The context-root element of the application.xml file is not generated correctly as plugin.jelly for the ear plugin uses the wrong variable for the context-root. The script uses ear.appxml.ear.context-root. It should be ear.appxml.war.context-root. Also I seem to remember that the property maven.ear.appxml.generate is also incorrectly stated as maven.j2ee.ear.appxml.generate in the documentation.