Gradle Execution failed for task extractReleaseAnn

I'm trying to set up an Android Library module which depends on two other library modules. We use android.support.annotation framework to add annotations on some of the methods. When I try to build the aar, this is what I get:

:hce_entry:extractReleaseAnnotations FAILED
Error:Execution failed for task ':hce_entry:extractReleaseAnnotations'.
> java.lang.NullPointerException (no error message)

I tried to get some more information executing gradle build with --stacktrace option, and this is the output:

...
:hce_entry:extractReleaseAnnotations FAILED

FAILURE: Build failed with an exception.

What went wrong:
Execution failed for task ':hce_entry:extractReleaseAnnotations'.
java.lang.NullPointerException (no error message)

Try:
Run with --info or --debug option to get more log output.

Exception is:
org.gradle.api.tasks.TaskExecutionException: Execution failed for task ':hce_entry:extractReleaseAnnotations'.
        at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.executeActions(ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.java:69)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.execute(ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.java:46)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.PostExecutionAnalysisTaskExecuter.execute(PostExecutionAnalysisTaskExecuter.java:35)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.SkipUpToDateTaskExecuter.execute(SkipUpToDateTaskExecuter.java:64)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.ValidatingTaskExecuter.execute(ValidatingTaskExecuter.java:58)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.SkipEmptySourceFilesTaskExecuter.execute(SkipEmptySourceFilesTaskExecuter.java:52)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.SkipTaskWithNoActionsExecuter.execute(SkipTaskWithNoActionsExecuter.java:52)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.SkipOnlyIfTaskExecuter.execute(SkipOnlyIfTaskExecuter.java:53)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.ExecuteAtMostOnceTaskExecuter.execute(ExecuteAtMostOnceTaskExecuter.java:43)
        at org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.DefaultTaskGraphExecuter$EventFiringTaskWorker.execute(DefaultTaskGraphExecuter.java:203)
        at org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.DefaultTaskGraphExecuter$EventFiringTaskWorker.execute(DefaultTaskGraphExecuter.java:185)
        at org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.AbstractTaskPlanExecutor$TaskExecutorWorker.processTask(AbstractTaskPlanExecutor.java:62)
        at org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.AbstractTaskPlanExecutor$TaskExecutorWorker.run(AbstractTaskPlanExecutor.java:50)
        at org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.DefaultTaskPlanExecutor.process(DefaultTaskPlanExecutor.java:25)
        at org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.DefaultTaskGraphExecuter.execute(DefaultTaskGraphExecuter.java:110)
        at org.gradle.execution.SelectedTaskExecutionAction.execute(SelectedTaskExecutionAction.java:37)
        at org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildExecuter.execute(DefaultBuildExecuter.java:37)
        at org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildExecuter.access$000(DefaultBuildExecuter.java:23)
        at org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildExecuter$1.proceed(DefaultBuildExecuter.java:43)
        at org.gradle.execution.DryRunBuildExecutionAction.execute(DryRunBuildExecutionAction.java:32)
        at org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildExecuter.execute(DefaultBuildExecuter.java:37)
        at org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildExecuter.execute(DefaultBuildExecuter.java:30)
        at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher$4.run(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:154)
        at org.gradle.internal.Factories$1.create(Factories.java:22)
        at org.gradle.internal.progress.DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.run(DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.java:90)
        at org.gradle.internal.progress.DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.run(DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.java:52)
        at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher.doBuildStages(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:151)
        at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher.access$200(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:32)
        at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher$1.create(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:99)
        at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher$1.create(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:93)
        at org.gradle.internal.progress.DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.run(DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.java:90)
        at org.gradle.internal.progress.DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.run(DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.java:62)
        at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher.doBuild(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:93)
        at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher.run(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:82)
        at org.gradle.launcher.exec.InProcessBuildActionExecuter$DefaultBuildController.run(InProcessBuildActionExecuter.java:94)
        at org.gradle.tooling.internal.provider.ExecuteBuildActionRunner.run(ExecuteBuildActionRunner.java:28)
        at org.gradle.launcher.exec.ChainingBuildActionRunner.run(ChainingBuildActionRunner.java:35)
        at org.gradle.launcher.exec.InProcessBuildActionExecuter.execute(InProcessBuildActionExecuter.java:43)
        at org.gradle.launcher.exec.InProcessBuildActionExecuter.execute(InProcessBuildActionExecuter.java:28)
        at org.gradle.launcher.exec.ContinuousBuildActionExecuter.execute(ContinuousBuildActionExecuter.java:77)
        at org.gradle.launcher.exec.ContinuousBuildActionExecuter.execute(ContinuousBuildActionExecuter.java:47)
        at org.gradle.launcher.exec.DaemonUsageSuggestingBuildActionExecuter.execute(DaemonUsageSuggestingBuildActionExecuter.java:51)
        at org.gradle.launcher.exec.DaemonUsageSuggestingBuildActionExecuter.execute(DaemonUsageSuggestingBuildActionExecuter.java:28)
        at org.gradle.launcher.cli.RunBuildAction.run(RunBuildAction.java:43)
        at org.gradle.internal.Actions$RunnableActionAdapter.execute(Actions.java:170)
        at org.gradle.launcher.cli.CommandLineActionFactory$ParseAndBuildAction.execute(CommandLineActionFactory.java:237)
        at org.gradle.launcher.cli.CommandLineActionFactory$ParseAndBuildAction.execute(CommandLineActionFactory.java:210)
        at org.gradle.launcher.cli.JavaRuntimeValidationAction.execute(JavaRuntimeValidationAction.java:35)
        at org.gradle.launcher.cli.JavaRuntimeValidationAction.execute(JavaRuntimeValidationAction.java:24)
        at org.gradle.launcher.cli.CommandLineActionFactory$WithLogging.execute(CommandLineActionFactory.java:206)
        at org.gradle.launcher.cli.CommandLineActionFactory$WithLogging.execute(CommandLineActionFactory.java:169)
        at org.gradle.launcher.cli.ExceptionReportingAction.execute(ExceptionReportingAction.java:33)
        at org.gradle.launcher.cli.ExceptionReportingAction.execute(ExceptionReportingAction.java:22)
        at org.gradle.launcher.Main.doAction(Main.java:33)
        at org.gradle.launcher.bootstrap.EntryPoint.run(EntryPoint.java:45)
        at org.gradle.launcher.bootstrap.ProcessBootstrap.runNoExit(ProcessBootstrap.java:54)
        at org.gradle.launcher.bootstrap.ProcessBootstrap.run(ProcessBootstrap.java:35)
        at org.gradle.launcher.GradleMain.main(GradleMain.java:23)
Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException
        at com.android.build.gradle.tasks.annotations.Extractor$AnnotationData.appendExpression(Extractor.java:1603)
        at com.android.build.gradle.tasks.annotations.Extractor$AnnotationData.attributeString(Extractor.java:1592)
        at com.android.build.gradle.tasks.annotations.Extractor$AnnotationData.write(Extractor.java:1545)
        at com.android.build.gradle.tasks.annotations.Extractor$Item.write(Extractor.java:1792)
        at com.android.build.gradle.tasks.annotations.Extractor.writeExternalAnnotations(Extractor.java:769)
        at com.android.build.gradle.tasks.annotations.Extractor.export(Extractor.java:271)
        at com.android.build.gradle.tasks.annotations.Extractor$export$0.call(Unknown Source)
        at com.android.build.gradle.tasks.ExtractAnnotations.compile(ExtractAnnotations.groovy:172)
        at org.gradle.internal.reflect.JavaMethod.invoke(JavaMethod.java:75)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.project.taskfactory.AnnotationProcessingTaskFactory$StandardTaskAction.doExecute(AnnotationProcessingTaskFactory.java:227)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.project.taskfactory.AnnotationProcessingTaskFactory$StandardTaskAction.execute(AnnotationProcessingTaskFactory.java:220)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.project.taskfactory.AnnotationProcessingTaskFactory$StandardTaskAction.execute(AnnotationProcessingTaskFactory.java:209)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.AbstractTask$TaskActionWrapper.execute(AbstractTask.java:585)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.AbstractTask$TaskActionWrapper.execute(AbstractTask.java:568)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.executeAction(ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.java:80)
        at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.executeActions(ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.java:61)
        ... 57 more


BUILD FAILED

This is my build.gradle file

apply plugin: 'com.android.library'

android {
    compileSdkVersion 19
    buildToolsVersion '19.1.0'

    buildTypes {
        release {
            minifyEnabled false
            proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'
        }
        debug {
            debuggable true
            minifyEnabled false
        }
    }
}

dependencies {
    compile project(':core')
    compile project(':lib')
    compile 'com.android.support:support-v4:23.2.0'
}

Anyone could give me any advice? I'm a bit lost and could not find anything to solve the problem.

Thank you in advance.

I just spent a few days trying to track this issue down and discovered it came down to an @IntDef() which I left empty. Specifically, I had @IntDef({}) instead of @IntDef({CONSTANT1, CONSTANT2})