dotnet-best-practices

Overview

A .NET/C# best practices enforcement skill for GitHub Copilot that ensures code in a solution or project meets established quality standards. It covers comprehensive XML documentation, design patterns, dependency injection, async/await patterns, testing standards, error handling, and integration with Microsoft Semantic Kernel for AI operations — all aligned with modern C# 12+ and .NET 8 conventions.

Key Features

• Documentation and architecture standards: Enforces comprehensive XML documentation for all public APIs, established namespace structures, and SOLID principles compliance with meaningful domain-driven naming.
• Modern C# patterns: Uses primary constructor syntax for dependency injection, implements the Command Handler pattern with generics, follows interface segregation with 'I' prefix naming, and applies Factory patterns for complex object creation.
• Dependency injection and configuration: Requires constructor injection with ArgumentNullException null checks, appropriate service lifetimes (Singleton, Scoped, Transient), strongly-typed configuration with data annotations, and IConfiguration binding.
• Testing and quality assurance: Mandates MSTest with FluentAssertions, AAA pattern (Arrange, Act, Assert), Moq for mocking, null parameter validation tests, and coverage of both success and failure scenarios.
• AI integration via Semantic Kernel: Includes guidance for Microsoft.SemanticKernel configuration, kernel service registration, AI model settings (ChatCompletion, Embedding), and structured output patterns for reliable AI responses.

Who is this for?

This skill is built for .NET developers and teams who want Copilot to generate code that consistently adheres to enterprise-grade C# standards. It is especially valuable for teams working with Microsoft's Semantic Kernel, maintaining large .NET solutions with strict code quality requirements, or onboarding developers to a project's established patterns and conventions.