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paths:

• "**/*.cs"
• "**/*.csproj"

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.NET Cline Rules: Nullable Contracts, Async and Endpoints

Conditional Cline rule for .NET. Install it under .clinerules/ only.

Updated for .NET 10 LTS and .NET 11, Nov 2026

Do not upgrade dependencies or the framework version unless the task asks.

.NET 11 includes C# 15 unions and closed hierarchies. A project that still targets .NET 10 LTS does not get that syntax. Read the TargetFramework before you write a language feature. Do not retarget the project unless the task asks. Nullable reference types stay enabled when the project has them on.

Project shape

Match the existing minimal API or controller style. A handler is small. Domain rules live in a type the handler calls. Do not grow a static Program.cs into the place every rule lives.

Projects, not random folders, are the compilation boundary. Internal types stay internal.

Contracts

Public methods say whether a value can be null. Do not silence the nullable warning with ! unless you just checked. A union or a closed hierarchy is appropriate on a TFM that has C# 15. On an older TFM, use the pattern the codebase already uses. Do not paste preview syntax into a .NET 10 build.

Validate input at the endpoint with the project's validator. The validated type is what the handler accepts.

Async

Async methods take a CancellationToken and pass it on. Do not use async void except for an event handler the platform requires. Do not block on a task with .Result or .Wait(). A timeout is a CancellationTokenSource linked to the caller's token, not a discarded task.

EF Core queries stay IQueryable until the filter is applied, then ToListAsync(ct). A loop of await per row is an N+1. Add Include or a projection.

Endpoints and security

Every endpoint that changes data has an authorization policy. A new minimal API calls RequireAuthorization the way its neighbors do. Do not map an anonymous write.

Return the status the API uses. A problem-details body is for the error, not a stack trace. Do not log tokens.

Tests

Use the project's WebApplicationFactory or unit style. Cover a canceled token, a forbidden caller, and a query filter. Run dotnet test for the project you changed. Record the output.

Mistakes to avoid

• C# 15 syntax in a TFM that does not have it.
• async void, or .Result on a hot path.
• A CancellationToken that stops at the first method.
• An endpoint with no authorization on a write.
• An EF query that loads the table and filters in memory.

What changed in this major

.NET 11 can use C# 15 unions. A net10.0 project cannot. Pass CancellationToken through.

Deprecated APIs to never generate

The in-box BinaryFormatter implementation was removed in .NET 9 and throws on use. Serialize with System.Text.Json.

Commands

Run dotnet test for the touched project.

Example

app.MapPost("/notes", async (Note body, ClaimsPrincipal user, CancellationToken ct) =>
{
    return Results.Ok(await store.AddAsync(body, user, ct));
}).RequireAuthorization();