N+1 and loading traps
Find database calls inside loops, missing includes, deep eager-loading chains, cartesian explosion risks, and untagged complex queries.
EF Core LINQ analyzer
LinqContraband
Catch costly query shapes at compile time: N+1 loops, premature materialization, raw SQL risks, sync-over-async calls, tracking mistakes, and missing includes.
- 45compile-time EF Core rules
- 0runtime dependency in your app
- MITopen source and source linked
What it catches
Query bugs that usually wait until production.
LinqContraband turns EF Core review knowledge into analyzer diagnostics that show up in the IDE and CI while the code is still cheap to change.
Translation failures
Catch local methods, string conversions, untranslatable overloads, nondeterministic pagination, and query shapes EF Core cannot safely move to SQL.
Security and tracking mistakes
Flag interpolated raw SQL, constructed SQL strings, query-filter bypasses, mixed tracking modes, and silent no-tracking writes.
Install
Add the analyzer, keep the runtime clean.
LinqContraband runs during compilation in Visual Studio, Rider, VS Code, and CI. Your application does not load it at runtime.
dotnet add package LinqContrabandOfficial reference
Everything points back to the canonical project.
The package is distributed through NuGet and the official GitHub repository. LinqContraband is not shipped as a standalone ZIP installer or executable.
Rule catalog
Browse every diagnostic by EF Core domain, severity, and fix availability.
Analyzer rules
Map the rule families for query shape, loading, async execution, tracking, bulk operations, and raw SQL safety.
EF Core analyzer guide
Read the overview for teams comparing compile-time query analysis options.
Async query analyzer
Review async EF Core paths for sync-over-async calls, missing cancellation tokens, async streams, and SaveChangesAsync loops.
CancellationToken analyzer
Review missing tokens for ToListAsync, FirstOrDefaultAsync, SaveChangesAsync, and other EF Core async calls.
Client-side evaluation analyzer
Review translation boundaries for local methods in IQueryable, early AsEnumerable, StringComparison overloads, and GroupBy projections.
Performance checklist
Use the review checklist for N+1 risks, projection, tracking, raw SQL, and CI severity policy.
DbContext lifetime analyzer
Review scoped lifetimes, singleton captures, cross-thread usage, disposed queries, and tracking-mode surprises.
Premature materialization analyzer
Review early ToList, AsEnumerable boundaries, unbounded materialization, and projection waste.
Projection analyzer
Review Select shapes for whole-entity loads, scalar projection opportunities, nested ToList, and identity Select calls.
Pagination OrderBy analyzer
Review deterministic paging for Skip, Take, Last, ElementAt, Chunk, and misplaced OrderBy calls.
Include analyzer
Tune loading rules for missing includes, cartesian explosion, deep eager-loading chains, and query tags.
AsNoTracking analyzer
Review tracking rules for read-only queries, no-tracking writes, mixed modes, and silent SaveChanges failures.
ExecuteUpdate analyzer
Review bulk writes for set-based updates, ExecuteDelete replacements, and missing Where filters.
SaveChanges loop analyzer
Review repeated writes for per-item commits, N+1 writes, async saves, and batching policy.
N+1 query detector
See the N+1 guide for loop execution, missing includes, eager loading trade-offs, and telemetry tags.
Raw SQL safety
Review the SQL guide for interpolated raw SQL, constructed SQL strings, and query-filter bypasses.
CI enforcement
Set up the CI guide for pull-request checks, severity policy, and build-breaking EF Core diagnostics.
Authenticity
Verify official links before installing or linking to the project.
Maintainer
Visit George Wall's site for the author profile and other maintained projects.
Link kit
Copy safe snippets for articles, newsletters, tool lists, docs, and talks.