Issue: New .NET Foundation Project Application

[dxpython]

Project Name

SharpAIKit: A Unified AI/LLM Toolkit for .NET

License

MIT

Contributor

Dustin Dong

Existing OSS Project?

Yes

Source Code URL

https://github.com/dxpython/SharpAIKit.git

Project Homepage URL

No response

Project Transfer Signatories

• Dustin Dong anonymouslook5@outlook.com

Description

SharpAIKit is a unified AI/LLM toolkit for .NET that provides a single, consistent API for OpenAI-compatible models, local LLMs, and multi-provider AI integration.

What are you hoping from the foundation

I hope to join the .NET Foundation to ensure long-term governance, visibility, and community growth for SharpAIKit. By joining the Foundation, I aim to improve project stability, attract contributors, and align the toolkit with best practices for open-source .NET development. I also hope to leverage the Foundation’s guidance, infrastructure, and ecosystem support to help SharpAIKit better serve the .NET community.

Name

Dustin Dong

Email

anonymouslook5@outlook.com

GitHub Profile URL

https://github.com/dxpython

Committers

Xing Dong (GitHub ID: dxpython)
anonymouslook5@outlook.com
Affiliation: Independent contributor

Discord Ids

charles_61694

Governance Model

SharpAIKit follows a lightweight and transparent governance model centered around open-source best practices. All code changes must be submitted through pull requests, which are reviewed by the project maintainer. Decisions to approve or reject contributions are based on technical merit, consistency with project goals, and alignment with .NET ecosystem standards.

The project uses GitHub Issues and Discussions to identify new contributors, track feature requests, and evaluate design proposals. New contributors who demonstrate sustained, high-quality participation may be granted write access following a review by the maintainer. All technical decisions are made publicly and documented through issues, PR history, and versioned releases.

CLA

• If already an OSS project, was a Contribution License Agreement in place for contributions accepted?

How does the project check who has signed one?

The project is open-source and accepts community contributions through pull requests. While it does not yet have a formal contributor license agreement (CLA), all contributors must certify that their submissions are original and compatible with the project’s MIT license.

CLA Notification Alias

No response

Select the Project Transfer Agreement model

Contribution

Repository Layout

No structural changes to the repository are required. The current layout follows standard .NET open-source conventions, including separate directories for src, tests, samples, documentation, and project assets. I would like to keep this layout unchanged, as it already aligns well with common practices in the .NET ecosystem.

Eligibility Criteria

• The project is built on the .NET platform and/or creates value within the .NET ecosystem.
• The project produces source code for distribution to the public at no charge.
• The project's code is easily discoverable and publicly accessible (preferably on GitHub).
• The project contains a build script that can produce deployable artifacts that are identical to the official deployable artifacts, with the exception of code signing (Exception may be granted for strong name keys, though strongly encouraged to be committed. Exception relies on OSS signing being in the build script for public builds).
• When applicable, project must use reproducible build settings in its toolchain.
• The project uses Source Link.
• The project uses either embedded PDBs or publish symbol packages to NuGet (if applicable).
• The project code signs their artifacts as appropriate.
• The project organization has 2FA enabled. Requiring 2FA must be done as part of onboarding if not already enabled.
• Libraries that are mandatory dependencies of the project are offered under a standard, permissive open source license which has been approved by the .NET Foundation (exceptions include a dependency that is required by the target platform where no alternative open source dependency is available such as the .NET Framework or a hardware specific library).
• Committers are bound by a Contributor License Agreement (CLA) and/or are willing to embrace the .NET Foundation's CLA when the project becomes a Member.
• The copyright ownership of everything that the project produces is clearly defined and documented.
• The project has a public issue tracker where the status of any defect can be easily obtained.
• The project has a published Security Policy.
• The project has a home page which provides high level information about its status and purpose.
• The project has a public communication channel where community members can engage with maintainers.
• The project has a publicly available location where members can review and contribute to documentation.

Describe why you are applying for Project Membership.

I am applying to add SharpAIKit to the .NET Foundation because the project aims to provide long-term value to the .NET ecosystem by offering a unified, provider-agnostic AI and LLM toolkit for .NET developers. As AI becomes a core capability in modern applications, the .NET community needs a reliable, open-source foundation for integrating large language models across different providers and runtime environments.

Joining the .NET Foundation will help ensure that SharpAIKit is developed with strong governance, transparency, and community participation. It will also provide the project with the infrastructure, guidance, and visibility needed to grow into a widely adopted and well-maintained component of the .NET AI ecosystem.

Infrastructure Requirements Summary

SharpAIKit has minimal infrastructure requirements. The project is currently hosted on GitHub and uses GitHub Issues, Discussions, and Actions for basic automation. I do not require any additional infrastructure beyond what the .NET Foundation typically provides, such as repository management, CI integration, and CLA automation. If the Foundation recommends any standard tooling or workflows, I am happy to adopt them.

Additional Notes

SharpAIKit is designed to serve a growing need within the .NET developer community for a unified and provider-agnostic AI/LLM abstraction. While there are other AI-related libraries in the .NET ecosystem, SharpAIKit focuses specifically on creating a consistent, extensible integration layer for both cloud-based and local LLM providers. This makes the project complementary rather than duplicative, and it aims to strengthen the AI capabilities available to .NET developers.

No additional concerns at this time, but I am happy to work with the .NET Foundation team on any questions that arise during evaluation.