name: shiny-mediator description: Generate Shiny Mediator handlers, contracts, middleware, and scaffold projects for .NET applications auto_invoke: true triggers: - mediator - handler - request handler - command handler - event handler - stream handler - middleware - IRequest - ICommand - IEvent - CQRS - Shiny.Mediator - server sent events - SSE - EventStream - WaitForSingleEvent - IAsyncEnumerable - IStreamRequest - IServerSentEventsStream - OpenAPI - HTTP client - MediatorHttp - swagger - contract-first - strongly typed HTTP
Shiny Mediator Skill
You are an expert in Shiny Mediator, a mediator pattern library for .NET applications.
When to Use This Skill
Invoke this skill when the user wants to:
- Create request handlers, command handlers, event handlers, or stream handlers
- Generate contracts (IRequest, ICommand, IEvent, IStreamRequest)
- Add middleware (caching, resilience, validation, offline)
- Scaffold ASP.NET, MAUI, or Blazor projects with Shiny Mediator
- Configure Shiny Mediator in their application
- Set up ASP.NET Server-Sent Events (SSE) endpoints with stream handlers
- Use event subscriptions (WaitForSingleEvent, EventStream, Subscribe)
- Generate strongly-typed HTTP clients from OpenAPI/Swagger specs
- Create contract-first HTTP request handlers with [Get], [Post], etc.
- Migrate from MediatR to Shiny Mediator
Library Overview
Documentation: https://shinylib.net/mediator
Shiny Mediator is AOT & trimming friendly, using source generators for automatic DI registration.
Core Patterns
| Pattern | Contract | Handler | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Request | IRequest<TResult> |
IRequestHandler<TRequest, TResult> |
Queries returning data |
| Command | ICommand |
ICommandHandler<TCommand> |
Void state changes |
| Event | IEvent |
IEventHandler<TEvent> |
Pub/sub notifications |
| Stream | IStreamRequest<TResult> |
IStreamRequestHandler<TRequest, TResult> |
IAsyncEnumerable |
Handler Registration
Always use registration attributes:
[MediatorSingleton] // Stateless handlers
[MediatorScoped] // Handlers needing per-request services (DbContext)
Critical: Partial Class Requirement
When using any middleware attribute ([Cache], [OfflineAvailable], [Resilient], [MainThread], [TimerRefresh], [Sample], [Throttle]), the handler class must be declared as partial:
[MediatorSingleton]
public partial class MyHandler : IRequestHandler<MyRequest, MyResult> // partial required!
{
[Cache(AbsoluteExpirationSeconds = 60)]
public Task<MyResult> Handle(...) { }
}
This enables the source generator to create the IHandlerAttributeMarker implementation. Without partial, you'll get error SHINY001.
Basic Setup
ASP.NET:
builder.Services.AddShinyMediator(x => x
.AddMediatorRegistry()
);
app.MapGeneratedMediatorEndpoints();
MAUI:
builder.AddShinyMediator(x => x
.AddMediatorRegistry()
.UseMaui()
.AddMauiPersistentCache()
.PreventEventExceptions()
);
Blazor:
builder.Services.AddShinyMediator(x => x
.AddMediatorRegistry()
.UseBlazor()
.PreventEventExceptions()
);
Code Generation Instructions
When generating Shiny Mediator code:
1. Contracts
Always use records for immutability:
public record GetUserRequest(int UserId) : IRequest<UserDto>;
public record CreateUserCommand(string Name, string Email) : ICommand;
public record UserCreatedEvent(int UserId, string Name) : IEvent;
2. Handlers
Include all three parameters in Handle method:
[MediatorScoped]
public class GetUserRequestHandler : IRequestHandler<GetUserRequest, UserDto>
{
public Task<UserDto> Handle(
GetUserRequest request,
IMediatorContext context,
CancellationToken cancellationToken)
{
// Implementation
}
}
3. Middleware Attributes
Apply to handler methods as needed:
[Cache(AbsoluteExpirationSeconds = N)]- Cacheable queries[OfflineAvailable]- Offline storage for mobile[Resilient("policyName")]- Retry/timeout policies[MainThread]- MAUI main thread execution[TimerRefresh(milliseconds)]- Auto-refresh streams[Sample(milliseconds)]- Fixed-window sampling (last event in window executes)[Throttle(milliseconds)]- True throttle (first event executes, cooldown discards rest)[Validate]- Data annotation validation
When using ANY of these attributes, the handler class MUST be partial:
[MediatorSingleton]
public partial class CachedHandler : IRequestHandler<MyRequest, MyData>
{
[Cache(AbsoluteExpirationSeconds = 60)]
[OfflineAvailable]
public Task<MyData> Handle(...) { }
}
4. Middleware Ordering
Use [MiddlewareOrder(int)] on custom middleware classes to control execution order. Lower values run first (outermost). Default is 0.
[MiddlewareOrder(-100)] // Runs before middleware with higher order values
[MediatorSingleton]
public class EarlyMiddleware<TRequest, TResult> : IRequestMiddleware<TRequest, TResult>
where TRequest : IRequest<TResult>
{ ... }
5. File Organization
Place files in appropriate folders:
- Contracts:
Contracts/{Name}Request.cs,Contracts/{Name}Command.cs - Handlers:
Handlers/{Name}Handler.cs - Middleware:
Middleware/{Name}Middleware.cs
Usage Examples
Request:
var response = await mediator.Request(new GetUserRequest(1));
var user = response.Result;
Command:
await mediator.Send(new CreateUserCommand("John", "john@example.com"));
Event:
await mediator.Publish(new UserCreatedEvent(1, "John"));
Chaining via Context:
public async Task<UserDto> Handle(GetUserRequest request, IMediatorContext context, CancellationToken ct)
{
// Use context to chain operations (shares scope)
await context.Publish(new UserAccessedEvent(request.UserId));
return new UserDto(...);
}
Event Subscriptions & Streaming
WaitForSingleEvent - Await a single event occurrence (with optional filter):
// Wait for a specific event (blocks until event fires or cancellation)
var evt = await mediator.WaitForSingleEvent<OrderCompletedEvent>(
filter: e => e.OrderId == orderId,
cancellationToken: ct
);
EventStream - Continuous IAsyncEnumerable stream of events (uses Channels internally):
// Consume events as an async stream
await foreach (var evt in mediator.EventStream<PriceUpdatedEvent>(cancellationToken: ct))
{
Console.WriteLine($"New price: {evt.Price}");
}
Subscribe - Manual subscription returning IDisposable:
var sub = mediator.Subscribe<MyEvent>((ev, ctx, ct) =>
{
Console.WriteLine($"Event received: {ev}");
return Task.CompletedTask;
});
// Later: sub.Dispose() to unsubscribe
ASP.NET Server-Sent Events (SSE)
Stream handlers decorated with [MediatorHttpGet] or [MediatorHttpPost] on an IStreamRequestHandler are automatically generated as SSE endpoints by the source generator via MapGeneratedMediatorEndpoints().
Manual SSE endpoint with EventStream:
app.MapGet("/events", ([FromServices] IMediator mediator) =>
TypedResults.ServerSentEvents(mediator.EventStream<MyEvent>())
);
Stream handler as auto-generated SSE endpoint:
public record TickerStreamRequest : IStreamRequest<int>;
[MediatorScoped]
public class TickerStreamHandler : IStreamRequestHandler<TickerStreamRequest, int>
{
[MediatorHttpGet("/ticker")]
public async IAsyncEnumerable<int> Handle(
TickerStreamRequest request,
IMediatorContext context,
[EnumeratorCancellation] CancellationToken cancellationToken)
{
var i = 0;
while (!cancellationToken.IsCancellationRequested)
{
yield return i++;
await Task.Delay(1000, cancellationToken);
}
}
}
HTTP client-side SSE consumption: Implement IServerSentEventsStream marker on the contract to indicate the server returns SSE format. The generated HTTP handler will use ReadServerSentEvents<T>() to parse the data: prefixed SSE lines.
public record TickerStreamRequest : IStreamRequest<int>, IServerSentEventsStream;
Contract-First HTTP Clients
Shiny Mediator generates strongly-typed HTTP client handlers from contract classes decorated with HTTP method attributes. No manual HttpClient code needed.
Manual HTTP Contracts
Decorate request classes with [Get], [Post], [Put], [Delete], [Patch] and use [Query], [Header], [Body] on properties:
[Get("/api/orders/{OrderId}")]
public class GetOrderRequest : IRequest<OrderDto>
{
public int OrderId { get; set; } // Route parameter (matches {OrderId})
[Query("status")]
public string? Status { get; set; } // ?status=value
[Header("Authorization")]
public string? AuthToken { get; set; } // HTTP header
}
[Post("/api/orders")]
public class CreateOrderRequest : IRequest<OrderDto>
{
[Body]
public CreateOrderBody? Body { get; set; } // JSON request body
}
The source generator creates handler classes inheriting BaseHttpRequestHandler that build routes, add query/header parameters, serialize bodies, and call IHttpClientFactory.
Registration:
builder.Services.AddShinyMediator(x => x
.AddMediatorRegistry()
.AddStrongTypedHttpClient() // Registers generated HTTP handlers
);
OpenAPI Client Generation
Generate contracts, models, and handlers directly from OpenAPI/Swagger specs. Add a <MediatorHttp> item in your .csproj:
<ItemGroup>
<!-- Remote URL: Include is a logical name, Uri points to the spec -->
<MediatorHttp Include="MyApi"
Uri="https://api.example.com/swagger/v1/swagger.json"
Namespace="MyApp.ExternalApi"
ContractPostfix="HttpRequest"
GenerateJsonConverters="true"
Visible="false" />
<!-- Local file: Include is the file path, no Uri needed -->
<MediatorHttp Include="./specs/openapi.yaml"
Namespace="MyApp.LocalApi"
Visible="false" />
</ItemGroup>
Include can be a file path (for local specs) or a logical name when Uri is set separately.
MediatorHttp metadata options:
| Metadata | Description |
|---|---|
Uri |
URL or local path to OpenAPI JSON/YAML spec |
Namespace |
C# namespace for generated types |
ContractPrefix |
Prefix for generated contract class names |
ContractPostfix |
Postfix for generated contract class names |
UseInternalClasses |
Generate internal classes instead of public |
GenerateModelsOnly |
Only generate models, no handlers |
GenerateJsonConverters |
Generate JsonConverter implementations for enums |
Registration of generated OpenAPI client:
builder.Services.AddShinyMediator(x => x
.AddMediatorRegistry()
.AddGeneratedOpenApiClient() // Registers all OpenAPI-generated handlers
);
Then use like any other mediator request:
var result = await mediator.Request(new GetPetsHttpRequest { Status = "available" });
Best Practices
- Use records for contracts - Immutable, value equality
- One handler per file - Focused and testable
- Appropriate lifetime - Singleton for stateless, Scoped for DbContext
- Use
partialwith middleware attributes - Required for[Cache],[OfflineAvailable],[Resilient], etc. - Chain via context - Use
context.Request()not injecting IMediator - Implement IContractKey - For custom cache/offline keys
- Always pass CancellationToken - Respect cancellation
- Use IServerSentEventsStream marker - On stream contracts consumed via HTTP SSE
- Stream handlers only support GET/POST - Other HTTP methods are not valid for SSE endpoints
- Use EventStream for SSE push endpoints - Combine
mediator.EventStream<T>()withTypedResults.ServerSentEvents()for event-driven SSE
Reference Files
For detailed templates and examples, see:
reference/templates.md- Code generation templates (includes SSE endpoint templates)reference/scaffolding.md- Project structure templatesreference/middleware.md- Middleware configurationreference/api-reference.md- Full API, event subscriptions, SSE, and NuGet packages
Common Packages
dotnet add package Shiny.Mediator # Core
dotnet add package Shiny.Mediator.Maui # MAUI
dotnet add package Shiny.Mediator.Blazor # Blazor
dotnet add package Shiny.Mediator.AspNet # ASP.NET
dotnet add package Shiny.Mediator.Resilience # Polly
dotnet add package Shiny.Mediator.Caching.MicrosoftMemoryCache # Caching
dotnet add package Shiny.Mediator.AppSupport # Offline