Starting a new project in VS Code always fails on the first try

[Artur-]

Describe the bug

Failed to execute mojo com.vaadin:vaadin-maven-plugin:24.4.12:prepare-frontend {execution: default} (com.vaadin:vaadin-maven-plugin:24.4.12:prepare-frontend:default:process-resources)

org.eclipse.core.runtime.CoreException: Failed to execute mojo com.vaadin:vaadin-maven-plugin:24.4.12:prepare-frontend {execution: default}
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.internal.embedder.MavenExecutionContext.executeMojo(MavenExecutionContext.java:404)
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.internal.embedder.MavenExecutionContext.lambda$2(MavenExecutionContext.java:355)
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.internal.embedder.MavenExecutionContext.executeBare(MavenExecutionContext.java:458)
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.internal.embedder.MavenExecutionContext.execute(MavenExecutionContext.java:339)
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.internal.embedder.MavenExecutionContext.execute(MavenExecutionContext.java:354)
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.project.configurator.MojoExecutionBuildParticipant.build(MojoExecutionBuildParticipant.java:57)
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.internal.builder.MavenBuilderImpl.lambda$2(MavenBuilderImpl.java:159)
	at java.base/java.util.LinkedHashMap.forEach(LinkedHashMap.java:721)
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.internal.builder.MavenBuilderImpl.build(MavenBuilderImpl.java:139)
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.internal.builder.MavenBuilder$1.method(MavenBuilder.java:164)
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.internal.builder.MavenBuilder$1.method(MavenBuilder.java:1)
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.internal.builder.MavenBuilder$BuildMethod.lambda$1(MavenBuilder.java:109)
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.internal.embedder.MavenExecutionContext.executeBare(MavenExecutionContext.java:458)
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.internal.embedder.MavenExecutionContext.execute(MavenExecutionContext.java:292)
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.internal.builder.MavenBuilder$BuildMethod.lambda$0(MavenBuilder.java:100)
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.internal.embedder.MavenExecutionContext.executeBare(MavenExecutionContext.java:458)
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.internal.embedder.MavenExecutionContext.execute(MavenExecutionContext.java:339)
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.internal.embedder.MavenExecutionContext.execute(MavenExecutionContext.java:278)
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.internal.builder.MavenBuilder$BuildMethod.execute(MavenBuilder.java:83)
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.internal.builder.MavenBuilder.build(MavenBuilder.java:192)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.events.BuildManager$2.run(BuildManager.java:1077)
	at org.eclipse.core.runtime.SafeRunner.run(SafeRunner.java:47)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.events.BuildManager.basicBuild(BuildManager.java:296)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.events.BuildManager.basicBuild(BuildManager.java:352)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.events.BuildManager$1.run(BuildManager.java:441)
	at org.eclipse.core.runtime.SafeRunner.run(SafeRunner.java:47)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.events.BuildManager.basicBuild(BuildManager.java:444)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.events.BuildManager.basicBuildLoop(BuildManager.java:555)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.events.BuildManager.basicBuildLoop(BuildManager.java:503)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.events.BuildManager.build(BuildManager.java:585)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.events.AutoBuildJob.doBuild(AutoBuildJob.java:207)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.events.AutoBuildJob.run(AutoBuildJob.java:300)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.jobs.Worker.run(Worker.java:63)
Caused by: org.apache.maven.plugin.MojoFailureException: Could not execute prepare-frontend goal.
	at com.vaadin.flow.plugin.maven.PrepareFrontendMojo.execute(PrepareFrontendMojo.java:66)
	at org.apache.maven.plugin.DefaultBuildPluginManager.executeMojo(DefaultBuildPluginManager.java:126)
	at org.eclipse.m2e.core.internal.embedder.MavenExecutionContext.executeMojo(MavenExecutionContext.java:402)
	... 32 more
Caused by: com.vaadin.flow.server.ExecutionFailedException: Error occured during goal execution: Cannot invoke "java.lang.Class.isInterface()" because the return value of "org.reflections.Reflections.forClass(String, java.lang.ClassLoader[])" is null

Please run Maven with the -e switch (or Gradle with the --stacktrace switch), to learn the full stack trace.
	at com.vaadin.flow.plugin.base.BuildFrontendUtil.prepareFrontend(BuildFrontendUtil.java:178)
	at com.vaadin.flow.plugin.maven.PrepareFrontendMojo.execute(PrepareFrontendMojo.java:64)
	... 34 more
Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException: Cannot invoke "java.lang.Class.isInterface()" because the return value of "org.reflections.Reflections.forClass(String, java.lang.ClassLoader[])" is null
	at org.reflections.Reflections.lambda$getTypesAnnotatedWith$12(Reflections.java:405)
	at java.base/java.util.stream.ReferencePipeline$2$1.accept(ReferencePipeline.java:178)
	at java.base/java.util.Iterator.forEachRemaining(Iterator.java:133)
	at java.base/java.util.Spliterators$IteratorSpliterator.forEachRemaining(Spliterators.java:1845)
	at java.base/java.util.stream.AbstractPipeline.copyInto(AbstractPipeline.java:509)
	at java.base/java.util.stream.AbstractPipeline.wrapAndCopyInto(AbstractPipeline.java:499)
	at java.base/java.util.stream.ReduceOps$ReduceOp.evaluateSequential(ReduceOps.java:921)
	at java.base/java.util.stream.AbstractPipeline.evaluate(AbstractPipeline.java:234)
	at java.base/java.util.stream.ReferencePipeline.collect(ReferencePipeline.java:682)
	at org.reflections.util.QueryFunction.lambda$filter$3(QueryFunction.java:32)
	at org.reflections.util.QueryFunction.lambda$add$9(QueryFunction.java:66)
	at org.reflections.util.QueryFunction.lambda$add$9(QueryFunction.java:66)
	at org.reflections.util.QueryFunction.lambda$asClass$13(QueryFunction.java:89)
	at org.reflections.Reflections.get(Reflections.java:365)
	at org.reflections.Reflections.getTypesAnnotatedWith(Reflections.java:403)
	at com.vaadin.flow.server.scanner.ReflectionsClassFinder.getAnnotatedClasses(ReflectionsClassFinder.java:87)
	at com.vaadin.flow.server.frontend.scanner.ClassFinder$CachedClassFinder.lambda$getAnnotatedClasses$0(ClassFinder.java:154)
	at java.base/java.util.HashMap.computeIfAbsent(HashMap.java:1220)
	at com.vaadin.flow.server.frontend.scanner.ClassFinder$CachedClassFinder.getAnnotatedClasses(ClassFinder.java:153)
	at com.vaadin.flow.server.frontend.scanner.FullDependenciesScanner.verifyTheme(FullDependenciesScanner.java:390)
	at com.vaadin.flow.server.frontend.scanner.FullDependenciesScanner.discoverTheme(FullDependenciesScanner.java:349)
	at com.vaadin.flow.server.frontend.scanner.FullDependenciesScanner.<init>(FullDependenciesScanner.java:141)
	at com.vaadin.flow.server.frontend.scanner.FullDependenciesScanner.<init>(FullDependenciesScanner.java:94)
	at com.vaadin.flow.server.frontend.scanner.FrontendDependenciesScanner$FrontendDependenciesScannerFactory.createScanner(FrontendDependenciesScanner.java:93)
	at com.vaadin.flow.server.frontend.NodeTasks.<init>(NodeTasks.java:125)
	at com.vaadin.flow.plugin.base.BuildFrontendUtil.prepareFrontend(BuildFrontendUtil.java:172)
	... 35 more

Expected-behavior

The project starts

Reproduction

npm init vaadin@latest
open project in VS Code
run the Application class

System Info

Vaadin 24.4.12

[Artur-]

This is presumably related to

1. The project using Java 21
2. VS Code running the prepare-frontend target automatically because of some existing lifecycle mapping for Eclipse
3. VS Code not using Java 21 when running that Maven task