ardalis/GuardClauses

Ardalis.GuardClauses is a .NET library designed to simplify input validation by providing extension methods that enforce preconditions on method arguments. It supports custom exception types and automatically captures parameter names to reduce boilerplate code. The system includes built-in checks for nulls, empty strings, invalid formats, and numeric ranges, along with a specific exception for missing queried objects. It is distributed as a NuGet package targeting .NET 8 and .NET Standard, with comprehensive unit tests ensuring reliability.

A new NotFoundException class has been introduced to represent errors when a queried object is not found. This exception accepts the object name and query key, providing a descriptive message, and supports an inner exception for chaining.

src/GuardClauses/Exceptions · high confidence

The media directory now includes a new logo asset, provided as an Adobe Illustrator file (logotype 1024.ai) and multiple SVG variants (48, 72, 96, 144, 256, 512, and logotype 1024). These files, generated from CorelDRAW X7, supply the visual branding assets for the application.

media · high confidence

This change introduces the foundational structure for the Ardalis.GuardClauses library, including the solution file, project configuration (Directory.Build.props), and an .editorconfig enforcing .NET coding conventions. It also adds essential documentation files such as README.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, and CODE\_OF\_CONDUCT.md, along with build artifacts like the Azure Pipelines backup and NuGet publishing instructions.

(repo-wide) · high confidence

The guard clause extension methods in src/GuardClauses have been updated to accept an optional Func\<Exception\> exceptionCreator parameter, allowing users to supply custom exception types instead of the default ArgumentException or ArgumentNullException. Additionally, the methods now use the CallerArgumentExpression attribute to automatically capture the parameter name from the call site, removing the need for manual string arguments and reducing boilerplate. Deprecated methods like AgainstExpression have been marked obsolete in favor of the new Expression methods which use reversed validation logic.

src/GuardClauses · high confidence

The project now includes the JetBrains.Annotations source file directly within the codebase, with all attribute classes modified to be internal and sealed. This change embeds the nullability and annotation attributes locally, ensuring that IDE tooling and static analysis features (such as null-reference warnings) function correctly without requiring an external NuGet package dependency.

src/GuardClauses/ThirdParty · high confidence

Added unit tests for custom guard extensions; Expanded unit test coverage for guard clauses.

The library has been updated to version 5.0.0 and now targets .NET 8.0 alongside .NET Standard 2.0 and 2.1. The project file includes an icon and a README file in the NuGet package, and explicitly sets the MIT license. The test project has been upgraded to .NET 8.0 and updated to use the latest versions of xUnit (2.9.3), Microsoft.NET.Test.Sdk (18.9.0), and coverage tools (altcover 9.0.102, coverlet 10.0.1).

(dependencies) · high confidence

Written by watchdog.canine.dev from the codebase's own history, inside the signed delivery this page is composed from.

• CAI 55 → 65 (+10.7)
• Rubric changed (rubric-2026.08.18 → rubric-2026.09.15) — scores are not directly comparable.

• Code Health 81 → 76 (-4.7)
• Architecture 100 → 100 (+0.0)
• Maturity 46 → 54 (+8.4)
• Readiness 76 → 74 (-1.9)
• Security 52 → 78 (+26.3)
• Performance 62 → 72 (+10.3)

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• LLM evaluation failed
• No exposed public API
• ObsoleteWithoutCallers (src/GuardClauses/ThirdParty/JetBrains.Annotations.cs)
• Orphaned knowledge (src/GuardClauses/ThirdParty/JetBrains.Annotations.cs)
• Outdated: ReportGenerator
• …and 5 more

• Documentation: no installation or build instructions (README.md)
• High: security finding (details withheld)
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• Low coverage: src/GuardClauses/GuardAgainstExpressionExtensionsDeprecated.cs (src/GuardClauses/GuardAgainstExpressionExtensionsDeprecated.cs)
• Low coverage: src/GuardClauses/ThirdParty/JetBrains.Annotations.cs (src/GuardClauses/ThirdParty/JetBrains.Annotations.cs)
• Medium: security finding (details withheld)
• …and 2 more

• 2 commits — 1 feature/other, 1 fixes

• .github/workflows — 1 commit
• src/GuardClauses — 1 commit

• fix: fix: remove struct constraint from Guard.Against.Expression to support reference types (#339) (#406)
• change: Update NuGet dependencies and GitHub Actions to latest (#410)

Written by watchdog.canine.dev from the codebase's own history, inside the signed delivery this page is composed from.

ardalis/GuardClauses was measured the same way every project in this corpus was: the same rubric, at a pinned commit, with the result published in full. Point a surveyor at a repository you know and see whether you agree with it.