Windsurf deployment

Cascade Generated Annotation Not Recognized

Custom annotations Cascade generated are not being recognized at runtime. Annotations are present in code but the reflection/annotation processing doesn't find them. This breaks aspect-oriented features, validation, or custom framework logic that depends on annotations.

Cascade likely used incorrect annotation configuration or retention policy.

Error Messages You Might See

Annotation not found at runtime getAnnotation() returns null Custom annotation ignored by framework Aspect not triggered for annotated method
Annotation not found at runtimegetAnnotation() returns nullCustom annotation ignored by frameworkAspect not triggered for annotated method

Common Causes

  1. Cascade set @Retention(RetentionPolicy.SOURCE) instead of RUNTIME
  2. Annotation missing @Target specifying valid targets (METHOD, FIELD, TYPE, etc.)
  3. Reflection code looks for different annotation name than generated

How to Fix It

Check annotation definition has @Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME) so it's available at runtime. Verify @Target includes appropriate targets (METHOD for methods, FIELD for fields, etc.). Use Java reflection to verify annotation exists: method.getAnnotation(CustomAnnotation.class) should not be null. Check if annotation processor actually ran during compilation.

Real developers can help you.

BurnHavoc BurnHavoc Been around fixing other peoples code for 20 years. David Olverson David Olverson Solo dev shipping production apps with AI-assisted development. I specialize in rescuing broken Lovable/Bolt/Cursor builds and taking them to production. 10+ apps shipped including SaaS CRMs, gaming platforms, real estate tools, and Discord bots. Stack: Next.js 16, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, Prisma. I use Claude Code with 50+ custom skills for rapid delivery. Average turnaround: 2-4 weeks from broken prototype to production. Pratik Pratik SWE with 15+ years of experience building and maintaining web apps and extensive BE infrastructure Kingsley Omage Kingsley Omage Fullstack software engineer passionate about AI Agents, blockchain, LLMs. Matthew Jordan Matthew Jordan I've been working at a large software company named Kainos for 2 years, and mainly specialise in Platform Engineering. I regularly enjoy working on software products outside of work, and I'm a huge fan of game development using Unity. I personally enjoy Python & C# in my spare time, but I also specialise in multiple different platform-related technologies from my day job. Matt Butler Matt Butler Software Engineer @ AWS Daniel Vázquez Daniel Vázquez Software Engineer with over 10 years of experience on Startups, Government, big tech industry & consulting. Tejas Chokhawala Tejas Chokhawala Full-stack engineer with 5 years experience building production web apps using React, Next.js and TypeScript. Focused on performance, clean architecture and shipping fast. Experienced with Supabase/Postgres backends, Stripe billing, and building AI-assisted developer tools. Richard McSorley Richard McSorley Full-Stack Software Engineer with 8+ years building high-performance applications for enterprise clients. Shipped production systems at Walmart (4,000+ stores), Cigna (20M+ users), and Arkansas Blue Cross. 5 patents in retail/supply chain tech. Currently focused on AI integrations, automation tools, and TypeScript-first architectures. zipking zipking I am a technologist and product builder dedicated to creating high-impact solutions at the intersection of AI and specialized markets. Currently, I am focused on PropScan (EstateGuard), an AI-driven SaaS platform tailored for the Japanese real estate industry, and exploring the potential of Archify. As an INFJ-T, I approach development with a "systems-thinking" mindset—balancing technical precision with a deep understanding of user needs. I particularly enjoy the challenge of architecting Vertical AI SaaS and optimizing Small Language Models (SLMs) to solve specific, real-world business problems. Whether I'm in a CTO-level leadership role or hands-on with the code, I thrive on building tools that turn complex data into actionable value.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make annotation available at runtime?

Use @Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME) on annotation definition.

How do I find annotations with reflection?

Use method.getAnnotation(MyAnnotation.class) or method.getDeclaredAnnotations() to list all.

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