.NET Agent Skills plugin

---
name: analyzing-dotnet-performance
description: >-
  Scans .NET code for ~50 performance anti-patterns across async, memory,
  strings, collections, LINQ, regex, serialization, and I/O with tiered
  severity classification. Use when analyzing .NET code for optimization
  opportunities, reviewing hot paths, or auditing allocation-heavy patterns.
license: MIT
---

# .NET Performance Patterns

Scan C#/.NET code for performance anti-patterns and produce prioritized findings with concrete fixes. Patterns sourced from the official .NET performance blog series, distilled to customer-actionable guidance.

## When to Use

- Reviewing C#/.NET code for performance optimization opportunities
- Auditing hot paths for allocation-heavy or inefficient patterns
- Systematic scan of a codebase for known anti-patterns before release
- Second-opinion analysis after manual performance review

## When Not to Use

- **Algorithmic complexity analysis** — this skill targets API usage patterns, not algorithm design
- **Code not on a hot path** with no performance requirements — avoid premature optimization

## Inputs

| Input | Required | Description |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| Source code | Yes | C# files, code blocks, or repository paths to scan |
| Hot-path context | Recommended | Which code paths are performance-critical |
| Target framework | Recommended | .NET version (some patterns require .NET 8+) |
| Scan depth | Optional | `critical-only`, `standard` (default), or `comprehensive` |

## Workflow

### Step 1: Load Critical Reference

Resolve bundled paths from the directory that contains this `SKILL.md`, not from the user's workspace. Load this reference file first:

- `references/critical-patterns.md`

If a direct read fails, list this skill's `references/` directory once and retry only when the listing shows the expected file. Do not use workspace file or text search to locate the skill installation.

### Step 2: Detect Code Signals and Select Topic Recipes

Scan the code for signals that indicate which pattern categories to check. Use the `## Detection` section from the critical reference when available and the inline recipes in Step 3 for initial signal detection.

After detecting signals, load only the topic-specific references selected by scan depth:

- `critical-only`: No additional references (use only `critical-patterns.md`)
- `standard` (default): Load references matching detected signals from this list:
  - `references/async-patterns.md` — async/Task/ValueTask signals
  - `references/memory-and-strings.md` — Span/Memory/string allocation signals
  - `references/regex-patterns.md` — Regex signals
  - `references/collections-and-linq.md` — Dictionary/List/LINQ signals
  - `references/io-and-serialization.md` — JsonSerializer/HttpClient/Stream signals
  - `references/structural-patterns.md` — always loaded (unsealed classes checked regardless)
- `comprehensive`: Load all six topic-specific references above