Play framework hangs on startup at: "Loading project definition from"

I am just getting started with Play Framework. I have downloaded and installed play and created a sample java application. When I try to start the play console in the application directory it hangs at "Loading project definition".

PS C:\dev\play\javatest> play.bat
Getting org.scala-sbt sbt_2.9.1 0.11.3 ...
:: retrieving :: org.scala-sbt#boot-app
        confs: [default]
        37 artifacts copied, 0 already retrieved (7245kB/283ms)
[info] Loading project definition from C:\dev\play\myFirstApp\project

When i try running a Scala application i get a message about it waiting for a lock:

PS C:\dev\play\scalatest> play
[info] Loading project definition from C:\dev\play\test1\project
Waiting for lock on C:\lib\play\repository\.sbt.ivy.lock to be available...

Running Windows 7, JDK 1.7.0_05 and Play Framework 2.0.2. Any ideas?

I just experienced this myself with Play 2 and it turns out it wasn't truly hanging, it was just pulling a maven and downloading the Internet. To verify this is the same behavior you were experiencing edit project/plugins.sbt and replace:

logLevel := Level.Warn

with

logLevel := Level.Debug

(Though I am building on OSX I imagine you will experience similar output on Windows.)

Just to add to existing answer here,

I am also seeing this behaviour after I upgraded from Play 2.2x to Play 2.3.x ( see MigrationGuide )

I was debugging as follows below.

On Linux, goto your project folder and then:

$ bash -x `which sbt`
.... OUTPUT SKIPPED....
++ ((  128 < 512  ))
++ local 'common_opts=-Xms1024m -Xmx1024m -XX:ReservedCodeCacheSize=128m'
++ [[ 1.7.0_55 < 1.8 ]]
++ local perm=256
++ echo '-Xms1024m -Xmx1024m -XX:ReservedCodeCacheSize=128m -XX:MaxPermSize=256m'
+ execRunner java -Xms1024m -Xmx1024m -XX:ReservedCodeCacheSize=128m -XX:MaxPermSize=256m -jar /usr/share/sbt-launcher-packaging/bin/sbt-launch.jar
+ [[ -n '' ]]
+ [[ -n '' ]]
+ java -Xms1024m -Xmx1024m -XX:ReservedCodeCacheSize=128m -XX:MaxPermSize=256m -jar /usr/share/sbt-launcher-packaging/bin/sbt-launch.jar

Note down the command in last line, cancel the current process Ctrl+C, and execute it adding -verbose option to java:

java -verbose -Xms1024m -Xmx1024m -XX:ReservedCodeCacheSize=128m -XX:MaxPermSize=256m -jar /usr/share/sbt-launcher-packaging/bin/sbt-launch.jar

Finally I also added logLevel := Level.Debug in project/plugins.sbt.

However, it keeps giving output like this:

.... OUTPUT SKIPPED....
info] 	[SUCCESSFUL ] org.apache.maven.doxia#doxia-sink-api;1.1!doxia-sink-api.jar (2065ms)
[debug] 		tried http://repo.typesafe.com/typesafe/ivy-releases/org.apache.maven.doxia/doxia-logging-api/1.1/jars/doxia-logging-api.jar
[debug] CLIENT ERROR: Not Found url=http://repo.typesafe.com/typesafe/ivy-releases/org.apache.maven.doxia/doxia-logging-api/1.1/jars/doxia-logging-api.jar
[debug] 		tried http://repo.scala-sbt.org/scalasbt/sbt-plugin-releases/org.apache.maven.doxia/doxia-logging-api/1.1/jars/doxia-logging-api.jar
[debug] CLIENT ERROR: Not Found url=http://repo.scala-sbt.org/scalasbt/sbt-plugin-releases/org.apache.maven.doxia/doxia-logging-api/1.1/jars/doxia-logging-api.jar
[debug] 		tried /home/saleem/.ivy2/local/org.apache.maven.doxia/doxia-logging-api/1.1/jars/doxia-logging-api.jar
[debug] 		tried http://repo1.maven.org/maven2/org/apache/maven/doxia/doxia-logging-api/1.1/doxia-logging-api-1.1.jar
[info] downloading http://repo1.maven.org/maven2/org/apache/maven/doxia/doxia-logging-api/1.1/doxia-logging-api-1.1.jar ...
[debug] 	public: downloading http://repo1.maven.org/maven2/org/apache/maven/doxia/doxia-logging-api/1.1/doxia-logging-api-1.1.jar
[debug] 	public: downloading http://repo1.maven.org/maven2/org/apache/maven/doxia/doxia-logging-api/1.1/doxia-logging-api-1.1.jar.sha1
[debug] sha1 OK for http://repo1.maven.org/maven2/org/apache/maven/doxia/doxia-logging-api/1.1/doxia-logging-api-1.1.jar
[info] 	[SUCCESSFUL ] org.apache.maven.doxia#doxia-logging-api;1.1!doxia-logging-api.jar (3997ms)
[debug] 		tried http://repo.typesafe.com/typesafe/ivy-releases/org.apache.maven/maven-plugin-registry/2.2.1/jars/maven-plugin-registry.jar
[debug] CLIENT ERROR: Not Found url=http://repo.typesafe.com/typesafe/ivy-releases/org.apache.maven/maven-plugin-registry/2.2.1/jars/maven-plugin-registry.jar
[debug] 		tried http://repo.scala-sbt.org/scalasbt/sbt-plugin-releases/org.apache.maven/maven-plugin-registry/2.2.1/jars/maven-plugin-registry.jar
[debug] CLIENT ERROR: Not Found url=http://repo.scala-sbt.org/scalasbt/sbt-plugin-releases/org.apache.maven/maven-plugin-registry/2.2.1/jars/maven-plugin-registry.jar
[debug] 		tried /home/saleem/.ivy2/local/org.apache.maven/maven-plugin-registry/2.2.1/jars/maven-plugin-registry.jar
[debug] 		tried http://repo1.maven.org/maven2/org/apache/maven/maven-plugin-registry/2.2.1/maven-plugin-registry-2.2.1.jar
[info] downloading http://repo1.maven.org/maven2/org/apache/maven/maven-plugin-registry/2.2.1/maven-plugin-registry-2.2.1.jar ...
[debug] 	public: downloading http://repo1.maven.org/maven2/org/apache/maven/maven-plugin-registry/2.2.1/maven-plugin-registry-2.2.1.jar
[debug] 	public: downloading http://repo1.maven.org/maven2/org/apache/maven/maven-plugin-registry/2.2.1/maven-plugin-registry-2.2.1.jar.sha1
[debug] sha1 OK for http://repo1.maven.org/maven2/org/apache/maven/maven-plugin-registry/2.2.1/maven-plugin-registry-2.2.1.jar
[info] 	[SUCCESSFUL ] org.apache.maven#maven-plugin-registry;2.2.1!maven-plugin-registry.jar (2025ms)
[debug] 		tried http://repo.typesafe.com/typesafe/ivy-releases/backport-util-concurrent/backport-util-concurrent/3.1/jars/backport-util-concurrent.jar
[debug] CLIENT ERROR: Not Found url=http://repo.typesafe.com/typesafe/ivy-releases/backport-util-concurrent/backport-util-concurrent/3.1/jars/backport-util-concurrent.jar
[debug] 		tried http://repo.scala-sbt.org/scalasbt/sbt-plugin-releases/backport-util-concurrent/backport-util-concurrent/3.1/jars/backport-util-concurrent.jar
[debug] CLIENT ERROR: Not Found url=http://repo.scala-sbt.org/scalasbt/sbt-plugin-releases/backport-util-concurrent/backport-util-concurrent/3.1/jars/backport-util-concurrent.jar
[debug] 		tried /home/saleem/.ivy2/local/backport-util-concurrent/backport-util-concurrent/3.1/jars/backport-util-concurrent.jar
[debug] 		tried http://repo1.maven.org/maven2/backport-util-concurrent/backport-util-concurrent/3.1/backport-util-concurrent-3.1.jar
[info] downloading http://repo1.maven.org/maven2/backport-util-concurrent/backport-util-concurrent/3.1/backport-util-concurrent-3.1.jar ...
[debug] 	public: downloading http://repo1.maven.org/maven2/backport-util-concurrent/backport-util-concurrent/3.1/backport-util-concurrent-3.1.jar
.... OUTPUT SKIPPED....

There appears to be too many jars to be downloaded. I am now using offline version of Typesafe Activator ( 356MB download here ), and this is so much faster!

Try aborting your build, deleting the referenced lock file then doing a 'play run' again.