Instruction file imported from microsoft/vstest (.github/instructions/eng.instructions.md). Copyright stays with the author.

Engineering Infrastructure Rules

Build scripts, packaging validation, and CI infrastructure. Changes here affect every contributor and every build.

Build Script Hygiene

• Scripts must check exit codes of child processes and fail fast on errors.
• Use portable OS checks — scripts should work on both Windows (PowerShell) and Unix (bash).
• Remove dead code rather than carrying it forward; keep scripts canonical and current.
• Don't break source-build mode with infrastructure changes.

Package Integrity

• Validate that dependency version changes don't conflict with assemblies shipped to end users.
• Packaging projects must ship assemblies from the current build, not stale artifacts.

Dependency Management

• Version upgrades must state the exact package and target version in the PR description.
• Transitive dependency versions must align between deps.json and actually-shipped assemblies.

CI & Testing Infrastructure

• Add end-to-end tests around SDK and MSBuild insertion points to catch packaging regressions.
• Cross-platform tests must use OS-appropriate paths and realistic scenarios.
• Keep test matrices focused on unique behavior; move exhaustive coverage to specialized jobs.

Key Checks

• Verify changes work in both Debug and Release configurations.
• Changes to Arcade SDK versions require validating the full build pipeline.