diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/acceptance/InMemoryTestingDatabaseModule.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/acceptance/InMemoryTestingDatabaseModule.java
index b23b6e6..6ee5c09 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/acceptance/InMemoryTestingDatabaseModule.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/acceptance/InMemoryTestingDatabaseModule.java
@@ -134,9 +134,7 @@
     try {
       Files.createDirectories(p.resolve("etc"));
     } catch (IOException e) {
-      ProvisionException pe = new ProvisionException(e.getMessage());
-      pe.initCause(e);
-      throw pe;
+      throw new ProvisionException(e.getMessage(), e);
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/httpd/HtmlDomUtil.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/httpd/HtmlDomUtil.java
index 9acc754..25ae71c 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/httpd/HtmlDomUtil.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/httpd/HtmlDomUtil.java
@@ -84,9 +84,7 @@
       serializer.transform(domSource, streamResult);
       return out.toString();
     } catch (TransformerException e) {
-      IOException r = new IOException("Error transforming page");
-      r.initCause(e);
-      throw r;
+      throw new IOException("Error transforming page", e);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/httpd/raw/StaticModule.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/httpd/raw/StaticModule.java
index 20b799b..664d881 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/httpd/raw/StaticModule.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/httpd/raw/StaticModule.java
@@ -365,9 +365,7 @@
             && GerritLauncher.NOT_ARCHIVED.equals(e.getMessage())) {
           return null;
         }
-        ProvisionException pe = new ProvisionException("Error reading gerrit.war");
-        pe.initCause(e);
-        throw pe;
+        throw new ProvisionException("Error reading gerrit.war", e);
       }
       return war;
     }
@@ -395,9 +393,7 @@
           return dstwar.getAbsoluteFile().toPath();
         }
       } catch (IOException e) {
-        ProvisionException pe = new ProvisionException("Cannot create war tempdir");
-        pe.initCause(e);
-        throw pe;
+        throw new ProvisionException("Cannot create war tempdir", e);
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/DefaultAdvertiseRefsHook.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/DefaultAdvertiseRefsHook.java
index 022b0e1..ef5e65b 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/DefaultAdvertiseRefsHook.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/DefaultAdvertiseRefsHook.java
@@ -44,9 +44,7 @@
     try {
       return perm.filter(repo.getAllRefs(), repo, opts);
     } catch (PermissionBackendException e) {
-      ServiceMayNotContinueException ex = new ServiceMayNotContinueException();
-      ex.initCause(e);
-      throw ex;
+      throw new ServiceMayNotContinueException(e);
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/HookUtil.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/HookUtil.java
index 1762b95..42d3f69 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/HookUtil.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/HookUtil.java
@@ -42,9 +42,7 @@
     } catch (ServiceMayNotContinueException e) {
       throw e;
     } catch (IOException e) {
-      ServiceMayNotContinueException ex = new ServiceMayNotContinueException();
-      ex.initCause(e);
-      throw ex;
+      throw new ServiceMayNotContinueException(e);
     }
     rp.setAdvertisedRefs(refs, rp.getAdvertisedObjects());
     return refs;
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/LocalDiskRepositoryManager.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/LocalDiskRepositoryManager.java
index abe3410..85822a8 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/LocalDiskRepositoryManager.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/LocalDiskRepositoryManager.java
@@ -140,11 +140,8 @@
     FileKey loc = FileKey.lenient(path.resolve(name.get()).toFile(), FS.DETECTED);
     try {
       return RepositoryCache.open(loc);
-    } catch (IOException e1) {
-      final RepositoryNotFoundException e2;
-      e2 = new RepositoryNotFoundException("Cannot open repository " + name);
-      e2.initCause(e1);
-      throw e2;
+    } catch (IOException e) {
+      throw new RepositoryNotFoundException("Cannot open repository " + name, e);
     }
   }
 
@@ -197,11 +194,8 @@
       }
 
       return db;
-    } catch (IOException e1) {
-      final RepositoryNotFoundException e2;
-      e2 = new RepositoryNotFoundException("Cannot create repository " + name);
-      e2.initCause(e1);
-      throw e2;
+    } catch (IOException e) {
+      throw new RepositoryNotFoundException("Cannot create repository " + name, e);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/receive/HackPushNegotiateHook.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/receive/HackPushNegotiateHook.java
index 1001d04..bf3d270 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/receive/HackPushNegotiateHook.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/receive/HackPushNegotiateHook.java
@@ -82,9 +82,7 @@
       } catch (ServiceMayNotContinueException e) {
         throw e;
       } catch (IOException e) {
-        ServiceMayNotContinueException ex = new ServiceMayNotContinueException();
-        ex.initCause(e);
-        throw ex;
+        throw new ServiceMayNotContinueException(e);
       }
     }
     rp.setAdvertisedRefs(r, history(r.values(), rp));
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/index/VersionManager.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/index/VersionManager.java
index 8aabb60..f37472c 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/index/VersionManager.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/index/VersionManager.java
@@ -272,8 +272,6 @@
   }
 
   private ProvisionException fail(Throwable t) {
-    ProvisionException e = new ProvisionException("Error scanning indexes");
-    e.initCause(t);
-    return e;
+    return new ProvisionException("Error scanning indexes", t);
   }
 }
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/index/change/ChangeIndexer.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/index/change/ChangeIndexer.java
index 8f9dc06..064af64 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/index/change/ChangeIndexer.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/index/change/ChangeIndexer.java
@@ -347,9 +347,7 @@
                   try {
                     db = Providers.of(schemaFactory.open());
                   } catch (OrmException e) {
-                    ProvisionException pe = new ProvisionException("error opening ReviewDb");
-                    pe.initCause(e);
-                    throw pe;
+                    throw new ProvisionException("error opening ReviewDb", e);
                   }
                   dbRef.set(db);
                 }
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/testing/InMemoryModule.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/testing/InMemoryModule.java
index 12f3936..18dfea0 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/testing/InMemoryModule.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/testing/InMemoryModule.java
@@ -329,9 +329,7 @@
         | IllegalAccessException
         | InvocationTargetException e) {
       e.printStackTrace();
-      ProvisionException pe = new ProvisionException(e.getMessage());
-      pe.initCause(e);
-      throw pe;
+      throw new ProvisionException(e.getMessage(), e);
     }
   }