dotnet/roslyn

Allow PublicApiAnalyzers to track internal APIs with `[Internal]` prefix

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#79658 opened on Jul 29, 2025

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Area-AnalyzersArea-IDEhelp wanted

Description

Tracking internal APIs can be useful in cases where IVT is used and compatibility between different versions of components is required.

For example:

  • Project1 has a ProjectReference to Project2.
  • Project2 exposes IVT to Project1
  • Both projects produce NuGet packages
  • If I make a change in internal API in Project2 that is called by Project1, that means a binary incompatibility is introduced.

Suggestion: all internal APIs, unless annotated with EmbeddedAttribute, can be tracked as an opt-in feature.

That way, Project2 is forced to add EmbeddedAttribute when not intended to be used by IVT, and otherwise breaking changes can be tracked more easily.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
csharp
Domain
apideveloper experience
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
C#Roslyn analyzersInternalsVisibleTo
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
55
Research direction
Examine the PublicApiAnalyzers folder in the dotnet/roslyn repository to understand how public APIs are currently tracked. Look for existing attributes like EmbeddedAttribute and how they are used to exclude APIs. The feature requires adding an opt in option to also track internal APIs unless annotated with EmbeddedAttribute. Review the analyzer code and tests to see where to add the new configuration.