JBoss/WildFly on Windows does not deploy WSL project artifact: Waiting for server connection

Problem

In IntelliJ IDEA on Windows, a project is opened from the WSL file system (\\wsl.localhost\<distribution>\... or \\wsl$\<distribution>\...). A local JBoss/WildFly Server run configuration points to a WildFly installation on Windows. When the run configuration starts, WildFly starts, but the artifact (WAR, EAR, or exploded) is not deployed and no deployment error is shown.

Environment:

• IntelliJ IDEA 2026.2.3 (build 262.10968.63)
• Windows with WSL2 (Ubuntu)
• WildFly installed on Windows and project in WSL
• Project JDK installed inside WSL (Amazon Corretto 21 in ~/.jdks)

Symptoms:

• The Run tool window output stops at this line and does not change:

Artifact <artifact-name>: Waiting for server connection to start artifact deployment…

• The server ports are detected (for example Detected server admin port: 9990 and Detected server http port: 8080), but the application is not available.
• The first click on Stop does nothing. When the run configuration is stopped, no notification appears.
• idea.log contains an IJent error for the WSL distribution, similar to this one "No such file or directory (os error 2)":

WARN - #c.i.p.i.grpc - IjentId(ijent-0-wsl-Ubuntu) log: ijent::grpc_stdio_server ijent::-grpc::start_process:send_messages_to_and_from_process: Exec error Couldn't run In "C:\\Users\\user\\AppData\\Local\\Temp\\jboss.working.dir4" execute /home/user/.jdks/corretto-21.0.12.1/bin/java -Dfile.encoding=UTF-8 -classpath C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\classpath2024939.jar com.intellij.javaee.oss.process.JavaeeProcess 57527 com.intellij.javaee.oss.jboss.agent.WildFly28Agent: 2: No such file or directory (os error 2)

Cause

IntelliJ IDEA uses a helper Java process (JavaeeProcess) to deploy artifacts to JBoss/WildFly, and that process connects to the server management interface. The helper process uses the JRE selected in the run configuration. If no JRE is selected, it uses the project JDK.

For a project in WSL, the project JDK is usually a Linux JDK inside WSL. IntelliJ IDEA prepares the helper process for Windows, where the server is installed, with a Windows working directory (jboss.working.dir) and a Windows classpath file. The process is then started with the Linux java inside WSL, and the start fails with No such file or directory. Because the helper process never connects to the server, deployment does not start.

The build of a WSL project accepts only paths in the WSL file system, so a Windows path in Output directory is rejected.

Resolution

1. If the artifact Output directory was changed to a Windows path, go to File | Project Structure | Artifacts and set it back to a path in the WSL file system.
2. Open the JBoss/WildFly Server run configuration and select the Server tab.
3. In the JRE field, select a JDK installed on Windows.
4. Start the run configuration again.

The JRE field is described in Run/Debug Configuration: JBoss Server.

If deployment still does not start, run the project and the application server in the same environment:

• Install WildFly in the same WSL distribution as the project.
• Or keep the project on the Windows file system and use a Windows JDK.

For more on projects in WSL, see WSL in IntelliJ IDEA.