bug(xtest): post-checkout-java.sh fails silently when pom.xml lacks <properties> section

[pflynn-virtru]

Summary

The xtest/sdk/scripts/post-checkout-java.sh script fails silently when processing Java SDK versions (like v0.7.5) where the pom.xml either:

• Has no <properties> section, or
• Already has a <platform.branch> reference but not as a defined property

This causes the ${platform.branch} literal string to be passed to buf/git, resulting in build failures.

Root Cause

# Line 37-38: Assumes <properties> exists - silently does nothing if missing
$SED_CMD '/<properties>/a \
      <platform.branch>main</platform.branch>' "$POM_FILE"

# Line 42: ALWAYS runs regardless of whether the property was added
$SED_CMD 's/branch=main/branch=${platform.branch}/g' "$POM_FILE"

Result: branch=main gets replaced with branch=${platform.branch}, but the property is never defined, so Maven passes the literal string to buf.

Error Observed

[exec] Failure: could not clone https://github.com/opentdf/platform.git: exit status 128
[exec] fatal: couldn't find remote ref ${platform.branch}

Affected Versions

• Java SDK v0.7.5 (LTS)
• Potentially other older versions without a <properties> section

Suggested Fixes

Option A: Add <properties> section if missing

if ! grep -q "<properties>" "$POM_FILE"; then
  echo "No <properties> section in $POM_FILE, adding one..."
  # Insert <properties> section after <project> or appropriate location
fi

Option B: Only replace branch=main if property was successfully added

if grep -q "<platform.branch>main</platform.branch>" "$POM_FILE"; then
  $SED_CMD 's/branch=main/branch=${platform.branch}/g' "$POM_FILE"
else
  echo "Warning: Could not add platform.branch property to $POM_FILE, skipping replacement"
fi

Option C: Use robust XML editing tool

xmlstarlet ed -s "/project/properties" -t elem -n "platform.branch" -v "main" "$POM_FILE"

References

• Java SDK issue: bug: Maven property ${platform.branch} not expanded in buf antrun execution java-sdk#325
• Observed in X-Test run: https://github.com/opentdf/tests/actions/runs/21037716570
• Related PR: chore(ci): Improve X-Test workflow performance #378

Impact

This blocks X-Test runs from completing successfully when testing against Java SDK LTS versions.