Native Image Committer and Community Meeting 2026-06-25

[wirthi]

List of all past and upcoming meetings: #3933

The meeting will be at our regular time of 17:00 CET: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20260625T08&p1=224

The meeting after this one is planned for July 30th, 2026. The meeting will typically be on the last Thursday of each month.

PRs listed below were closed between May 25th and June 23rd (roughly).

External contributions

Thanks to the external contributors whose work is included in this Native Image-focused report:

• ember arlynx contributed the Native Image Layers support on Darwin and Windows (#13596, #13806).
• Galder Zamarreno from IBM contributed a Native Image ClassCastException fix (#13793).
• zakkak contributed the build-time invokedynamic/constantdynamic bootstrap method registration API test (#13636).

New and Noteworthy

General Improvements

• [GR-73278] Stop auto-registering features as singletons. #13771
  Adds Feature.onRegistration and stops auto-registering internal Features as singletons. For external Feature behavior is only changed under --future-defaults.
• Reduce run time footprint
  • [GR-75925] Compact Native Image module metadata collections #13611
  • [GR-75511] Reduce image heap symbol and map storage #13745
  • [GR-76005] Enhanced String format intrinsification #13736
  • Moves enhanced String.format intrinsification into CE Native Image, adding octal/boolean/hash-code support and fallback coverage for mixed format strings.
  • Hello World shrinks from about 13.9 MB to 6.8 MB; reachable graph drops from 3,422 types / 15,911 methods to 2,224 / 9,046, raw format invokes from 93 to 0, and resources from 171 KB to 107 B.
• [GR-75275] [GR-75794] Limit Context-Sensitive Type State Object Arrays #13638
  Analysis explosion fix: add a total object cap for context-sensitive type states and summarizes oversized concrete object runs.
• [GR-76618] Update file-based JDK annotations #13799
  update @BasedOnJDKFile annotation references to point to the right snippet

Native Image Layers

• [GR-75640] Enable Native Image Layers on Darwin #13596
  Enables Native Image layered images on Darwin.
  (external contribution) Thank you to ember arlynx for the original contribution.
• [GR-75641] Enable Native Image Layers on Windows #13806
  Enables Native Image Layers on Windows, including explicit object-file symbol export tracking for PE/COFF.
  (external contribution) Thank you to ember arlynx for the original contribution.
• [GR-76443] Lazily register prior layer dispatch roots #13792
  Lazily registers prior-layer dispatch roots to reduce application-layer build time.
  Improves application layer build time by around 7%.
• [GR-76259] Skip strengthened graph lookup when disabled #13780
  Saves around 3% of build time in the app layer.
• [GR-73869] Don't automatically add CWD if no class path is specified in shared layer builds #13383
  Simplifies base layer config: Use empty class path for base layers with only java base modules graalvm/graalvm-demos#399
• [GR-75542] Improve support for layered field value transformer #13734
• [GR-76195] Allow layered Micronaut Hello World Barista benchmark #13708

Project Crema

• Native Image Support / Java Compatibility
  • [GR-76444] Use JDK boot package metadata for package lookup #13844
    Clean-up Native Image class loader/package semantics, bring it closer to what Java expects
  • [GR-73972] [GR-71873] Harden Crema platform thread stack sizing #13620
    Hardens Crema platform-thread stack sizing by accounting for SVM stack-overflow guard zones.
    Respect a thread's requested usable stack size.
  • [GR-75336] [GR-73975] Various j.l.StackWalker and Reflection.getClassClass fixes #13644
    Fixes StackWalker, Reflection.getCallerClass, and Java-level stack walking behavior for interpreted frames.
  • [GR-76658] Fix stack walking for JNI downcalls #13812
  • [GR-75585] Follow-up of JNI Downcall support for Crema #13805
  • [GR-36097] Support Class accessFlags in Crema #13691
  • [GR-76247] Fix run-time class linking state transition. #13722
  • [GR-55050] Interpreter allocation mirrors bytecode semantics #13667
• Crema Interpreter / Runtime Class Loading
  • [GR-74997] [GR-73488] [GR-75557] Crema: fix isClassInitializer. invokeinterface type checks receiver against symbolic holder. #13593
    Crema fixes class-initializer detection and tightens invokeinterface receiver checks against the declared symbolic holder.
  • [GR-73489] [GR-55049] Reject cross-frame interpreted monitorexit #13629
    Crema now rejects cross-frame interpreted monitorexit with IllegalMonitorStateException, matching HotSpot behavior instead of failing with an internal VM error.
• Ristretto / Crema JIT
  • [GR-71949] Track nullSeen in Ristretto type profiles. #13818
  • [GR-75637] Add Ristretto runtime compiler optimization hooks. #13616
  • [GR-76251] [GR-76483] [GR-76573] [GR-76481] Ristretto JCK fixes. #13838

Project Terminus: Towards the "Hello, Espresso World!" #12236

• [GR-71226] [GR-75039] [GR-75091] Allow class initialization in standalone analysis #13625
  (PR description) Allows standalone analysis to request class initialization during analysis while degrading cleanly for runtime-only or failed classes.
• [GR-76591] Add Project Terminus docs #13811
  (PR description) Adds Project Terminus overview and terminology documentation under substratevm/docs.
• [GR-76695] Move JavaMainSupport to guest staging #13859
  (PR description) Moves Java-main state to guest staging and uses a temporary guest-owned entry-point stub for fully isolated Terminus builds.
• [GR-76702] Move build phase provider access to shared #13839
  (PR description) Introduces shared BuildPhaseProvider access as a small build-phase contract for guest-staged code, including the host-side provider callback needed by fully isolated guest contexts.
• [GR-76598] Move image heap list to guest staging #13848
  (PR description) Moves ImageHeapList image-heap state to guest staging and updates the hosted bridge/imports around that package move.
• [GR-76004] Move OS thread surface to guest staging #13635
  (PR description) Moves the Java-main-facing OS thread surface into guest staging.
• [GR-76166] Move unmanaged memory utilities to guest staging #13807
  (PR description) Moves unmanaged memory utilities to guest staging.

Streamline reachability metadata

• [GR-76171] Register serializable lambda metadata capturing classes #13739
  (PR description) Adds metadata support for serializable lambdas and their capturing classes.
• [GR-71071] Document Preserve with metadata tracing #13678
• [GR-75222] Deprecate generate-filters in native-image-utils #13699
• [GR-76386] Move 'native-image-utils extract-sbom' command to CE #13726
• [GR-75400] Normalize reflection names. #13656
• [GR-73221] [GR-73981] Make com.oracle.svm.hosted.ResourcesFeature Classloader aware. #13668
• [GR-75001] Honor dynamic nest hosts for hidden classes #13659
• [GR-76684] Add test for build-time invokedynamic/constantdynamic bootstrap method registration API #13813
• Add test for build-time invokedynamic/constantdynamic bootstrap method registration API #13636
  (external contribution) Thank you to zakkak for the original contribution.
• [GR-75265] Register proxy classes for host access tests. #13819

Usability

• [GR-75903] Set boot native library path at run time #13610
• [GR-71910] Fix potential race condition. #13649
• [GR-75906] Fix Windows extnet registration. #13646
• [GR-76182] Improve Windows segfault handler. #13677
• [GR-70884] Fix java.net.NetworkInterface registration to avoid transient error. #13763
• [GR-74805] Register runtime boot module layer hook for standard option mode #13754
• [GR-36066] Honor boot loader package definitions #13688
• [GR-69144] Cleanup NativeImageClassLoaderOptions#EnableNativeAccess option. #13765
• [GR-76059] Initialize ICU4J classes at build-time. #13781
• [GR-76682] Add Darwin frameworks independent of reachability #13827
• [GR-76070] ObjectSizeCalculator counts weakly reachable Reference referents as retained heap #13680

Monitoring / Tooling / Debugging

• [GR-75880] Support Native Image JFR emergency dumps on Windows #13607
  (PR description) Adds Native Image support for JFR emergency dumps on Windows.
• [GR-74179] Fix runtime debug info singleton access. #13729
• [GR-75646] Cache debug info frame generation #13590

Garbage Collector / Memory Management

• [GR-76637] Better timekeeping for GCSampleRingBuffer in Adaptive2 GC policy. #13815
  (PR description) Improves timekeeping for GCSampleRingBuffer in the Adaptive2 GC policy.
• [GR-67691] [GR-69875] [GR-76544] Publish newly started Java threads in a consistent state. #13798
• [GR-75000] [GR-76291] Do not clear weak references to metaspace objects. #13692
• [GR-76383] Apply correct fix for GR-75000 #13721

Other & fixes

• [GR-52023] Actually call LibC.abort. #13747
• [GR-76103] Use Labs OpenJDK for JDK checksum source links #13770
• [GR-44681] [GR-75887] [GR-75902] Restore basic LLVM backend support on Linux/amd64. #13621
  (PR description) Restores basic LLVM backend support on Linux/amd64.
• [GR-73921] [GR-76265] Only use Substitutions for NativeThread when on LLVM or EspressoLibs #13785
• [GR-75936] Terminate process isolate after host death #13612
• [GR-75886] Reduce Native Image code size by delaying post-call NOPs #13623
  (summarized change) Reduces Native Image code size by delaying post-call NOPs.
• [GR-75945] Support compressed references with the LLVM backend. #13637
• [GR-74341] Extend PLT/GOT to handle empty GOT #13681
• [GR-75907] Avoid open-world stamp narrowing for open types #13642
• [GR-75236] Reduce native startup page faults; Add stack size option for compiler threads and limit it to 640KB. #13619
• [GR-75339] Check for overlapping relocations in RelocatableBuffer. #13758
• [GR-76464] Split AArch64 frame setup for runtime offsets. #13760
• Fix potential ClassCastException #13793
  (external contribution) Thank you to Galder Zamarreno from IBM for the original contribution.
• [GR-76245] Add VM info dimensions to file-size benchmarks. #13832
• [GR-73548] Fix all of our public gates related to compatibility. #13112
• [GR-75342] Merge JavaVMOptionsParser into RuntimeOptionParser. #13829

release preparation (GraalVM 25.1.3)

• [GR-76557] [GR-76667] [GR-76672] Update GraalVM version number to 25.1.3. #13821
• [GR-76714] Start 25.2.4 dev cycle. #13840
• June 30th https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmPscsMBqFc

Graal compiler / JIT-related

• [GR-65454] Port poly1305 stubs #13520
• [GR-75442] Split safe stamp use for condition proofs. #13633
• [GR-69337] Remove unused unsigned div/rem #13643
• [GR-74726] Refactor compilation layouting #13669
• [GR-76154] Support Poly1305 intrinsic with AVX512_IFMA #13687
• [GR-76149] JDK-8364936: NMethodPatchingType::conc_data_patch still exposed in OracleJDK #13690
• [GR-75166] Ensure compatible stamps when replacing nodes #13713
• [GR-75854] Give EpilogReturn instructions the same sources/locals as the return instruction. #13731
• [GR-76005] Enhanced String format intrinsification #13736
• [GR-76404] Fix vector rotate constant lowering #13743
• [GR-76406] Do not eliminate OSR monitor enters during allocation lowering #13761
• [GR-76592] Fix invalid lowering of ArrayCopyWithConversionsNode when AVX is disabled. #13782
• [GR-42241] Improve AMD64 Math.round lowering #13790

Questions

GraalVM Deep Dive: Ristretto JIT for Crema