diff --git a/docs/manual/CoreTasks/apt.html b/docs/manual/CoreTasks/apt.html
index af7e99082..d36db3bbc 100644
--- a/docs/manual/CoreTasks/apt.html
+++ b/docs/manual/CoreTasks/apt.html
@@ -7,11 +7,23 @@
 <h2><a name="Apt">Apt</a></h2>
 <h3>Description</h3>
 <p>Runs the annotation processor tool (apt), and then optionally compiles
-   the original code, and any generated source code. This task requires Java1.5 or later.</p>
+   the original code, and any generated source code. This task requires Java 1.5.
+   It may work on later versions, but this cannot be confirmed until those
+   versions ship. Be advised that the Apt tool does appear to be an unstable
+   part of the JDK framework, so may change radically in future versions. 
+   If the &lt;apt&gt; task does break when upgrading JVM, please
+   check to see if there is a more recent version of Ant that tracks
+   any changes.</p>
 
 
 <p>This task inherits from the <a href="javac.html">Javac Task</a>, and thus
-   supports all of the same attributes, and subelements.  In addition, it supports
+   supports nearly all of the same attributes, and subelements.  
+   There is one special case, the <tt>fork</tt> attribute, which is present
+   but which can only be set to <tt>true</tt>. That is, apt only works as
+   a forked process.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+   In addition, it supports
    the following addition items:</p>
 
 <h3>Parameters</h3>
@@ -109,7 +121,7 @@ AnnotationProcessor instances.</p>
 <h3>Notes</h3>
 
 <p>
-The inherited "fork" attribute is set to true by default.
+The inherited "fork" attribute is set to true by default; please do not change it.
 </p>
 
 <p>
diff --git a/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/apt.xml b/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/apt.xml
index 6c6af32c4..3281cd982 100644
--- a/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/apt.xml
+++ b/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/apt.xml
@@ -59,6 +59,18 @@
   <assertAptExampleCompiled />
 </target>
 
+
+<target name="testAptForkFalse" depends="init">
+  <apt srcdir="${src}"
+       destdir="${classes.dir}"
+       debug="on"
+       compile="true"
+       fork="false"
+       preprocessdir="${preprocess.dir}">
+  </apt>
+  <assertAptExampleCompiled />
+</target>
+
 <target name="testListAnnotationTypes" depends="init">
   <apt srcdir="${src}"
        destdir="${classes.dir}"
@@ -105,4 +117,5 @@
 
 
 
+
 </project>
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Apt.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Apt.java
index a0093e1dd..7c68cb1a7 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Apt.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Apt.java
@@ -51,6 +51,12 @@ public class Apt
     /** A warning message if used with java < 1.5. */
     public static final String ERROR_WRONG_JAVA_VERSION
         = "Apt task requires Java 1.5+";
+ 
+    /**
+     * exposed for debug messages
+     */
+    public static final String WARNING_IGNORING_FORK =
+        "Apt only runs in its own JVM; fork=false option ignored";
 
     /**
      * The nested option element.
@@ -103,7 +109,7 @@ public class Apt
      */
     public Apt() {
         super();
-        super.setCompiler(AptCompilerAdapter.class.getName());
+        super.setCompiler(AptExternalCompilerAdapter.class.getName());
         setFork(true);
     }
 
@@ -126,16 +132,15 @@ public class Apt
     }
 
     /**
-     * Set the fork attribute (optional, default=true).
-     * If fork is true run the external apt command.
-     * If fork is false run the apt compiler in the same jvm as the task.
-     * @param fork if true use the external command.
+     * Set the fork attribute.
+     * Non-forking APT is highly classpath dependent and appears to be too
+     * brittle to work. The sole reason this attribute is retained
+     * is the superclass does it
+     * @param fork if false; warn the option is ignored.
      */
     public void setFork(boolean fork) {
-        if (fork) {
-            super.setCompiler(AptExternalCompilerAdapter.class.getName());
-        } else {
-            super.setCompiler(AptCompilerAdapter.class.getName());
+        if (!fork) {
+            log(WARNING_IGNORING_FORK,Project.MSG_WARN);
         }
     }
 
@@ -258,7 +263,6 @@ public class Apt
         if (!JavaEnvUtils.isJavaVersion(JavaEnvUtils.JAVA_1_5)) {
             throw new BuildException(ERROR_WRONG_JAVA_VERSION);
         }
-
         super.execute();
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/compilers/AptCompilerAdapter.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/compilers/AptCompilerAdapter.java
index e8c145a5f..c196f128a 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/compilers/AptCompilerAdapter.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/compilers/AptCompilerAdapter.java
@@ -60,6 +60,12 @@ import java.util.Vector;
  * }
  * </pre>
  *
+ * This Adapter is designed to run Apt in-JVM, an option that is not actually
+ * exposed to end-users, because it was too brittle during beta testing; classpath
+ * problems being the core issue.
+ *
+ * 
+ *
  * @since Ant 1.7
  */
 public class AptCompilerAdapter extends DefaultCompilerAdapter {
diff --git a/src/testcases/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/AptTest.java b/src/testcases/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/AptTest.java
index d94cb427c..dd7f20f72 100644
--- a/src/testcases/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/AptTest.java
+++ b/src/testcases/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/AptTest.java
@@ -45,6 +45,11 @@ public class AptTest extends BuildFileTest {
     public void testAptFork() {
         executeTarget("testAptFork");
     }
+ 
+    public void testAptForkFalse() {
+        executeTarget("testAptForkFalse");
+        assertLogContaining(Apt.WARNING_IGNORING_FORK);
+    }
 
     public void testListAnnotationTypes() {
         executeTarget("testListAnnotationTypes");