dotnet-slopwatch

Slopwatch: LLM Anti-Cheat Quality Gate for .NET

Run the Slopwatch.Cmd dotnet tool as an automated quality gate after code modifications to detect "slop" -- shortcuts that make builds/tests pass without fixing real problems.

Scope

• Slopwatch CLI installation and configuration

• Running quality gate checks (disabled tests, suppressed warnings, empty catches)

• Hook integration and CI/CD pipeline usage

• Detection rule reference

Out of scope

• Pattern recognition and manual code review for slop -- see [skill:dotnet-agent-gotchas] for Slopwatch anti-patterns

Prerequisites

• .NET 8.0+ SDK

• Slopwatch.Cmd NuGet package (v0.3.3+)

Cross-references: [skill:dotnet-tool-management] for general dotnet tool installation mechanics.

Installation

Local Tool (Recommended)

Add to .config/dotnet-tools.json :

{ "version": 1, "isRoot": true, "tools": { "slopwatch.cmd": { "version": "0.3.3", "commands": ["slopwatch"], "rollForward": false } } }

Then restore:

dotnet tool restore

Global Tool

dotnet tool install --global Slopwatch.Cmd

See [skill:dotnet-tool-management] for tool manifest conventions and restore patterns.

Usage

Basic Analysis

Analyze current directory for slop

slopwatch analyze

Analyze specific directory

slopwatch analyze -d ./src

Strict mode -- fail on warnings too

slopwatch analyze --fail-on warning

JSON output for tooling integration

slopwatch analyze --output json

Show performance stats

slopwatch analyze --stats

First-Time Setup: Establish a Baseline

For existing projects with pre-existing issues, create a baseline so slopwatch only catches new slop. The init command scans all files and records current findings as the accepted baseline:

slopwatch init git add .slopwatch/baseline.json git commit -m "Add slopwatch baseline"

Updating the Baseline (Rare)

Only update when slop is truly justified and documented:

slopwatch analyze --update-baseline

Valid reasons: third-party library forces a pattern, intentional rate-limiting delay (not test flakiness), generated code that cannot be modified. Always add a code comment explaining the justification.

Configuration

Create .slopwatch/slopwatch.json to customize rules and exclusions:

{ "minSeverity": "warning", "rules": { "SW001": { "enabled": true, "severity": "error" }, "SW002": { "enabled": true, "severity": "warning" }, "SW003": { "enabled": true, "severity": "error" }, "SW004": { "enabled": true, "severity": "warning" }, "SW005": { "enabled": true, "severity": "warning" }, "SW006": { "enabled": true, "severity": "warning" } }, "exclude": [ "/Generated/", "/obj/", "/bin/" ] }

Strict Mode (Recommended for LLM Sessions)

Elevate all rules to errors during LLM coding sessions:

{ "minSeverity": "warning", "rules": { "SW001": { "enabled": true, "severity": "error" }, "SW002": { "enabled": true, "severity": "error" }, "SW003": { "enabled": true, "severity": "error" }, "SW004": { "enabled": true, "severity": "error" }, "SW005": { "enabled": true, "severity": "error" }, "SW006": { "enabled": true, "severity": "error" } } }

Detection Rules

Rule Severity What It Catches

SW001 Error Disabled tests (Skip= , Ignore , #if false )

SW002 Warning Warning suppression (#pragma warning disable , SuppressMessage )

SW003 Error Empty catch blocks that swallow exceptions

SW004 Warning Arbitrary delays in tests (Task.Delay , Thread.Sleep )

SW005 Warning Project file slop (NoWarn , TreatWarningsAsErrors=false )

SW006 Warning CPM bypass (VersionOverride , inline Version attributes)

When Slopwatch Flags an Issue

• Understand why the shortcut was taken

• Request a proper fix -- be specific about what's wrong

• Verify the fix doesn't introduce different slop

Example output

❌ SW001 [Error]: Disabled test detected File: tests/MyApp.Tests/OrderTests.cs:45 Pattern: [Fact(Skip="Test is flaky")]

Never disable tests to achieve a green build. Fix the underlying issue.

Claude Code Hook Integration

Add slopwatch as a PostToolUse hook to automatically validate every edit. Create or update .claude/settings.json :

{ "hooks": { "PostToolUse": [ { "matcher": "Write|Edit|MultiEdit", "hooks": [ { "type": "command", "command": "slopwatch analyze -d . --hook", "timeout": 60000 } ] } ] } }

The --hook flag:

• Only analyzes git dirty files (fast, even on large repos)

• Outputs errors to stderr in readable format

• Blocks the edit on warnings/errors (exit code 2)

• Claude sees the error and can fix it immediately

This is the pattern used by projects like BrighterCommand/Brighter.

CI/CD Integration

GitHub Actions

jobs: slopwatch: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - uses: actions/checkout@v4

  - name: Setup .NET
    uses: actions/setup-dotnet@v4
    with:
      dotnet-version: '8.0.x'  # any .NET 8+ SDK works

  - name: Install Slopwatch
    run: dotnet tool install --global Slopwatch.Cmd

  - name: Run Slopwatch
    run: slopwatch analyze -d . --fail-on warning

Azure Pipelines

• task: DotNetCoreCLI@2 displayName: 'Install Slopwatch' inputs: command: 'custom' custom: 'tool' arguments: 'install --global Slopwatch.Cmd'

• script: slopwatch analyze -d . --fail-on warning displayName: 'Slopwatch Analysis'

Agent Gotchas

• Do not suppress slopwatch findings. If slopwatch flags an issue, fix the code -- do not update the baseline or disable the rule without explicit user approval.

• Run after every code change, not just at the end. Catching slop early prevents cascading shortcuts.

• Use --hook flag in Claude Code hooks, not bare analyze . The hook flag restricts analysis to dirty files for performance.

• Baseline is not a wastebasket. Adding items to the baseline requires documented justification. Never bulk-update baseline to silence warnings.

• Local tool preferred over global. Use .config/dotnet-tools.json so the version is pinned and reproducible across team members.

Quick Reference

First time setup

slopwatch init git add .slopwatch/baseline.json

After every code change

slopwatch analyze

Strict mode (recommended)

slopwatch analyze --fail-on warning

Hook mode (for Claude Code integration)

slopwatch analyze -d . --hook

JSON output for tooling

slopwatch analyze --output json

Update baseline (rare, document why)

slopwatch analyze --update-baseline

References

• Slopwatch NuGet Package

• [skill:dotnet-tool-management] -- dotnet tool installation and manifest conventions

• [skill:dotnet-agent-gotchas] -- manual slop pattern recognition (visual detection counterpart)

• [skill:dotnet-test-quality] -- test coverage and quality measurement