaining callsites. This ensures every reference identified in the initial lsp scan is addressed, providing a clear 100% completion path for the refactoring project in 2026.

After mapping the module's public surface and identifying all external callers using lsp findReferences, Atlas employs its todowrite tool to manage the migration of these callsites. This tool creates and maintains a persistent list of tasks, ensuring that every single reference to the refactored GraalVM module is updated. This is crucial for preventing silent breakage in dependent Maven projects and guaranteeing a complete, rather than partial, refactor. As each callsite is migrated, Atlas can mark it off the list, providing a clear visual indicator of progress. This systematic tracking ensures that the refactored module integrates direct with its callers, preventing runtime errors or unexpected behavior that could arise from outdated references.

How does Atlas ensure review and safety for GraalVM refactors?

Atlas provides robust review and commit mechanisms for GraalVM refactors, presenting a unified diff for every file edit before writing. This allows developers to approve changes, including those to reflect-config.json or pom.xml, and then stage and commit them directly from the terminal in 2026.

Atlas is designed with safety and developer control at its core. Every action Atlas proposes, from a minor code change to a significant structural refactor, is subject to your explicit approval. It drafts a plan in a read-only plan agent and asks for permission before switching to a build agent to execute changes. For every file edit, Atlas computes and displays a unified diff, allowing you to review the exact modifications before they are written to disk. This is particularly important for GraalVM projects, where changes to configuration files like reflect-config.json, resource declarations, or even pom.xml (for native-maven-plugin settings) can have profound impacts. Atlas also integrates deeply with Git, allowing you to review git branches, status, and diffs, and can stage and create commits on your behalf, all behind permission prompts. Furthermore, Atlas snapshots file changes as git patches, providing an easy mechanism to diff edits and roll back if necessary, offering an unparalleled safety net for complex GraalVM refactoring.

Step by step

01Map the GraalVM module's public surface: Use Atlas's lsp tool with documentSymbol to identify all exported symbols in your GraalVM module, then run findReferences on each to enumerate every callsite across your Maven project.
02Pin existing GraalVM behavior: Execute mvn -Pnative test via Atlas's bash tool to establish a green baseline, ensuring the current native-image compatible tests pass before any modifications.
03Restructure the GraalVM module iteratively: Apply structural changes using Atlas's apply_patch tool, which anchors on context lines and fails if the file has drifted, ensuring precise modifications to your source code or pom.xml.
04Validate GraalVM behavior after each change: After each apply_patch hunk lands, re-run mvn -Pnative test using Atlas's bash tool to immediately catch any regressions in your native-image build or JVM runtime.
05Track remaining GraalVM callsite migrations: Use Atlas's todowrite tool to maintain a list of all identified callsites, ensuring every external reference to the refactored module is updated and preventing incomplete migrations.
06Review and commit GraalVM changes: Approve the unified diffs presented by Atlas for each file edit, including reflect-config.json or Spotless formatted files, then use Atlas to stage and create a git commit.

Frequently asked questions

How does Atlas handle GraalVM native-image specific configurations during refactoring?: Atlas reads your META-INF/native-image metadata and can help add missing reflect-config.json entries. It also runs the tracing agent, diffs generated metadata, and commits only necessary entries, ensuring your native-image builds remain correct and optimized during refactoring.
Can Atlas ensure Spotless formatting is maintained during GraalVM refactoring?: Yes, Atlas can run Spotless on the diff after applying changes. It integrates with your existing Maven project setup, ensuring that all refactored code adheres to your project's formatting standards and that your codebase remains consistent.
What if a refactor breaks a GraalVM native-image build, but not the JVM tests?: Atlas's workflow emphasizes running mvn -Pnative test after each change. This specifically targets the native-image build, allowing you to catch and address issues related to reflection, resources, or dynamic proxies that only manifest in the native binary, not on the JVM.
How does Atlas prevent accidental changes to files in a Maven project?: Atlas's apply_patch tool anchors on context lines and will refuse to apply a patch if the target file has drifted. Additionally, every file edit generates a unified diff for your approval before it's written, providing a critical safety layer against unintended modifications.
Can Atlas help me update all callers of a refactored GraalVM module?: Yes, Atlas uses lsp findReferences to enumerate all callsites. It then tracks these with todowrite and can assist in drafting and applying apply_patch operations to update those callers, ensuring a complete and consistent migration across your entire Maven project.
Does Atlas support local GraalVM development environments without cloud dependencies?: Absolutely. Atlas can build its code index with local Ollama embeddings, keeping your GraalVM project code off third-party servers. All operations, including running mvn -Pnative test and applying Spotless, execute locally within your terminal environment.
How does Atlas ensure I review all changes before they are committed to my GraalVM project?: Atlas drafts a plan in a read-only agent and asks for permission before switching to a build agent. It computes a unified diff for every file edit and surfaces it for approval, and can even stage and create commits on your behalf, all with explicit user consent and review.

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