diff --git a/build.gradle b/build.gradle
index cb181510578..ee8b5135ac3 100644
--- a/build.gradle
+++ b/build.gradle
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import groovy.json.JsonSlurper
 import org.gradle.internal.os.OperatingSystem
+import org.jabref.build.xjc.XjcTask
 
 import static org.jabref.build.Dependencies.libraries
 
@@ -41,10 +42,10 @@ apply plugin: 'install4j'
 apply plugin: 'me.champeau.gradle.jmh'
 apply plugin: 'checkstyle'
 apply plugin: org.jabref.build.antlr.AntlrPlugin
+apply plugin: org.jabref.build.xjc.XjcPlugin
 
 apply from: 'eclipse.gradle'
 apply from: 'localization.gradle'
-apply from: 'xjc.gradle'
 
 group = "org.jabref"
 version = "5.0-dev"
@@ -144,6 +145,7 @@ dependencies {
     testCompile libraries.testFx
 
     checkstyle libraries.checkstyle
+    xjc libraries.xjc
 }
 
 jacoco {
@@ -221,7 +223,12 @@ processResources {
 }
 
 
-task generateSource(dependsOn: ["generateBstGrammarSource", "generateSearchGrammarSource"]) {
+task generateSource(dependsOn: ["generateBstGrammarSource",
+                                "generateSearchGrammarSource",
+                                "generateMedlineSource",
+                                "generateBibtexmlSource",
+                                "generateEndnoteSource",
+                                "generateModsSource"]) {
     group = 'JabRef'
     description 'Generates all Java source files.'
 }
@@ -245,14 +252,52 @@ task generateSearchGrammarSource(type: org.jabref.build.antlr.AntlrTask) {
     javaPackage = "org.jabref.search"
 }
 
-compileJava {
-    options.encoding = 'UTF-8'
-    options.compilerArgs << "-Xlint:none"
+task generateMedlineSource(type: XjcTask) {
+    group = 'JabRef'
+    description = "Generates java files for the medline importer."
+
+    schemaFile = "src/main/resources/xjc/medline/medline.xsd"
+    outputDirectory = "src/main/gen/"
+    javaPackage = "org.jabref.logic.importer.fileformat.medline"
+}
+
+task generateBibtexmlSource(type: XjcTask) {
+    group = 'JabRef'
+    description = "Generates java files for the bibtexml importer."
+
+    schemaFile = "src/main/resources/xjc/bibtexml/bibtexml.xsd"
+    outputDirectory = "src/main/gen"
+    javaPackage = "org.jabref.logic.importer.fileformat.bibtexml"
+}
+
+task generateEndnoteSource(type: XjcTask) {
+    group = 'JabRef'
+    description = "Generates java files for the endnote importer."
+
+    schemaFile = "src/main/resources/xjc/endnote/RSXML.dtd"
+    outputDirectory = "src/main/gen/"
+    javaPackage = "org.jabref.logic.importer.fileformat.endnote"
+    arguments = '-dtd'
+}
+
+task generateModsSource(type: XjcTask) {
+    group = 'JabRef'
+    description = "Generates java files for the mods importer."
+
+    schemaFile = "src/main/resources/xjc/mods/mods-3-7.xsd"
+    bindingFile = "src/main/resources/xjc/mods/mods-binding.xjb"
+    outputDirectory = "src/main/gen/"
+    javaPackage = "org.jabref.logic.importer.fileformat.mods"
+    arguments = '-npa'
+}
+
+tasks.withType(JavaCompile) {
+    options.encoding = 'UTF-8' // use UTF-8 for regular and test compilation
 }
-compileJava.dependsOn "generateSource"
 
-compileTestJava {
-    options.encoding = 'UTF-8'
+compileJava {
+    options.compilerArgs << "-Xlint:none"
+    dependsOn "generateSource"
 }
 
 javadoc {
diff --git a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/jabref/build/Dependencies.groovy b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/jabref/build/Dependencies.groovy
index bf7f416d2f4..e77dba70d28 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/jabref/build/Dependencies.groovy
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/jabref/build/Dependencies.groovy
@@ -61,7 +61,8 @@ class Dependencies {
             archUnit: "0.8.2",
             testFx: "4.0.+",
 
-            checkstyle: "8.10.1"
+            checkstyle: "8.10.1",
+            xjc: "2.2.4-1",
     ]
 
     static def libraries = [
@@ -171,6 +172,7 @@ class Dependencies {
             ],
 
             checkstyle: "com.puppycrawl.tools:checkstyle:${versions.checkstyle}",
+            xjc: "com.sun.xml.bind:jaxb-xjc:${versions.xjc}",
     ]
 
 }
diff --git a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/jabref/build/xjc/XjcPlugin.groovy b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/jabref/build/xjc/XjcPlugin.groovy
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..72e2c3644a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/jabref/build/xjc/XjcPlugin.groovy
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+package org.jabref.build.xjc
+
+import org.gradle.api.Plugin
+import org.gradle.api.Project
+
+class XjcPlugin implements Plugin<Project> {
+
+    static final def CONFIGURATION_NAME = "xjc"
+
+    @Override
+    void apply(Project target) {
+        def configuration = target.configurations.create(CONFIGURATION_NAME)
+        configuration.description = "Dependencies needed to run the XJC tool."
+
+        target.afterEvaluate { evaluated ->
+            evaluated.logger.info(evaluated.configurations.xjc.asPath)
+            evaluated.ant.taskdef(name: 'xjc', classname: 'com.sun.tools.xjc.XJCTask', classpath: evaluated.configurations.getByName(CONFIGURATION_NAME).asPath)
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/jabref/build/xjc/XjcTask.groovy b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/jabref/build/xjc/XjcTask.groovy
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..bb859ea10c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/jabref/build/xjc/XjcTask.groovy
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+package org.jabref.build.xjc
+
+import org.gradle.api.DefaultTask
+import org.gradle.api.tasks.Input
+import org.gradle.api.tasks.Optional
+import org.gradle.api.tasks.TaskAction
+
+class XjcTask extends DefaultTask {
+
+    private def schemaFile
+    @Optional
+    private def bindingFile
+    private def outputDirectory
+    private String javaPackage
+    @Optional
+    private String arguments
+
+    @TaskAction
+    def generateClasses() {
+        project.mkdir(outputDirectory)
+        project.ant.xjc(destdir: outputDirectory, package: javaPackage) {
+            schema(dir: schemaFile.getParent(), includes: schemaFile.getName())
+            if (bindingFile != null) {
+                binding(dir: bindingFile.getParent(), includes: bindingFile.getName())
+            }
+            if (arguments != null) {
+                arg(value: arguments)
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Input
+    File getSchemaFile() {
+        if (schemaFile == null) {
+            return null
+        }
+        return project.file(schemaFile)
+    }
+
+    void setSchemaFile(Object schemaFile) {
+        this.schemaFile = schemaFile
+    }
+
+    File getOutputDirectory() {
+        if (outputDirectory == null) {
+            return null
+        }
+        return project.file(outputDirectory)
+    }
+
+    void setOutputDirectory(Object outputDirectory) {
+        this.outputDirectory = outputDirectory
+        updateOutput()
+    }
+
+    String getJavaPackage() {
+        return javaPackage
+    }
+
+    void setJavaPackage(String javaPackage) {
+        this.javaPackage = javaPackage
+        updateOutput()
+    }
+
+    String getArguments() {
+        return arguments
+    }
+
+    void setArguments(String args) {
+        this.arguments = args
+    }
+
+    @Input
+    File getBindingFile() {
+        if (bindingFile == null) {
+            return null
+        }
+        return project.file(bindingFile)
+    }
+
+    void setBindingFile(Object binding) {
+        this.bindingFile = binding
+    }
+
+    private void updateOutput() {
+        if (outputDirectory != null && javaPackage != null)
+        outputs.dir(new File(getOutputDirectory(), packageAsPath(javaPackage)))
+    }
+
+    private static String packageAsPath(String pkg) {
+        return pkg.replace((char) '.', File.separatorChar)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/xjc.gradle b/xjc.gradle
deleted file mode 100644
index ea33b543a03..00000000000
--- a/xjc.gradle
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,41 +0,0 @@
-configurations {
-    xjc
-}
-
-dependencies {
-    // Cannot be updated.
-    xjc 'com.sun.xml.bind:jaxb-xjc:2.2.4-1'
-}
-
-task xjc {
-    inputs.dir "src/main/resources/xjc/medline/"
-    inputs.dir "src/main/resources/xjc/bibtexml/"
-    inputs.dir "src/main/resources/xjc/endnote/"
-    inputs.dir "src/main/resources/xjc/mods/"
-    outputs.dir "src/main/gen/org/jabref/logic/importer/fileformat/medline"
-    outputs.dir "src/main/gen/org/jabref/logic/importer/fileformat/bibtexml"
-    outputs.dir "src/main/gen/org/jabref/logic/importer/fileformat/endnote"
-    outputs.dir "src/main/gen/org/jabref/logic/importer/fileformat/mods"
-
-    ant.taskdef(name: 'xjc', classname: 'com.sun.tools.xjc.XJCTask', classpath: configurations.xjc.asPath)
-
-    doLast {
-        ant.xjc(destdir: 'src/main/gen/', package: 'org.jabref.logic.importer.fileformat.medline') {
-            schema(dir: 'src/main/resources/xjc/medline', includes: 'medline.xsd')
-        }
-        ant.xjc(destdir: 'src/main/gen/', package: 'org.jabref.logic.importer.fileformat.bibtexml') {
-            schema(dir: 'src/main/resources/xjc/bibtexml', includes: 'bibtexml.xsd')
-        }
-        ant.xjc(destdir: 'src/main/gen/', package: 'org.jabref.logic.importer.fileformat.endnote') {
-            arg(value: '-dtd')
-            schema(dir: 'src/main/resources/xjc/endnote', includes: 'RSXML.dtd')
-        }
-        ant.xjc(destdir: 'src/main/gen/', package: 'org.jabref.logic.importer.fileformat.mods') {
-            arg(value: '-npa') //don't create package-info.java because it was manually added in src/main/java to ensure the namespace prefix mapping
-            schema(dir: 'src/main/resources/xjc/mods', includes: 'mods-3-7.xsd')
-            binding(dir: 'src/main/resources/xjc/mods', includes: 'mods-binding.xjb')
-        }
-    }
-}
-
-tasks.compileJava.dependsOn xjc