diff --git a/app/.gitignore b/app/.gitignore
index 51f7f5c15..81e75864d 100644
--- a/app/.gitignore
+++ b/app/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,2 @@
 bin
-generated
 pde.jar
diff --git a/java/.gitignore b/java/.gitignore
index fd5f47b51..325dcf926 100644
--- a/java/.gitignore
+++ b/java/.gitignore
@@ -1 +1,5 @@
 reference.zip
+bin
+generated
+mode/JavaMode.jar
+
diff --git a/java/build.xml b/java/build.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a9f2e2d5f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/java/build.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+<?xml version="1.0"?>
+<project name="Java Mode" default="build">
+
+  <property name="generated" 
+	    value="${basedir}/generated/processing/mode/java/preproc" />
+  <mkdir dir="${generated}" />
+
+  <property name="grammars" 
+	    value="${basedir}/src/processing/mode/java/preproc" />
+
+  <property name="antlr_jar" 
+	    value="${basedir}/mode/antlr.jar" />
+
+  <property name="mode_jar"
+            value="${basedir}/mode/JavaMode.jar" />
+
+  <classloader taskname="antlr">
+    <classpath path="${antlr_jar}" />
+  </classloader>
+
+  <target name="clean" description="Clean the build directories">
+    <delete dir="bin" />
+    <delete file="${mode_jar}" />
+    <delete>
+      <fileset dir="${generated}">
+	<include name="*.java" />
+	<include name="*.tokens" />
+	<include name="*.txt" />
+	<include name="*.g" />
+	<include name="*.smap" />
+	<include name="*.properties" />
+      </fileset>
+    </delete>
+  </target>
+
+  <target name="preproc" description="Compile ANTLR grammar">
+    <antlr target="${grammars}/java15.g" outputdirectory="${generated}">
+      <classpath path="${antlr_jar}" />
+    </antlr>
+    <antlr target="${grammars}/pde.g" 
+	   outputdirectory="${generated}" 
+	   glib="${grammars}/java15.g">
+      <classpath path="${antlr_jar}" />
+    </antlr>
+  </target>
+
+  <target name="compile" depends="preproc" description="Compile sources">
+    <condition property="core-built">
+      <available file="../core/library/core.jar" />
+    </condition>
+    <fail unless="core-built" message="Please first build the core library and make sure it is located at ../core/library/core.jar" />
+
+    <condition property="app-built">
+      <available file="../app/pde.jar" />
+    </condition>
+    <fail unless="app-built" message="Please build app first and make sure it is located at ../app/pde.jar" />
+
+
+    <mkdir dir="bin" />
+       
+    <!-- in some cases, pde.jar was not getting built
+	 https://github.com/processing/processing/issues/1792 -->
+    <delete file="${mode_jar}" />
+
+    <!-- env used to set classpath below -->
+    <property environment="env" />
+
+    <javac source="1.7"
+	   target="1.7"
+	   destdir="bin" 
+	   excludes="**/tools/format/**" 
+	   encoding="UTF-8" 
+	   includeAntRuntime="false" 
+	   classpath="../core/library/core.jar; 
+
+                      ../app/pde.jar;
+                      ../app/lib/ant.jar; 
+                      ../app/lib/ant-launcher.jar; 
+                      ../app/lib/apple.jar; 
+                      ../app/lib/jna.jar; 
+
+                      mode/antlr.jar; 
+                      mode/classpath-explorer-1.0.jar; 
+                      mode/jsoup-1.7.1.jar;
+                      mode/org.netbeans.swing.outline.jar; 
+
+                      mode/jdi.jar; 
+                      mode/jdimodel.jar; 
+
+                      mode/com.ibm.icu.jar;
+
+                      mode/org.eclipse.core.contenttype.jar;
+                      mode/org.eclipse.core.jobs.jar;
+                      mode/org.eclipse.core.resources.jar;
+                      mode/org.eclipse.core.runtime.jar;
+                      mode/org.eclipse.equinox.common.jar;
+                      mode/org.eclipse.equinox.preferences.jar;
+                      mode/org.eclipse.jdt.core.jar;
+                      mode/org.eclipse.osgi.jar;
+                      mode/org.eclipse.text.jar"
+	   debug="on"
+	   nowarn="true"
+	   compiler="org.eclipse.jdt.core.JDTCompilerAdapter">
+      <src path="src" />
+      <src path="generated" />
+      <compilerclasspath path="mode/org.eclipse.jdt.core.jar; 
+                               mode/jdtCompilerAdapter.jar" />
+    </javac>
+  </target>
+
+  <target name="build" depends="compile" description="Build PDE">
+    <jar basedir="bin" destfile="${mode_jar}" />
+  </target>
+</project>