False positive for removal of annotation library

[baron1405]

Plugin version 2.2.0

Gradle version 8.10.2

JDK version 17

(Optional) reason output for bugs relating to incorrect advice Report says, incorrectly:

Advice for root project
Unused dependencies which should be removed:
  implementation(libs.cthingAnnots)

The libs.cthingAnnots is an alias for org.cthing:cthing-annotations:1.0.0.

The reason output says, correctly:

> Task :reason

----------------------------------------
You asked about the dependency 'org.cthing:cthing-annotations:1.0.0 (libs.cthingAnnots)'.
You have been advised to remove this dependency from 'implementation'.
----------------------------------------

Shortest path from root project to org.cthing:cthing-annotations:1.0.0 (libs.cthingAnnots) for compileClasspath:
:
\--- org.cthing:cthing-annotations:1.0.0

Shortest path from root project to org.cthing:cthing-annotations:1.0.0 (libs.cthingAnnots) for runtimeClasspath:
:
\--- org.cthing:cthing-annotations:1.0.0

Shortest path from root project to org.cthing:cthing-annotations:1.0.0 (libs.cthingAnnots) for testCompileClasspath:
:
\--- org.cthing:cthing-annotations:1.0.0

Shortest path from root project to org.cthing:cthing-annotations:1.0.0 (libs.cthingAnnots) for testRuntimeClasspath:
:
\--- org.cthing:cthing-annotations:1.0.0

Source: main
------------
* Uses (in an annotation) 1 class: org.cthing.annotations.PackageNonnullByDefault (implies implementation (sometimes)).

Source: test
------------
(no usages)

Describe the bug The library is used in the package-info.java files.

To Reproduce Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. Clone the project https://github.com/cthing/gradle-build-constants
2. Run ./gradlew clean build
3. Notice there are no dependency errors reported
4. Open the `gradle/libs.versions.toml file
5. Change the version of the com.autonomousapps.dependency-analysis from 1.32.0 to 2.2.0
6. Run ./gradlew clean build
7. Notice that the build fails due to a supposedly unused dependency on org.cthing:cthing-annotations:1.0.0

Expected behavior The build should succeed because the dependency is used. Note that the build succeeds using plugin version 1.32.0, but fails using plugin version 2.2.0.

[autonomousapps]

Thanks for the issue. When you say

The library is used in the package-info.java files.

Could you please elaborate?

[autonomousapps]

I'll have a fix in the next release, sometime today 👍

[baron1405]

Thanks @autonomousapps for looking into this. It appears you have reproduced the problem and have a fix. In any case, to answer your question, the library in question provides annotations and the only place in my code where I use those annotations is in the package-info.java file. For example, think of using the jsr305 ParametersAreNonnullByDefault annotation in the package-info.java file so that it effects all code within that package.