diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/Kobalt.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/Kobalt.kt
index 21543539..07813e4e 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/Kobalt.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/Kobalt.kt
@@ -2,8 +2,6 @@ package com.beust.kobalt.api
 
 import com.beust.kobalt.Plugins
 import com.beust.kobalt.misc.Topological
-import com.beust.kobalt.plugins
-import com.google.common.collect.ArrayListMultimap
 import com.google.inject.Injector
 import java.io.File
 import java.io.InputStream
@@ -85,16 +83,20 @@ public class Kobalt {
 
         val version = properties.getProperty(PROPERTY_KOBALT_VERSION)
 
-        val topological = Topological<Project>()
+        val topologicalProjects = Topological<Project>()
 
+        /**
+         * Used by projects to specify that they depend on other projects, e.g.
+         * val p = javaProject(project1, project2) { ... }
+         */
         fun declareProjectDependencies(project: Project, projects: Array<out Project>) {
-            topological.addEdge(project, projects)
+            topologicalProjects.addEdge(project, projects)
         }
 
         /**
          * @return the projects sorted topologically.
          */
-        fun sortProjects(allProjects: ArrayList<Project>) = topological.sort(allProjects)
+        fun sortProjects(allProjects: ArrayList<Project>) = topologicalProjects.sort(allProjects)
 
         fun findPlugin(name: String) = Plugins.findPlugin(name)
     }
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/java/JavaPlugin.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/java/JavaPlugin.kt
index 800801e8..8e077975 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/java/JavaPlugin.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/java/JavaPlugin.kt
@@ -107,10 +107,11 @@ public class JavaPlugin @Inject constructor(
 }
 
 @Directive
-public fun javaProject(init: JavaProject.() -> Unit): JavaProject {
-    val pd = JavaProject()
-    pd.init()
-    return pd
+public fun javaProject(vararg project: Project, init: JavaProject.() -> Unit): JavaProject {
+    return JavaProject().apply {
+        init()
+        Kobalt.declareProjectDependencies(this, project)
+    }
 }
 
 class JavaCompilerConfig {