diff --git a/settings.gradle b/settings.gradle
index b692eb8a0..f6863ada0 100644
--- a/settings.gradle
+++ b/settings.gradle
@@ -1 +1,7 @@
 rootProject.name = 'cadence-client'
+
+if(JavaVersion.current() != JavaVersion.VERSION_11){
+    // specifically:
+    // - known broken on 13, error-prone throws an exception
+    throw new GradleException("This build must be run with Java 11")
+}
\ No newline at end of file