diff --git a/plexus-compiler-api/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/AbstractCompiler.java b/plexus-compiler-api/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/AbstractCompiler.java
index 0acb4694f..5957950f9 100644
--- a/plexus-compiler-api/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/AbstractCompiler.java
+++ b/plexus-compiler-api/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/AbstractCompiler.java
@@ -295,4 +295,31 @@ private static String getRelativeWorkingDirectory(CompilerConfiguration config)
         }
         return to;
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Joins the configured annotation processor names, skipping blank entries.
+     * <p>
+     * Maven maps an explicitly empty {@code <annotationProcessors/>} element to an array holding
+     * blank strings rather than to an empty array. Passing those on yields {@code -processor} with
+     * an empty processor name, which no compiler can resolve. Callers should omit the option
+     * entirely when this returns an empty string.
+     *
+     * @param annotationProcessors the configured names, possibly {@code null}
+     * @return the non-blank names joined by commas, or an empty string if none remain
+     * @since 2.17.1
+     */
+    protected static String joinAnnotationProcessors(String[] annotationProcessors) {
+        StringBuilder buffer = new StringBuilder();
+        if (annotationProcessors != null) {
+            for (String annotationProcessor : annotationProcessors) {
+                if (annotationProcessor != null && !annotationProcessor.trim().isEmpty()) {
+                    if (buffer.length() > 0) {
+                        buffer.append(',');
+                    }
+                    buffer.append(annotationProcessor);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        return buffer.toString();
+    }
 }
diff --git a/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-eclipse/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/eclipse/EclipseJavaCompiler.java b/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-eclipse/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/eclipse/EclipseJavaCompiler.java
index 3c7f4f4c1..bee72a0fc 100644
--- a/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-eclipse/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/eclipse/EclipseJavaCompiler.java
+++ b/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-eclipse/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/eclipse/EclipseJavaCompiler.java
@@ -173,23 +173,16 @@ public CompilerResult performCompile(CompilerConfiguration config) throws Compil
             }
 
             // now add jdk 1.6 annotation processing related parameters
-            String[] annotationProcessors = config.getAnnotationProcessors();
+            String annotationProcessors = joinAnnotationProcessors(config.getAnnotationProcessors());
             List<String> processorPathEntries = config.getProcessorPathEntries();
             List<String> processorModulePathEntries = config.getProcessorModulePathEntries();
 
-            if ((annotationProcessors != null && annotationProcessors.length > 0)
+            if (!annotationProcessors.isEmpty()
                     || (processorPathEntries != null && processorPathEntries.size() > 0)
                     || (processorModulePathEntries != null && processorModulePathEntries.size() > 0)) {
-                if (annotationProcessors != null && annotationProcessors.length > 0) {
+                if (!annotationProcessors.isEmpty()) {
                     args.add("-processor");
-                    StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
-                    for (String ap : annotationProcessors) {
-                        if (sb.length() > 0) {
-                            sb.append(',');
-                        }
-                        sb.append(ap);
-                    }
-                    args.add(sb.toString());
+                    args.add(annotationProcessors);
                 }
 
                 if (processorPathEntries != null && processorPathEntries.size() > 0) {
diff --git a/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-javac/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/javac/JavacCompiler.java b/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-javac/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/javac/JavacCompiler.java
index e6f7223e7..f1b18d4ae 100644
--- a/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-javac/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/javac/JavacCompiler.java
+++ b/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-javac/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/javac/JavacCompiler.java
@@ -421,17 +421,10 @@ public static String[] buildCompilerArguments(
             if (config.getProc() != null) {
                 args.add("-proc:" + config.getProc());
             }
-            if (config.getAnnotationProcessors() != null) {
+            String annotationProcessors = joinAnnotationProcessors(config.getAnnotationProcessors());
+            if (!annotationProcessors.isEmpty()) {
                 args.add("-processor");
-                String[] procs = config.getAnnotationProcessors();
-                StringBuilder buffer = new StringBuilder();
-                for (int i = 0; i < procs.length; i++) {
-                    if (i > 0) {
-                        buffer.append(",");
-                    }
-                    buffer.append(procs[i]);
-                }
-                args.add(buffer.toString());
+                args.add(annotationProcessors);
             }
             if (config.getProcessorPathEntries() != null
                     && !config.getProcessorPathEntries().isEmpty()) {
diff --git a/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-javac/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/javac/AbstractJavacCompilerTest.java b/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-javac/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/javac/AbstractJavacCompilerTest.java
index b3d33045f..d8e906773 100644
--- a/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-javac/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/javac/AbstractJavacCompilerTest.java
+++ b/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-javac/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/javac/AbstractJavacCompilerTest.java
@@ -38,6 +38,9 @@
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertArrayEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
 
 /**
  * @author <a href="mailto:jason@plexus.org">Jason van Zyl</a>
@@ -200,6 +203,61 @@ public void internalTest(
         assertArrayEquals(actualArguments, expectedArguments.toArray(new String[0]));
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testBuildCompilerArgsEmptyAnnotationProcessors() {
+        CompilerConfiguration compilerConfiguration = new CompilerConfiguration();
+        compilerConfiguration.setOutputLocation("/output");
+        compilerConfiguration.setAnnotationProcessors(new String[0]);
+
+        String[] actualArguments = JavacCompiler.buildCompilerArguments(compilerConfiguration, new String[0], "17");
+
+        assertFalse(
+                Arrays.asList(actualArguments).contains("-processor"),
+                "an empty processor array must not produce -processor with an empty argument");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testBuildCompilerArgsBlankAnnotationProcessors() {
+        CompilerConfiguration compilerConfiguration = new CompilerConfiguration();
+        compilerConfiguration.setOutputLocation("/output");
+        compilerConfiguration.setAnnotationProcessors(new String[] {"", ""});
+
+        String[] actualArguments = JavacCompiler.buildCompilerArguments(compilerConfiguration, new String[0], "17");
+
+        assertFalse(
+                Arrays.asList(actualArguments).contains("-processor"),
+                "an array of blank processor names must not produce -processor");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testBuildCompilerArgsMixedBlankAnnotationProcessors() {
+        CompilerConfiguration compilerConfiguration = new CompilerConfiguration();
+        compilerConfiguration.setOutputLocation("/output");
+        compilerConfiguration.setAnnotationProcessors(
+                new String[] {"", "com.example.First", " ", "com.example.Second"});
+
+        List<String> actualArguments =
+                Arrays.asList(JavacCompiler.buildCompilerArguments(compilerConfiguration, new String[0], "17"));
+
+        int index = actualArguments.indexOf("-processor");
+        assertTrue(index >= 0, "-processor must be present when at least one name is not blank");
+        assertEquals("com.example.First,com.example.Second", actualArguments.get(index + 1));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testBuildCompilerArgsAnnotationProcessors() {
+        CompilerConfiguration compilerConfiguration = new CompilerConfiguration();
+        compilerConfiguration.setOutputLocation("/output");
+        compilerConfiguration.setAnnotationProcessors(new String[] {"com.example.First", "com.example.Second"});
+
+        List<String> actualArguments =
+                Arrays.asList(JavacCompiler.buildCompilerArguments(compilerConfiguration, new String[0], "17"));
+
+        int index = actualArguments.indexOf("-processor");
+        assertTrue(index >= 0, "-processor must be present for a non-empty processor array");
+        assertEquals("com.example.First,com.example.Second", actualArguments.get(index + 1));
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void testBuildCompilerArgs13() {
         List<String> expectedArguments = new ArrayList<>();