NoSuchMethodError at runtime caused by agent instrumentation

[91kr7]

Hi all,

I'm developing a Java agent for runtime performance monitoring using ByteBuddy for instrumentation.
The agent works in most cases, but sometimes, after instrumenting certain classes or methods, I encounter NoSuchMethodError at runtime.

Context:

• The agent uses ByteBuddy to instrument methods for tracing and timing.
• The error occurs only after instrumentation, not in the original code.
• The target application runs on Java 17, with servlet containers (Tomcat/Wildfly).

What I've tried:

• Checked for classpath conflicts and duplicate dependencies.
• Ensured the agent and target app use compatible Java versions.
• Used different ByteBuddy versions.

Workaround:
The only reliable workaround I have found is to avoid instrumenting the classes that trigger NoSuchMethodError.
Unfortunately, since these errors only occur at runtime, there is no guarantee that I can intercept all problematic cases in advance.

Reproduction:
I have documented how to reproduce this error at the following URL:
91kr7/java-performance-agent#3

Any advice, diagnostic steps, or references to documentation would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

[raphw]

It seems like you are using MethodDelegation instead of Advice which I would always recommend for a (re-)transforming agent. I assume that some transformations fail as the original method body is not discovered.

[91kr7]

It seems like you are using MethodDelegation instead of Advice which I would always recommend for a (re-)transforming agent. I assume that some transformations fail as the original method body is not discovered.

Hi @raphw,

Thanks a lot for your response.
Fortunately, I’m already using the Advice strategy.
Today, I tried to replicate the cause of the error and found that it happens when a public class A inherits a method from a protected-package class B and, for some reason, you call  A.inheritMethod  from a package that cannot access B.

as example:

This is the Project structure

This is the method that at runtime throw a NoSuchMethod

This is the declaration of the classes

I’m not sure if this can be classified as a bug, but if you need a runnable example, you can check this issue in my project: 91kr7/java-performance-agent#3
For the moment, I will try to filter these situations in order to prevent errors.

Thanks a lot

[raphw]

Ah, Byte Buddy might add a visibility bridge that some older Java compilers forget. You can try to activate the DECORATE type strategy where this is avoided.