illia1f · illia1f · Jul 28, 2026 · Jul 28, 2026 · Jul 28, 2026 · Jul 28, 2026
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+name: ci
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [main]
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+concurrency:
+  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
+  cancel-in-progress: ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request' }}
+
+env:
+  CI: true
+  DOTNET_NOLOGO: true
+  DOTNET_CLI_TELEMETRY_OPTOUT: true
+
+jobs:
+  build:
+    runs-on: windows-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 15
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-dotnet@v4
+        with:
+          dotnet-version: |
+            8.0.x
+            10.0.x
+
+      - name: Restore
+        run: dotnet restore
+
+      - name: Build
+        run: dotnet build --no-restore -c Release
+
+      - name: Test
+        run: dotnet test --no-build -c Release --logger trx --collect:"XPlat Code Coverage"
+
+      - name: Upload test results
+        if: always()
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: test-results
+          path: "**/TestResults/**"
+
+  pack:
+    needs: build
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 10
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-dotnet@v4
+        with:
+          dotnet-version: 10.0.x
+
+      # Packing the solution would also restore and build every test project.
+      - name: Pack
+        run: |
+          for project in src/*/*.csproj; do
+            dotnet pack "$project" -c Release -o artifacts/packages
+          done
+
+      - name: Upload packages
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: packages
+          path: artifacts/packages/*
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+# Contributing to RequestFlow
+
+Pre-1.0: the public API can still change between previews.
+
+## Setup
+
+- .NET 10 SDK (`global.json` pins the major version)
+- .NET 8 runtime (tests also run on `net8.0`)
+- On Windows, tests also run on .NET Framework (the `net462` target), so the library's oldest build gets tested too. Nothing to install: the 4.8 runtime that ships with Windows runs them.
+
+```
+dotnet build
+dotnet test
+dotnet test --filter "FullyQualifiedName~RequestDispatcherTests"
+```
+
+## Before you push
+
+Builds treat warnings as errors in `src/`. Test projects turn warnings-as-errors off.
+
+CI builds and tests on Windows, then packs on Ubuntu. Tests target net462 only on Windows, which is why the test job needs a Windows runner.
+
+CI sets `CI=true`, which turns on `ContinuousIntegrationBuild`: debug symbols then record repository paths instead of local machine paths. Locally you only need it to reproduce a packaging problem:
+
+```
+dotnet build -c Release -p:CI=true
+```
+
+## Rules
+
+- No code from MediatR (commercially licensed since 2025). Shared vocabulary is fine, shared code is not. Use MIT or Apache licensed references.
+- No reflection, LINQ, or locking on the dispatch path. Reflection is fine at registration and startup validation.
+- Public API returns `Task`/`Task<T>`, never `ValueTask`. Methods are `SendAsync`/`HandleAsync`. Handler interfaces take a `CancellationToken`. `NoResult` never appears in a user-written handler signature.
+- Target frameworks and dependencies are fixed. All four `src/` projects target `netstandard2.0;net462;net8.0;net10.0`.
+
+| Project                         | Depends on                                                                          |
+| ------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| `RequestFlow.Abstractions`      | nothing                                                                             |
+| `RequestFlow.Cqrs.Abstractions` | `RequestFlow.Abstractions`                                                          |
+| `RequestFlow`                   | `RequestFlow.Abstractions`, `Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection.Abstractions` |
+| `RequestFlow.Cqrs`              | `RequestFlow.Cqrs.Abstractions`, `RequestFlow`                                      |
+
+## Tests
+
+xUnit, NSubstitute, Shouldly (not FluentAssertions, whose license changed). Names follow `Given_When_Then`:
+
+```csharp
+[Fact]
+public async Task Given_Null_Request_When_Sending_Request_Then_Throws_Argument_Null_Exception()
+```
+
+Fixtures go in a region at the bottom of the file. When a test checks DI registration itself, use a real `ServiceCollection` instead of mocks.
+
+## Commits
+
+Conventional Commits:
+
+```
+feat(cqrs): add CQRS contracts, dispatchers, AddCqrs
+test: expand request dispatcher coverage
+```
+
+## Where to read next
+
+- [docs/getting-started.md](docs/getting-started.md)
+- [docs/registration.md](docs/registration.md)
+- [docs/lifetimes.md](docs/lifetimes.md)
+- [docs/exceptions.md](docs/exceptions.md)
+- [ROADMAP.md](ROADMAP.md) for what is planned and what is out of scope
+
+Open an issue before starting anything large.
diff --git a/Directory.Build.props b/Directory.Build.props
@@ -1,30 +1,26 @@
 <Project>
 
   <PropertyGroup>
-    <Version>1.0.0-preview.1</Version>
-    <Authors>Illia Filippov</Authors>
-    <Company>Illia Filippov</Company>
-    <Copyright>Copyright Illia Filippov</Copyright>
-    <PackageLicenseExpression>MIT</PackageLicenseExpression>
-    <PackageProjectUrl>https://github.com/illia1f/RequestFlow</PackageProjectUrl>
-    <RepositoryUrl>https://github.com/illia1f/RequestFlow</RepositoryUrl>
-    <RepositoryType>git</RepositoryType>
-    <PublishRepositoryUrl>true</PublishRepositoryUrl>
-    <PackageReadmeFile>README.md</PackageReadmeFile>
-    <PackageTags>mediator;cqrs;pipeline;dispatch;request;dotnet</PackageTags>
-    <GenerateDocumentationFile>true</GenerateDocumentationFile>
-    <SignAssembly>true</SignAssembly>
-    <AssemblyOriginatorKeyFile>$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)RequestFlow.snk</AssemblyOriginatorKeyFile>
-    <RequestFlowPublicKey>0024000004800000140100000602000000240000525341310008000001000100f14a878288aef3a3fb12a8f09ad6a1c518fe7b2b7ca5ff7e03cdecfb0ab9536980cd3286a6b32f7f023f360142ec05809a2196b89b2d7ae6a9a333c2a24d36273a48ba1d4618f7f279fa9f29343e422e812e1a40acdbf881a29a227fe13ce8fcd00ca8623bd7a861205e0372dead23d3e0a43edab1050362f02d50cbc6e4cae05d1feb3a99dc1b6262a14b124893d72a71c83fecde50cea1991d9fcffab314e119e61f6455cccea86e98a2b2391a232c4ca05aac048f01d5a1df77247a3b6586fa6fc71678851663c88bd99bbddd2ef1bf0b652cb2af497d867defe233f8f9c3a804806c7586479f5b227a5aa69a892c996efa77010768fe43413e092f6f3bbc</RequestFlowPublicKey>
+    <RepoRoot>$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)</RepoRoot>
+    <LangVersion>latest</LangVersion>
+    <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
     <TreatWarningsAsErrors>true</TreatWarningsAsErrors>
-    <IncludeSymbols>true</IncludeSymbols>
-    <SymbolPackageFormat>snupkg</SymbolPackageFormat>
-    <EmbedUntrackedSources>true</EmbedUntrackedSources>
+    <!-- src opts back in. Keeps tests, fixtures, and samples out of dotnet pack. -->
+    <IsPackable>false</IsPackable>
     <ContinuousIntegrationBuild Condition="'$(CI)' == 'true'">true</ContinuousIntegrationBuild>
   </PropertyGroup>
 
-  <ItemGroup>
-    <None Include="$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)README.md" Pack="true" PackagePath="\" />
+  <!-- Repo-wide rather than src-only: an InternalsVisibleTo from a signed assembly only resolves
+       if the consuming test assembly carries the same strong name. -->
+  <PropertyGroup>
+    <SignAssembly>true</SignAssembly>
+    <AssemblyOriginatorKeyFile>$(RepoRoot)RequestFlow.snk</AssemblyOriginatorKeyFile>
+    <RequestFlowPublicKey>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</RequestFlowPublicKey>
+  </PropertyGroup>
+
+  <!-- Lets net462 targets build on machines without a .NET Framework developer pack, such as Linux CI. -->
+  <ItemGroup Condition="$(TargetFramework.StartsWith('net4'))">
+    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.NETFramework.ReferenceAssemblies" Version="1.0.3" PrivateAssets="all" />
   </ItemGroup>
 
 </Project>
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ The core library stays unopinionated about how you name your requests. If you wa
 
 [![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-blue.svg)](https://github.com/illia1f/RequestFlow/blob/main/LICENSE)
 ![Status](https://img.shields.io/badge/status-preview-orange)
-![Targets](https://img.shields.io/badge/targets-netstandard2.0%20%7C%20net8.0%20%7C%20net10.0-512BD4)
+![Targets](https://img.shields.io/badge/targets-netstandard2.0%20%7C%20net462%20%7C%20net8.0%20%7C%20net10.0-512BD4)
 
 > **Status:** preview on NuGet. The request/handler core, startup validation, and the CQRS package are live; stages are still in development. Install with the `--prerelease` flag:
 >

diff --git a/ROADMAP.md b/ROADMAP.md
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ Deliberately minimal: request/response dispatch, the stage pipeline, and the CQR
 - [x] Exceptions and startup validation (`ValidateRequestFlow`)
 - [ ] NuGet publish and package ID prefix reservation
 
-Targets: `netstandard2.0;net8.0;net10.0`.
+Targets: `netstandard2.0;net462;net8.0;net10.0`.
 
 ## v1.x
 

diff --git a/global.json b/global.json
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+{
+  "sdk": {
+    "version": "10.0.100",
+    "rollForward": "latestFeature"
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/Directory.Build.props b/src/Directory.Build.props
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+<Project>
+
+  <Import Project="$([MSBuild]::GetPathOfFileAbove('Directory.Build.props', '$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)../'))" />
+
+  <PropertyGroup>
+    <!-- All four packages target this exact set. net462 is not redundant with netstandard2.0:
+         it puts explicit .NET Framework support on the NuGet page for brownfield migrators. -->
+    <TargetFrameworks>netstandard2.0;net462;net8.0;net10.0</TargetFrameworks>
+    <NoWarn>$(NoWarn);CS1591</NoWarn>
+  </PropertyGroup>
+
+  <PropertyGroup Label="Package identity">
+    <!-- Split so CI can stamp a different preview with -p:VersionSuffix=preview.2 -->
+    <VersionPrefix>1.0.0</VersionPrefix>
+    <VersionSuffix>preview.1</VersionSuffix>
+    <Authors>Illia Filippov</Authors>
+    <Company>Illia Filippov</Company>
+    <Copyright>Copyright Illia Filippov</Copyright>
+    <PackageLicenseExpression>MIT</PackageLicenseExpression>
+    <PackageProjectUrl>https://github.com/illia1f/RequestFlow</PackageProjectUrl>
+    <PackageTags>mediator;cqrs;pipeline;dispatch;request;dotnet</PackageTags>
+    <PackageReadmeFile>README.md</PackageReadmeFile>
+  </PropertyGroup>
+
+  <PropertyGroup Label="Package output">
+    <IsPackable>true</IsPackable>
+    <GenerateDocumentationFile>true</GenerateDocumentationFile>
+    <IncludeSymbols>true</IncludeSymbols>
+    <SymbolPackageFormat>snupkg</SymbolPackageFormat>
+    <RepositoryUrl>https://github.com/illia1f/RequestFlow</RepositoryUrl>
+    <RepositoryType>git</RepositoryType>
+    <PublishRepositoryUrl>true</PublishRepositoryUrl>
+    <EmbedUntrackedSources>true</EmbedUntrackedSources>
+  </PropertyGroup>
+
+  <ItemGroup>
+    <None Include="$(RepoRoot)README.md" Pack="true" PackagePath="\" />
+  </ItemGroup>
+
+</Project>
diff --git a/src/RequestFlow.Abstractions/RequestFlow.Abstractions.csproj b/src/RequestFlow.Abstractions/RequestFlow.Abstractions.csproj
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
-<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
+<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
 
   <PropertyGroup>
-	<TargetFrameworks>netstandard2.0;net8.0;net10.0</TargetFrameworks>
-	<LangVersion>latest</LangVersion>
-    <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
     <Description>Zero-dependency contracts for RequestFlow: requests, handlers, and dispatch abstractions. Reference this from application layers; the RequestFlow package provides the runtime.</Description>
   </PropertyGroup>
 

diff --git a/src/RequestFlow.Cqrs.Abstractions/RequestFlow.Cqrs.Abstractions.csproj b/src/RequestFlow.Cqrs.Abstractions/RequestFlow.Cqrs.Abstractions.csproj
@@ -1,10 +1,7 @@
-<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
+<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
 
   <PropertyGroup>
-	<TargetFrameworks>netstandard2.0;net8.0;net10.0</TargetFrameworks>
-	<LangVersion>latest</LangVersion>
-	<Nullable>enable</Nullable>
-	<Description>CQRS contracts for RequestFlow: ICommand, IQuery, handler and dispatcher interfaces. No runtime dependency, safe to reference from domain and application layers.</Description>
+    <Description>CQRS contracts for RequestFlow: ICommand, IQuery, handler and dispatcher interfaces. No runtime dependency, safe to reference from domain and application layers.</Description>
   </PropertyGroup>
 
   <ItemGroup>

diff --git a/src/RequestFlow.Cqrs/RequestFlow.Cqrs.csproj b/src/RequestFlow.Cqrs/RequestFlow.Cqrs.csproj
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
 <Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
 
   <PropertyGroup>
-    <TargetFrameworks>netstandard2.0;net8.0;net10.0</TargetFrameworks>
-    <LangVersion>latest</LangVersion>
-    <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
     <Description>Opt-in, type-enforced command/query split for RequestFlow: typed dispatcher implementations and AddCqrs registration on top of the RequestFlow runtime. Contracts live in RequestFlow.Cqrs.Abstractions.</Description>
   </PropertyGroup>
 

diff --git a/src/RequestFlow/RequestFlow.csproj b/src/RequestFlow/RequestFlow.csproj
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
-<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
+<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
 
   <PropertyGroup>
-    <TargetFrameworks>netstandard2.0;net8.0;net10.0</TargetFrameworks>
-    <LangVersion>latest</LangVersion>
-    <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
     <Description>Small, fast request/handler mediator for .NET: assembly scanning registration, startup validation, and reflection-free frozen-map dispatch. Free MIT alternative to MediatR.</Description>
   </PropertyGroup>
 

diff --git a/tests/Compat/IsExternalInit.cs b/tests/Compat/IsExternalInit.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+// Records compile to init accessors, and the compiler wants this marker type; .NET Framework does not ship it.
+namespace System.Runtime.CompilerServices;
+
+internal static class IsExternalInit
+{ }
diff --git a/tests/Directory.Build.props b/tests/Directory.Build.props
@@ -1,14 +1,39 @@
 <Project>
 
-  <Import Project="..\Directory.Build.props" Condition="Exists('..\Directory.Build.props')" />
+  <Import Project="$([MSBuild]::GetPathOfFileAbove('Directory.Build.props', '$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)../'))" />
 
   <PropertyGroup>
-    <TargetFramework>net10.0</TargetFramework>
+    <TargetFrameworks>net8.0;net10.0</TargetFrameworks>
+    <!-- net462 matches the library's oldest target, so tests exercise that exact build.
+         .NET Framework only runs on Windows. Requires the xunit runner pinned at 2.8.2. -->
+    <TargetFrameworks Condition="$([MSBuild]::IsOSPlatform('Windows'))">$(TargetFrameworks);net462</TargetFrameworks>
     <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
-    <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
-    <IsPackable>false</IsPackable>
-    <GenerateDocumentationFile>false</GenerateDocumentationFile>
     <TreatWarningsAsErrors>false</TreatWarningsAsErrors>
+    <!-- ValidationFixtures lives here too, but it is a scanned library rather than a test host,
+         so it must not pull in the runner. -->
+    <IsUnitTestProject Condition="'$(IsUnitTestProject)' == '' And $(MSBuildProjectName.EndsWith('.Tests.Unit'))">true</IsUnitTestProject>
   </PropertyGroup>
 
+  <ItemGroup Condition="'$(IsUnitTestProject)' == 'true'">
+    <PackageReference Include="coverlet.collector" Version="10.0.1" PrivateAssets="all" />
+    <PackageReference Include="coverlet.msbuild" Version="10.0.1" PrivateAssets="all" />
+    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection" Version="10.0.9" />
+    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.NET.Test.Sdk" Version="18.7.0" />
+    <PackageReference Include="NSubstitute" Version="5.3.0" />
+    <PackageReference Include="Shouldly" Version="4.3.0" />
+    <PackageReference Include="xunit" Version="2.9.3" />
+    <!-- Pinned: 2.8.2 is the last runner that targets net462; 3.x needs net472+. -->
+    <PackageReference Include="xunit.runner.visualstudio" Version="2.8.2" PrivateAssets="all" />
+  </ItemGroup>
+
+  <ItemGroup Condition="'$(IsUnitTestProject)' == 'true'">
+    <Using Include="NSubstitute" />
+    <Using Include="Shouldly" />
+    <Using Include="Xunit" />
+  </ItemGroup>
+
+  <ItemGroup Condition="'$(TargetFramework)' == 'net462'">
+    <Compile Include="$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)Compat\*.cs" LinkBase="Compat" />
+  </ItemGroup>
+
 </Project>
diff --git a/tests/RequestFlow.Cqrs.Tests.Unit/RequestFlow.Cqrs.Tests.Unit.csproj b/tests/RequestFlow.Cqrs.Tests.Unit/RequestFlow.Cqrs.Tests.Unit.csproj
@@ -1,34 +1,8 @@
 <Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
 
-  <ItemGroup>
-    <PackageReference Include="coverlet.collector" Version="10.0.1">
-      <PrivateAssets>all</PrivateAssets>
-      <IncludeAssets>runtime; build; native; contentfiles; analyzers; buildtransitive</IncludeAssets>
-    </PackageReference>
-    <PackageReference Include="coverlet.msbuild" Version="10.0.1">
-      <PrivateAssets>all</PrivateAssets>
-      <IncludeAssets>runtime; build; native; contentfiles; analyzers; buildtransitive</IncludeAssets>
-    </PackageReference>
-    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection" Version="10.0.9" />
-    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.NET.Test.Sdk" Version="18.7.0" />
-    <PackageReference Include="NSubstitute" Version="5.3.0" />
-    <PackageReference Include="Shouldly" Version="4.3.0" />
-    <PackageReference Include="xunit" Version="2.9.3" />
-    <PackageReference Include="xunit.runner.visualstudio" Version="3.1.5">
-      <PrivateAssets>all</PrivateAssets>
-      <IncludeAssets>runtime; build; native; contentfiles; analyzers; buildtransitive</IncludeAssets>
-    </PackageReference>
-  </ItemGroup>
-
   <ItemGroup>
     <ProjectReference Include="..\..\src\RequestFlow\RequestFlow.csproj" />
     <ProjectReference Include="..\..\src\RequestFlow.Cqrs\RequestFlow.Cqrs.csproj" />
   </ItemGroup>
 
-  <ItemGroup>
-    <Using Include="NSubstitute" />
-    <Using Include="Shouldly" />
-    <Using Include="Xunit" />
-  </ItemGroup>
-
 </Project>