Spring batch and SystemCommandTasklet: cannot pass parameter

I am trying to trigger a spring batch job from a rest controller, and I need to pass parameters to the Step. I used a SystemCommandTasklet and, as suggested here I added the Tasklet as a StepListener, but I keep getting a NPE.

I have created a sample project here: if you run the test you will see this on the output:

java.lang.NullPointerException: null
at org.springframework.batch.core.step.tasklet.SystemCommandTasklet.execute(SystemCommandTasklet.java:133) ~[spring-batch-core-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]
at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method) ~[na:na]
at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:62) ~[na:na]
at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43) ~[na:na]
at java.base/java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:566) ~[na:na]
at org.springframework.aop.support.AopUtils.invokeJoinpointUsingReflection(AopUtils.java:344) ~[spring-aop-5.2.4.RELEASE.jar:5.2.4.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.aop.framework.ReflectiveMethodInvocation.invokeJoinpoint(ReflectiveMethodInvocation.java:198) ~[spring-aop-5.2.4.RELEASE.jar:5.2.4.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.aop.framework.ReflectiveMethodInvocation.proceed(ReflectiveMethodInvocation.java:163) ~[spring-aop-5.2.4.RELEASE.jar:5.2.4.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.aop.support.DelegatingIntroductionInterceptor.doProceed(DelegatingIntroductionInterceptor.java:136) ~[spring-aop-5.2.4.RELEASE.jar:5.2.4.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.aop.support.DelegatingIntroductionInterceptor.invoke(DelegatingIntroductionInterceptor.java:124) ~[spring-aop-5.2.4.RELEASE.jar:5.2.4.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.aop.framework.ReflectiveMethodInvocation.proceed(ReflectiveMethodInvocation.java:186) ~[spring-aop-5.2.4.RELEASE.jar:5.2.4.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.aop.framework.JdkDynamicAopProxy.invoke(JdkDynamicAopProxy.java:212) ~[spring-aop-5.2.4.RELEASE.jar:5.2.4.RELEASE]
at com.sun.proxy.$Proxy87.execute(Unknown Source) ~[na:na]
at org.springframework.batch.core.step.tasklet.TaskletStep$ChunkTransactionCallback.doInTransaction(TaskletStep.java:407) ~[spring-batch-core-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.batch.core.step.tasklet.TaskletStep$ChunkTransactionCallback.doInTransaction(TaskletStep.java:331) ~[spring-batch-core-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.transaction.support.TransactionTemplate.execute(TransactionTemplate.java:140) ~[spring-tx-5.2.4.RELEASE.jar:5.2.4.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.batch.core.step.tasklet.TaskletStep$2.doInChunkContext(TaskletStep.java:273) ~[spring-batch-core-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.batch.core.scope.context.StepContextRepeatCallback.doInIteration(StepContextRepeatCallback.java:82) ~[spring-batch-core-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.batch.repeat.support.RepeatTemplate.getNextResult(RepeatTemplate.java:375) ~[spring-batch-infrastructure-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.batch.repeat.support.RepeatTemplate.executeInternal(RepeatTemplate.java:215) ~[spring-batch-infrastructure-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.batch.repeat.support.RepeatTemplate.iterate(RepeatTemplate.java:145) ~[spring-batch-infrastructure-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.batch.core.step.tasklet.TaskletStep.doExecute(TaskletStep.java:258) ~[spring-batch-core-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.batch.core.step.AbstractStep.execute(AbstractStep.java:208) ~[spring-batch-core-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.batch.core.job.SimpleStepHandler.handleStep(SimpleStepHandler.java:148) ~[spring-batch-core-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.batch.core.job.AbstractJob.handleStep(AbstractJob.java:410) ~[spring-batch-core-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.batch.core.job.SimpleJob.doExecute(SimpleJob.java:136) ~[spring-batch-core-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.batch.core.job.AbstractJob.execute(AbstractJob.java:319) ~[spring-batch-core-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]
at org.springframework.batch.core.launch.support.SimpleJobLauncher$1.run(SimpleJobLauncher.java:147) ~[spring-batch-core-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]
at java.base/java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:834) ~[na:na]

The method beforeStep in the Tasklet is never invoked, and that leads to the NPE.

This is my batch configuration:

@Configuration
@EnableBatchProcessing
public class BatchConfiguration extends DefaultBatchConfigurer {
private final JobBuilderFactory jobBuilderFactory;
private final StepBuilderFactory stepBuilderFactory;
public BatchConfiguration(JobBuilderFactory jobBuilderFactory, StepBuilderFactory stepBuilderFactory) {
this.jobBuilderFactory = jobBuilderFactory;
this.stepBuilderFactory = stepBuilderFactory;
}
@Override
public JobLauncher getJobLauncher() {
SimpleJobLauncher jobLauncher = new SimpleJobLauncher();
jobLauncher.setJobRepository(getJobRepository());
jobLauncher.setTaskExecutor(new SimpleAsyncTaskExecutor());
return jobLauncher;
}
@Bean
public Job myJob(Step myStep) {
return jobBuilderFactory.get("myJob")
.incrementer(new RunIdIncrementer())
.start(myStep)
.build();
}
@Bean
public Step myStep(Tasklet myServiceTasklet) {
return this.stepBuilderFactory.get("myStep")
.listener(myServiceTasklet)
.tasklet(myServiceTasklet)
.build();
}
@Bean
@StepScope
public Tasklet myServiceTasklet(
@Value("#{jobParameters['my_param']}") String param
) {
SystemCommandTasklet tasklet = new SystemCommandTasklet();
System.out.println(param);
tasklet.setCommand("sleep 10");
tasklet.setTimeout(20000);
return tasklet;
}
}

I tried dozens of different ways to do this, but I still can't figure out why the beforeStep method in the Tasklet is not invoked and the field execution remains null

The return type of your tasklet bean definition method should be SystemCommandTasklet:

@Bean
@StepScope
public SystemCommandTasklet myServiceTasklet(
@Value("#{jobParameters['my_param']}") String param
) {
SystemCommandTasklet tasklet = new SystemCommandTasklet();
System.out.println(param);
tasklet.setCommand("sleep 10");
tasklet.setTimeout(20000);
return tasklet;
}

Currently, it returns Tasklet and hence it is not proxied by Spring Batch as a StepExecutionListener (that's why it is not registered as a listener and the beforeStep method is not invoked).

You need to be as specific as possible for the return type of bean definition methods so that Spring Batch can correctly proxy your beans and register them with the correct type. More details here: https://stackoverflow.com/a/21941127/5019386.

NB: I downloaded your code and noticed that you do not disable jobs at startup for production code as you do in test code. You need to add the same application.properties in src/main/resources as well.