diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 042a20560..72d95bfdd 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -12,6 +12,13 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/).
   the run unless you pass `--ignore-unresolved`, so an incomplete scan can't slip
   by unnoticed. Benign variant-selection ambiguity stays a one-line notice.
 
+### Fixed
+- `socket manifest auto` and `scan create --auto-manifest` now detect a Gradle
+  project by its build files (`build.gradle`/`.kts` or `settings.gradle`/`.kts`)
+  instead of requiring a `gradlew` wrapper, so a project that builds with
+  `gradle` on your PATH — including a settings-only multi-module root — is no
+  longer skipped.
+
 ## [1.1.135](https://github.com/SocketDev/socket-cli/releases/tag/v1.1.135) - 2026-07-01
 
 ### Changed
diff --git a/src/commands/manifest/detect-manifest-actions.mts b/src/commands/manifest/detect-manifest-actions.mts
index 7be3f7330..e5f65e77f 100644
--- a/src/commands/manifest/detect-manifest-actions.mts
+++ b/src/commands/manifest/detect-manifest-actions.mts
@@ -72,7 +72,14 @@ export async function detectManifestActions(
       'notice',
       `[DEBUG] - gradle auto-detection is disabled in ${SOCKET_JSON}`,
     )
-  } else if (existsSync(path.join(cwd, 'gradlew'))) {
+  } else if (
+    existsSync(path.join(cwd, 'build.gradle')) ||
+    existsSync(path.join(cwd, 'build.gradle.kts')) ||
+    existsSync(path.join(cwd, 'settings.gradle')) ||
+    existsSync(path.join(cwd, 'settings.gradle.kts'))
+  ) {
+    // Detect by build descriptor, not the `gradlew` wrapper (a project can build via
+    // `gradle` on PATH). `settings.gradle(.kts)` covers Kotlin-DSL roots with no root build script.
     debugLog('notice', '[DEBUG] - Detected a gradle build file')
     output.gradle = true
     output.count += 1
diff --git a/src/commands/manifest/detect-manifest-actions.test.mts b/src/commands/manifest/detect-manifest-actions.test.mts
index 116d50d70..2ae961553 100644
--- a/src/commands/manifest/detect-manifest-actions.test.mts
+++ b/src/commands/manifest/detect-manifest-actions.test.mts
@@ -66,10 +66,75 @@ describe('detectManifestActions — bazel detector', () => {
 
   it('co-detects bazel and gradle when both markers are present', async () => {
     touch(cwd, 'MODULE.bazel')
-    touch(cwd, 'gradlew')
+    touch(cwd, 'build.gradle')
     const result = await detectManifestActions(null, cwd)
     expect(result.bazel).toBe(true)
     expect(result.gradle).toBe(true)
     expect(result.count).toBe(2)
   })
 })
+
+describe('detectManifestActions — gradle detector', () => {
+  let cwd: string
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    cwd = mkTmp()
+  })
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    rmSync(cwd, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  })
+
+  it('detects build.gradle', async () => {
+    touch(cwd, 'build.gradle')
+    const result = await detectManifestActions(null, cwd)
+    expect(result.gradle).toBe(true)
+    expect(result.count).toBe(1)
+  })
+
+  it('detects build.gradle.kts', async () => {
+    touch(cwd, 'build.gradle.kts')
+    const result = await detectManifestActions(null, cwd)
+    expect(result.gradle).toBe(true)
+    expect(result.count).toBe(1)
+  })
+
+  it('detects settings.gradle', async () => {
+    touch(cwd, 'settings.gradle')
+    const result = await detectManifestActions(null, cwd)
+    expect(result.gradle).toBe(true)
+    expect(result.count).toBe(1)
+  })
+
+  it('detects a settings-only Kotlin-DSL root (settings.gradle.kts, no build.gradle)', async () => {
+    touch(cwd, 'settings.gradle.kts')
+    touch(cwd, 'gradlew')
+    const result = await detectManifestActions(null, cwd)
+    expect(result.gradle).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('detects a wrapper-less gradle project (build.gradle, no gradlew)', async () => {
+    touch(cwd, 'build.gradle')
+    const result = await detectManifestActions(null, cwd)
+    expect(result.gradle).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('does not detect gradle from a gradlew wrapper alone', async () => {
+    touch(cwd, 'gradlew')
+    const result = await detectManifestActions(null, cwd)
+    expect(result.gradle).toBe(false)
+    expect(result.count).toBe(0)
+  })
+
+  it('skips gradle when defaults.manifest.gradle.disabled is true', async () => {
+    touch(cwd, 'build.gradle')
+    const result = await detectManifestActions(
+      {
+        defaults: { manifest: { gradle: { disabled: true } } },
+      } as SocketJson,
+      cwd,
+    )
+    expect(result.gradle).toBe(false)
+    expect(result.count).toBe(0)
+  })
+})