efcore-patterns

SKILL.md

EF Core best practices covering NoTracking queries, migration management, query splitting, and change tracking patterns.

Configure NoTracking by default for read-heavy workloads; explicitly use .AsTracking() or .Update() for mutations to avoid silent failures

Never manually edit migration files; always use CLI commands (dotnet ef migrations add/remove/script) to manage schema changes safely

Implement a dedicated migration service with .NET Aspire to separate database setup from application startup and ensure migrations complete before the app runs

Use ExecuteUpdateAsync() and ExecuteDeleteAsync() for bulk operations instead of loading entities into memory; apply CreateExecutionStrategy() for transient failure handling

Enable QuerySplittingBehavior.SplitQuery globally to prevent cartesian explosion when loading multiple navigation collections, overriding per-query with AsSingleQuery() when appropriate

Entity Framework Core Patterns

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

Setting up EF Core in a new project

Optimizing query performance

Managing database migrations

Integrating EF Core with .NET Aspire

Debugging change tracking issues

Loading multiple navigation collections efficiently (query splitting)

Core Principles

NoTracking by Default - Most queries are read-only; opt-in to tracking

Never Edit Migrations Manually - Always use CLI commands

Dedicated Migration Service - Separate migration execution from application startup

ExecutionStrategy for Retries - Handle transient database failures

Explicit Updates - When NoTracking, explicitly mark entities for update