diff --git a/plexus-java/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/languages/java/jpms/AbstractBinaryModuleInfoParser.java b/plexus-java/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/languages/java/jpms/AbstractBinaryModuleInfoParser.java
index 0abd925..b39bc2d 100644
--- a/plexus-java/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/languages/java/jpms/AbstractBinaryModuleInfoParser.java
+++ b/plexus-java/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/languages/java/jpms/AbstractBinaryModuleInfoParser.java
@@ -39,7 +39,14 @@ public JavaModuleDescriptor getModuleDescriptor(Path modulePath) throws IOExcept
     public JavaModuleDescriptor getModuleDescriptor(Path modulePath, JavaVersion jdkVersion) throws IOException {
         JavaModuleDescriptor descriptor;
         if (Files.isDirectory(modulePath)) {
-            try (InputStream in = Files.newInputStream(modulePath.resolve("module-info.class"))) {
+            Path moduleInfo = modulePath.resolve("module-info.class");
+            if (!Files.exists(moduleInfo)) {
+                Path versionedModuleInfo = findVersionedModuleInfo(modulePath, jdkVersion);
+                if (versionedModuleInfo != null) {
+                    moduleInfo = versionedModuleInfo;
+                }
+            }
+            try (InputStream in = Files.newInputStream(moduleInfo)) {
                 descriptor = parse(in);
             }
         } else {
@@ -82,5 +89,25 @@ public JavaModuleDescriptor getModuleDescriptor(Path modulePath, JavaVersion jdk
         return descriptor;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Finds the module descriptor of a multi-release output directory, which has no {@code module-info.class} at its
+     * root but under {@code META-INF/versions/<N>}, the way a multi-release jar does.
+     *
+     * @param directory the output directory
+     * @param jdkVersion the highest version to consider
+     * @return the path of the highest applicable versioned descriptor, or {@code null} if there is none
+     */
+    static Path findVersionedModuleInfo(Path directory, JavaVersion jdkVersion) {
+        int javaVersion = Integer.parseInt(jdkVersion.asMajor().getValue(1));
+
+        for (int version = javaVersion; version >= 9; version--) {
+            Path moduleInfo = directory.resolve("META-INF/versions/" + version + "/module-info.class");
+            if (Files.exists(moduleInfo)) {
+                return moduleInfo;
+            }
+        }
+        return null;
+    }
+
     abstract JavaModuleDescriptor parse(InputStream in) throws IOException;
 }
diff --git a/plexus-java/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/languages/java/jpms/LocationManager.java b/plexus-java/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/languages/java/jpms/LocationManager.java
index 2c866cf..632a9e3 100644
--- a/plexus-java/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/languages/java/jpms/LocationManager.java
+++ b/plexus-java/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/languages/java/jpms/LocationManager.java
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 import java.util.Set;
 
 import org.codehaus.plexus.languages.java.jpms.JavaModuleDescriptor.JavaProvides;
+import org.codehaus.plexus.languages.java.version.JavaVersion;
 
 /**
  * Maps artifacts to modules and analyzes the type of required modules
@@ -323,7 +324,10 @@ private ResolvePathResult resolvePath(
                     "'" + path + "' not allowed on the path, only outputDirectories and jars are accepted");
         }
 
-        if (Files.isRegularFile(path) || Files.exists(path.resolve("module-info.class"))) {
+        if (Files.isRegularFile(path)
+                || Files.exists(path.resolve("module-info.class"))
+                || AbstractBinaryModuleInfoParser.findVersionedModuleInfo(path, JavaVersion.JAVA_SPECIFICATION_VERSION)
+                        != null) {
             moduleDescriptor = binaryParser.getModuleDescriptor(path);
         }
 
diff --git a/plexus-java/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/languages/java/jpms/BinaryModuleInfoParserTest.java b/plexus-java/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/languages/java/jpms/BinaryModuleInfoParserTest.java
index bba54b7..eca787a 100644
--- a/plexus-java/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/languages/java/jpms/BinaryModuleInfoParserTest.java
+++ b/plexus-java/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/languages/java/jpms/BinaryModuleInfoParserTest.java
@@ -93,6 +93,16 @@ void classicJar() throws Exception {
         assertNull(descriptor);
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void multiReleaseOutputDirectoryDescriptor() throws Exception {
+        JavaModuleDescriptor descriptor = parser.getModuleDescriptor(
+                Paths.get("src/test/test-data/dir.mr.descriptor/out"), JavaVersion.parse("17"));
+
+        assertNotNull(descriptor);
+        assertEquals("org.codehaus.plexus.languages.java.demo", descriptor.name());
+        assertFalse(descriptor.isAutomatic());
+    }
+
     @Test
     void outputDirectoryDescriptor() throws Exception {
         JavaModuleDescriptor descriptor =
diff --git a/plexus-java/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/languages/java/jpms/LocationManagerTest.java b/plexus-java/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/languages/java/jpms/LocationManagerTest.java
index 0fe8f29..69df2f1 100644
--- a/plexus-java/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/languages/java/jpms/LocationManagerTest.java
+++ b/plexus-java/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/languages/java/jpms/LocationManagerTest.java
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@
 import org.codehaus.plexus.languages.java.jpms.JavaModuleDescriptor.JavaRequires.JavaModifier;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.condition.DisabledOnJre;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.condition.JRE;
 
 import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
 import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.any;
@@ -106,6 +108,28 @@ void manifestWithReflectRequires() throws Exception {
         assertThat(result.getPathExceptions()).isEmpty();
     }
 
+    @Test
+    @DisabledOnJre(value = JRE.JAVA_8, disabledReason = "Versioned descriptors are only read on Java 9+")
+    void multiReleaseDirDescriptor() throws Exception {
+        Path abc = Paths.get("src/test/test-data/dir.mr.descriptor/out");
+        JavaModuleDescriptor descriptor = JavaModuleDescriptor.newModule("base")
+                .requires("dir.mr.descriptor")
+                .build();
+        when(sourceParser.fromSourcePath(any(Path.class))).thenReturn(descriptor);
+        ResolvePathsRequest<Path> request =
+                ResolvePathsRequest.ofPaths(Collections.singletonList(abc)).setMainModuleDescriptor(mockModuleInfoJava);
+
+        when(asmParser.getModuleDescriptor(abc))
+                .thenReturn(JavaModuleDescriptor.newModule("dir.mr.descriptor").build());
+
+        ResolvePathsResult<Path> result = locationManager.resolvePaths(request);
+
+        assertThat(result.getModulepathElements()).hasSize(1);
+        assertThat(result.getModulepathElements().get(abc)).isEqualTo(ModuleNameSource.MODULEDESCRIPTOR);
+        assertThat(result.getClasspathElements()).isEmpty();
+        assertThat(result.getPathExceptions()).isEmpty();
+    }
+
     @Test
     void dirDescriptorWithReflectRequires() throws Exception {
         Path abc = Paths.get("src/test/test-data/dir.descriptor/out");
diff --git a/plexus-java/src/test/test-data/dir.mr.descriptor/out/META-INF/versions/9/module-info.class b/plexus-java/src/test/test-data/dir.mr.descriptor/out/META-INF/versions/9/module-info.class
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..653dc58
Binary files /dev/null and b/plexus-java/src/test/test-data/dir.mr.descriptor/out/META-INF/versions/9/module-info.class differ