143 java functional exception handling
Skill jabrena/plinth/skills/143-java-functional-exception-handling
Plinth is an AI-native engineering toolkit for modern Java enterprise SDLC, built around reusable Commands, Agents, Skills, and MCP Servers.
npx -y skills add jabrena/plinth --skill 143-java-functional-exception-handlingAssembled from the repository path, not quoted from the project. Check it against their README if it does not work.
What its author says it does
Copied from the file, not written here
Use when you need to apply functional exception handling best practices in Java — including replacing exception overuse with Optional and VAVR Either types, designing error type hierarchies using sealed classes and enums, implementing monadic error composition pipelines, establishing functional control flow patterns, and reserving exceptions only for truly exceptional system-level failures. This should trigger for requests such as Improve the code with Functional Exception Handling; Apply Functional Exception Handling; Refactor the code with Functional Exception Handling; Model Java errors with Result or Either types; Replace exception-heavy flows with functional error handling. Part of Plinth Toolkit
The file declares its own license as Apache-2.0. That is the author’s claim about this one file, and it is not the same thing as the license GitHub reports for the repository, which is listed with the other numbers below.
SKILL.md
3.8 KB, as published. Nobody here has run it
Java Functional Exception handling Best Practices
Identify and apply functional exception handling best practices in Java to improve error clarity, maintainability, and performance by eliminating exception overuse in favour of monadic error types.
What is covered in this Skill?
Optional<T>for nullable values over throwingNullPointerExceptionorNotFoundException- VAVR
Either<L,R>for predictable business-logic failures CompletableFuture<T>for async error handling- Sealed classes and records for rich error type hierarchies with exhaustive pattern matching
- Enum-based error types for simple failure cases
- Functional composition:
flatMap/map/peek/peekLeftfor chaining operations that can fail - Structured logging: warn/info for business failures, error for system failures
- Checked vs unchecked exception discipline
- Exception chaining with full causal context when exceptions are unavoidable
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 functional exception handling changes, ensure the project validates. When introducing Either types, confirm the VAVR dependency (io.vavr:vavr) and SLF4J are present.
- MANDATORY: Run
./mvnw validateormvn validatebefore applying any changes - SAFETY: If validation fails, stop immediately — do not proceed until the project is in a valid state
- DEPENDENCY: When introducing
Eithertypes, confirm VAVR (io.vavr:vavr) and SLF4J are present - VERIFY: Run
./mvnw clean verifyormvn clean verifyafter applying improvements - BEFORE APPLYING: Read the reference for detailed good/bad examples, constraints, and safeguards for each functional exception handling pattern
When to use this skill
- Improve the code with Functional Exception Handling
- Apply Functional Exception Handling
- Refactor the code with Functional Exception Handling
- Model Java errors with Result or Either types
- Replace exception-heavy flows with functional error handling
Workflow
- Validate project before functional-exception changes
Run ./mvnw validate or mvn validate and stop immediately if validation fails.
- Check required dependencies
When introducing Either, confirm VAVR (io.vavr:vavr) and SLF4J are present before implementation.
- Read functional-exception reference and identify targets
Read references/143-java-functional-exception-handling.md and identify places to replace exception-heavy control flow with monadic error types.
- Apply functional exception-handling refactorings
Implement selected Optional/Either/async error patterns with structured logging and clear error contracts.
- Verify with full build
Run ./mvnw clean verify or mvn clean verify after applying improvements.
Reference
For detailed guidance, examples, and constraints, see references/143-java-functional-exception-handling.md.