[MNG-8008] Extensions should be configurable centrally for all Maven projects on a single machine

**[Benjamin Muschko](https://issues.apache.org/jira/secure/ViewProfile.jspa?name=bmuschko)** opened **[MNG-8008](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/MNG-8008?redirect=false)** and commented

Extensions can only be configured in the project directory under `{}.mvn/extensions.xml{`}. Right now, there's no option to provide an extension to all Maven projects running on the same machine. Therefore, the same boilerplate code needs to be copied from project to project.

For example, say you want to add the [Develocity Maven extension](https://scans.gradle.com/#maven) for all projects built by a CI agent, then this currently not possible would checking the XML into every project's source code. For bigger enterprises, this would involve a lot of labor or require the use or implementation for an automated script/tool.

It should be possible to place an `extensions.xml` in the Maven home directory or configure it as part of `settings.xml` to provide the extension centrally.

This issue is related to https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/MNG-5820 though the mentioned use case is different.

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**Affects:** 3.9.6

0 votes, 5 watchers

Start by comparing the existing project-level .mvn/extensions.xml configuration with the proposed Maven home directory and settings.xml locations. Determine the intended scope and precedence, then verify that an extension configured centrally is applied to multiple Maven projects without requiring project boilerplate.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.