title: Why are my Gradle builds dying with exit-code 137?
body: <p>I've been trying to compile and test a large project to use Gradle. The test run fine until they die unexpectedly. I dug around and resources said that this is due to a memory issue. If I reduce the number of tests in the suite, it runs fine.</p>
  
  <p>I increased the memory by 4x increased the debugging level but I still don't follow what causes this. Here's the horribly cryptic stacktrace. The last line (scroll right) shows the memory settings that I've defined. </p>
  
  <pre><code>...
  ...
  ...
  
  1125 tests completed, 30 failed, 9 skipped
  :test FAILED
  :test (Thread[Daemon worker,5,main]) completed. Took 8 mins 39.684 secs.
  
  FAILURE: Build failed with an exception.
  
  * What went wrong:
  Execution failed for task ':test'.
  &gt; Process 'Gradle Test Executor 1' finished with non-zero exit value 137
  
  * Try:
  Run with --debug option to get more log output.
  
  * Exception is:
  org.gradle.api.tasks.TaskExecutionException: Execution failed for task ':test'.
      at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.executeActions(ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.java:69)
      at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.execute(ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.java:46)
      at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.PostExecutionAnalysisTaskExecuter.execute(PostExecutionAnalysisTaskExecuter.java:35)
      at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.SkipUpToDateTaskExecuter.execute(SkipUpToDateTaskExecuter.java:64)
      at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.ValidatingTaskExecuter.execute(ValidatingTaskExecuter.java:58)
      at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.SkipEmptySourceFilesTaskExecuter.execute(SkipEmptySourceFilesTaskExecuter.java:52)
      at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.SkipTaskWithNoActionsExecuter.execute(SkipTaskWithNoActionsExecuter.java:52)
      at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.SkipOnlyIfTaskExecuter.execute(SkipOnlyIfTaskExecuter.java:53)
      at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.ExecuteAtMostOnceTaskExecuter.execute(ExecuteAtMostOnceTaskExecuter.java:43)
      at org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.DefaultTaskGraphExecuter$EventFiringTaskWorker.execute(DefaultTaskGraphExecuter.java:203)
      at org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.DefaultTaskGraphExecuter$EventFiringTaskWorker.execute(DefaultTaskGraphExecuter.java:185)
      at org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.AbstractTaskPlanExecutor$TaskExecutorWorker.processTask(AbstractTaskPlanExecutor.java:66)
      at org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.AbstractTaskPlanExecutor$TaskExecutorWorker.run(AbstractTaskPlanExecutor.java:50)
      at org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.DefaultTaskPlanExecutor.process(DefaultTaskPlanExecutor.java:25)
      at org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.DefaultTaskGraphExecuter.execute(DefaultTaskGraphExecuter.java:110)
      at org.gradle.execution.SelectedTaskExecutionAction.execute(SelectedTaskExecutionAction.java:37)
      at org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildExecuter.execute(DefaultBuildExecuter.java:37)
      at org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildExecuter.access$000(DefaultBuildExecuter.java:23)
      at org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildExecuter$1.proceed(DefaultBuildExecuter.java:43)
      at org.gradle.execution.DryRunBuildExecutionAction.execute(DryRunBuildExecutionAction.java:32)
      at org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildExecuter.execute(DefaultBuildExecuter.java:37)
      at org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildExecuter.execute(DefaultBuildExecuter.java:30)
      at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher$4.run(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:154)
      at org.gradle.internal.Factories$1.create(Factories.java:22)
      at org.gradle.internal.progress.DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.run(DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.java:90)
      at org.gradle.internal.progress.DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.run(DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.java:52)
      at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher.doBuildStages(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:151)
      at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher.access$200(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:32)
      at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher$1.create(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:99)
      at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher$1.create(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:93)
      at org.gradle.internal.progress.DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.run(DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.java:90)
      at org.gradle.internal.progress.DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.run(DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.java:62)
      at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher.doBuild(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:93)
      at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher.run(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:82)
      at org.gradle.launcher.exec.InProcessBuildActionExecuter$DefaultBuildController.run(InProcessBuildActionExecuter.java:94)
      at org.gradle.tooling.internal.provider.ExecuteBuildActionRunner.run(ExecuteBuildActionRunner.java:28)
      at org.gradle.launcher.exec.ChainingBuildActionRunner.run(ChainingBuildActionRunner.java:35)
      at org.gradle.launcher.exec.InProcessBuildActionExecuter.execute(InProcessBuildActionExecuter.java:43)
      at org.gradle.launcher.exec.InProcessBuildActionExecuter.execute(InProcessBuildActionExecuter.java:28)
      at org.gradle.launcher.exec.ContinuousBuildActionExecuter.execute(ContinuousBuildActionExecuter.java:78)
      at org.gradle.launcher.exec.ContinuousBuildActionExecuter.execute(ContinuousBuildActionExecuter.java:48)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ExecuteBuild.doBuild(ExecuteBuild.java:52)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.BuildCommandOnly.execute(BuildCommandOnly.java:36)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.WatchForDisconnection.execute(WatchForDisconnection.java:37)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ResetDeprecationLogger.execute(ResetDeprecationLogger.java:26)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.RequestStopIfSingleUsedDaemon.execute(RequestStopIfSingleUsedDaemon.java:34)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ForwardClientInput$2.call(ForwardClientInput.java:74)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ForwardClientInput$2.call(ForwardClientInput.java:72)
      at org.gradle.util.Swapper.swap(Swapper.java:38)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ForwardClientInput.execute(ForwardClientInput.java:72)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.health.DaemonHealthTracker.execute(DaemonHealthTracker.java:40)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.LogToClient.doBuild(LogToClient.java:66)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.BuildCommandOnly.execute(BuildCommandOnly.java:36)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.EstablishBuildEnvironment.doBuild(EstablishBuildEnvironment.java:72)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.BuildCommandOnly.execute(BuildCommandOnly.java:36)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.health.HintGCAfterBuild.execute(HintGCAfterBuild.java:41)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.StartBuildOrRespondWithBusy$1.run(StartBuildOrRespondWithBusy.java:50)
  
  BUILD FAILED    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.DaemonStateCoordinator$1.run(DaemonStateCoordinator.java:246)
  
      at org.gradle.internal.concurrent.ExecutorPolicy$CatchAndRecordFailures.onExecute(ExecutorPolicy.java:54)
      at org.gradle.internal.concurrent.StoppableExecutorImpl$1.run(StoppableExecutorImpl.java:40)
  
  Caused by: org.gradle.process.internal.ExecException: Process 'Gradle Test Executor 1' finished with non-zero exit value 137
  Total time: 9 mins 38.624 secs
      at org.gradle.process.internal.DefaultExecHandle$ExecResultImpl.assertNormalExitValue(DefaultExecHandle.java:367)
      at org.gradle.process.internal.DefaultWorkerProcess.waitForStop(DefaultWorkerProcess.java:161)
      at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.testing.worker.ForkingTestClassProcessor.stop(ForkingTestClassProcessor.java:86)
      at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.testing.processors.RestartEveryNTestClassProcessor.endBatch(RestartEveryNTestClassProcessor.java:60)
      at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.testing.processors.RestartEveryNTestClassProcessor.stop(RestartEveryNTestClassProcessor.java:54)
      at org.gradle.messaging.dispatch.ReflectionDispatch.dispatch(ReflectionDispatch.java:35)
      at org.gradle.messaging.dispatch.ReflectionDispatch.dispatch(ReflectionDispatch.java:24)
      at org.gradle.messaging.dispatch.FailureHandlingDispatch.dispatch(FailureHandlingDispatch.java:29)
      at org.gradle.messaging.dispatch.AsyncDispatch.dispatchMessages(AsyncDispatch.java:132)
      at org.gradle.messaging.dispatch.AsyncDispatch.access$000(AsyncDispatch.java:33)
      at org.gradle.messaging.dispatch.AsyncDispatch$1.run(AsyncDispatch.java:72)
      ... 2 more
  
  Stopped 0 compiler daemon(s).
  Received result Failure[value=org.gradle.initialization.ReportedException: org.gradle.internal.exceptions.LocationAwareException: Execution failed for task ':test'.] from daemon DaemonInfo{pid=48, address=[65adcc0f-8881-4511-b7a0-1b88c7016510 port:34390, addresses:[/0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1%lo, /127.0.0.1]], idle=false, context=DefaultDaemonContext[uid=14546872-57d6-4da6-8358-dc41cb7bb01d,javaHome=/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle,daemonRegistryDir=/srv/myapplication/.gradle/daemon,pid=48,idleTimeout=120000,daemonOpts=-XX:MaxMetaspaceSize=320m,-XX:+DisableExplicitGC,-XX:+UseConcMarkSweepGC,-XX:NewSize=124m,-XX:SurvivorRatio=16,-Xms257m,-Xmx2049m,-Dfile.encoding=UTF-8,-Duser.country=US,-Duser.language=en,-Duser.variant]} (build should be done).
  </code></pre>