chore: scaffold LaunchDarkly Java AI SDK module foundation (AIC-2661)

[ctawiah]

Requirements

• I have added test coverage for new or changed functionality
• I have followed the repository's pull request submission guidelines
• I have validated my changes against all supported platform versions

Note on test coverage: this is the foundation step (AIC-2661) and intentionally ships no SDK behavior, so there is nothing to unit test yet. The module is validated by ./gradlew build (compile + checkstyle + javadoc + jacoco) and ./gradlew publishToMavenLocal. Test coverage begins in Step 2 (AIC-2662). Validated locally on Temurin/OpenJDK 17; CI exercises the full JDK 8/11/17 matrix.

Related issues

• Epic: AIC-2629 — Java AI SDK
• This PR: AIC-2661 — Step 1: Foundation

Describe the solution you've provided

Stands up the new lib/sdk/server-ai Gradle module from scratch with the same build, quality-gate, and release machinery as sibling modules (lib/sdk/server, lib/java-server-sdk-otel, lib/java-server-sdk-redis-store), so every later step in the epic lands on a solid, CI-enforced base.

• Module setup: build.gradle (java-library, Java 8 source/target), settings.gradle, gradle.properties (release-please version=0.1.0 markers), checkstyle.xml, .gitignore, .gitattributes, CHANGELOG.md, README.md, Gradle wrapper, and a documented package-info.java.
• Dependencies: api 'com.launchdarkly:launchdarkly-java-server-sdk:7.14.0' (it appears in the public signature via LDClientInterface). A Mustache templating dependency is not added in this PR — it will be introduced in a later step (AIC-2662) once its audit (license / maintenance / transitive deps) is complete. The published POM therefore declares only the base SDK dependency.
• Quality gates: checkstyle + jacoco, matching the actual repo standard. Signing is skipped for local/CI builds via LD_SKIP_SIGNING.
• Internal-visibility convention: non-API code will live under com.launchdarkly.sdk.server.ai.internal, which is excluded from the published Javadoc and sources jars (configured in build.gradle, documented in README.md / package-info.java).
• CI: .github/workflows/java-server-sdk-ai.yml runs the shared CI composite over a JDK 8 / 11 / 17 matrix.
• Release: registered in .release-please-manifest.json (0.1.0) and release-please-config.json (launchdarkly-java-server-sdk-ai, extra-files: [gradle.properties]).

Verified locally: ./gradlew clean build → BUILD SUCCESSFUL; ./gradlew publishToMavenLocal → com.launchdarkly:launchdarkly-java-server-sdk-ai:0.1.0 (jar/sources/javadoc/pom).

Describe alternatives you've considered

• Module placement: placed under lib/sdk/ next to the core SDK (lib/sdk/server), mirroring the JS reference layout (packages/sdk/server-ai), rather than the flat lib/java-server-sdk-* add-on pattern used by the otel/redis integrations.
• Quality gates: the ticket text mentioned error-prone/spotbugs, but no sibling module enforces them; aligned with the repo standard (checkstyle + jacoco) instead to avoid inconsistent CI friction.
• CI scope: siblings run Java 8 only; opted for an 8/11/17 matrix to match the ticket's intent and genuinely test forward compatibility.

Additional context

• This is the first of six PRs in the epic. No SDK behavior is implemented here — data model, client, tracker, and evaluation land in AIC-2662 through AIC-2666.
• The Mustache dependency and its audit are deferred to AIC-2662.
• javadoc { failOnError = false } is a temporary shim because an otherwise-empty module trips javadoc's "no classes to document" error; there is a TODO(AIC-2662) to restore failOnError = true once the first public types land.

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Note

Low Risk
Infrastructure-only scaffolding with no product logic; only adds a new publishable module and CI/release wiring.

Overview
Adds a new lib/sdk/server-ai Gradle module for launchdarkly-java-server-sdk-ai (v0.1.0) as the foundation for the Server-Side AI SDK—no AI Config APIs or runtime behavior yet, only package-info.java under com.launchdarkly.sdk.server.ai.

The build mirrors sibling libraries: Java 8 target, api dependency on launchdarkly-java-server-sdk:7.14.0, checkstyle/jacoco, Maven publish/signing (with LD_SKIP_SIGNING), and exclusion of com.launchdarkly.sdk.server.ai.internal from published Javadoc/sources. Javadoc failOnError is temporarily disabled until public types land.

CI is wired via .github/workflows/java-server-sdk-ai.yml, running the shared composite action against lib/sdk/server-ai on a JDK 8 / 11 / 17 matrix. Release Please entries were added in .release-please-manifest.json and release-please-config.json.

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Cursor Bugbot has reviewed your changes using default effort and found 1 potential issue.

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Release Please publish job missing

Medium Severity

This change registers lib/sdk/server-ai in release-please, but release-please.yml has no output for lib/sdk/server-ai--release_created and no full-release job targeting lib/sdk/server-ai. When release-please marks a release for this component, nothing will publish the artifact to Sonatype/Maven Central.

Additional Locations (1)

• .release-please-manifest.json#L1-L2

 

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