diff --git a/maven/codenameone-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/codename1/builders/AndroidGradleBuilder.java b/maven/codenameone-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/codename1/builders/AndroidGradleBuilder.java
index 087f759bb9..c6523b425d 100644
--- a/maven/codenameone-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/codename1/builders/AndroidGradleBuilder.java
+++ b/maven/codenameone-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/codename1/builders/AndroidGradleBuilder.java
@@ -436,8 +436,19 @@ private String getGradleVersion(String gradleExe) throws Exception {
     private String getGradleJavaHome() throws BuildException {
         if (useGradle8) {
             String home =  System.getenv("JAVA17_HOME");
+            if (home == null && (home = getLocalBuilderProperties().getProperty("java17.home", null)) != null) {
+                if (!(new File(home)).isDirectory()) {
+                    throw new BuildException("The java17.home property is not set to a valid directory.  " +
+                            "You have defined it in your ~/.codenameone/local.properties file, " +
+                            "but it is not a valid directory."
+                    );
+                }
+            }
             if (home == null) {
-                throw new BuildException("When using gradle 8, you must set the JAVA17_HOME environment variable to the location of a Java 17 JDK");
+                throw new BuildException(
+                        "When using gradle 8, " +
+                                "you must set the JAVA17_HOME environment variable to the location of a Java 17 JDK"
+                );
             }
 
             if (!(new File(home).isDirectory())) {
@@ -448,7 +459,6 @@ private String getGradleJavaHome() throws BuildException {
         }
         return System.getProperty("java.home");
     }
-
     private int parseVersionStringAsInt(String versionString) {
         if (versionString.indexOf(".") > 0) {
             try {
@@ -3528,6 +3538,10 @@ public void usesClassMethod(String cls, String method) {
             compileSdkVersion = "33";
             supportLibVersion = "28";
         }
+        if (buildToolsVersion.startsWith("34")) {
+            compileSdkVersion = "34";
+            supportLibVersion = "28";
+        }
         jcenter =
                 "      google()\n" +
                         "     jcenter()\n" +
diff --git a/maven/codenameone-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/codename1/builders/Executor.java b/maven/codenameone-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/codename1/builders/Executor.java
index 39f9a210f8..7f821e127f 100644
--- a/maven/codenameone-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/codename1/builders/Executor.java
+++ b/maven/codenameone-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/codename1/builders/Executor.java
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ public abstract class Executor {
     static boolean IS_MAC;
     protected final Map<String,String> defaultEnvironment = new HashMap<String,String>();
 
-
+    private Properties localBuilderProperties;
 
 
     protected File codenameOneJar;
@@ -2077,9 +2077,6 @@ public String xorEncode(String s) {
         }
     }
 
-
-
-
     private ClassLoader getCodenameOneJarClassLoader() throws IOException {
         if (codenameOneJar == null) {
             throw new IllegalStateException("Must set codenameOneJar in Executor");
@@ -2087,5 +2084,35 @@ private ClassLoader getCodenameOneJarClassLoader() throws IOException {
         return new URLClassLoader(new URL[]{codenameOneJar.toURI().toURL()});
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Loads global local builder properties from user's home directory.
+     * @return
+     * @throws IOException
+     */
+    protected Properties getLocalBuilderProperties() {
+        if (localBuilderProperties == null) {
+            String sep = File.separator;
+            File propertiesFile = new File(
+                    System.getProperty("user.home") + sep + ".codenameone" + sep + "local.properties"
+            );
+            localBuilderProperties = new Properties();
+            if (!propertiesFile.exists()) {
+                return localBuilderProperties;
 
+            }
+            try {
+                FileInputStream fis = new FileInputStream(propertiesFile);
+                try {
+                    localBuilderProperties.load(fis);
+                } finally {
+                    fis.close();
+                }
+            } catch (IOException ex) {
+                throw new RuntimeException("Failed to load local properties", ex);
+            }
+        }
+
+        return localBuilderProperties;
+
+    }
 }