dotnet/roslyn

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

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#79,658 opened on Jul 29, 2025

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Area-AnalyzersArea-IDEhelp wanted

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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

Research direction
Investigate how PublicApiAnalyzers currently track APIs and design a way to optionally track internal APIs, considering IVT scenarios.
Tech stack
csharp
Domain
compilers
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.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
C#Roslyn analyzer concepts
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
45