[SQLProjects] SqlProjectResource "Waiting" Indefinitely for Its "Running" Dependencies

[FreeAndWithBeer]

Describe the bug

I have a SqlServerServerResource with a single SqlServerDatabaseResource to which I'm deploying a SqlProjectResource. Aspire successfully starts the server, adds the database (or performs checks to ensure its health), and both of those resources reach the "Running" State successfully. The SqlProjectResource remains in the "Waiting" State indefinitely.

Console logs from the SqlProjectResource:

Waiting for resource 'mssql' to enter the 'Running' state.
Waiting for resource 'mssql' to become healthy.
Waiting for resource ready to execute for 'mssql'.
Finished waiting for resource 'mssql'.
Waiting for resource 'nss-sql' to enter the 'Running' state.
Waiting for resource 'nss-sql' to become healthy.
Waiting for resource ready to execute for 'nss-sql'.

Regression

Success in CommunityToolkit.Aspire.Hosting.SqlDatabaseProjects 13.0.0-beta.456

Steps to reproduce

I apologize that I do not currently have time to develop a minimum repro solution, but below is the Aspire AppHost code that I'm using for my SQL Server related resources.


var sqlDatabase = builder.AddSqlServer("mssql")
    .WithLifetime(ContainerLifetime.Persistent)
    .AddDatabase("nss-sql");

var sqlProject = builder.AddSqlProject<Nss_Sql>("nss-sql-proj")
    .WithSkipWhenDeployed()
    .WithConfigureDacDeployOptions(options => options.CreateNewDatabase = true)
    .WithReference(sqlDatabase)
    .WaitFor(sqlDatabase);

Expected behavior

I expected my SqlProjectResource to start as soon as the SqlServerDatabaseResource is "Running".

Screenshots

No response

IDE and version

Rider

IDE version

Build #RD-253.28294.112, built on November 12, 2025

Nuget packages

Issue in CommunityToolkit.Aspire.Hosting.SqlDatabaseProjects 13.0.0 and 13.0.0-beta.462 (appears to be the same commit hash).

Success in CommunityToolkit.Aspire.Hosting.SqlDatabaseProjects 13.0.0-beta.456.

Other Aspire.* packages were all 13.0.0 (I've also updated those to 13.0.1 with no effect on this issue).

Additional context

#994

Help us help you

No, just wanted to report this

[ErikEJ]

@FreeAndWithBeer Could you at least share your AppHost .csproj?

[ErikEJ]

@FreeAndWithBeer You are not using the API as documented - I cannot find any mention of WaitFor in our docs.

And these two lines work in opposite directions:

    .WithConfigureDacDeployOptions(options => options.CreateNewDatabase = true)
    .WithReference(sqlDatabase)

First line is for scenarios where the database persists between invocation of the appHost, second line forces the database to be recreated on each invocation of the app host.

This works as expected, and the apphost starts "instantly" on second invocation:

var sqlProject = builder.AddSqlProject<Nss_Sql>("nss-sql-proj")
    .WithSkipWhenDeployed()
    .WithReference(sqlDatabase);

[afscrome]

This is happening because you're ending up with a circular wait dependency caused by your .WaitFor(sqlDatabase) call. Alongside dotnet/aspire#13144 which means it's not entirely clear there's a deadlock.

When you make the SQL Project resource .WaitFor(sqlDatabase), you end up with the SQL Project waiting for the database. But the database cannot unblock it's dependencies until the SQL Project has completed --> deadlock.

We could change this behaviour - it isn't unreasonable to think you need the sql project resource to .WaitFor(sqlDatabase), but changing that would also mean that the sqlDatabase resource by itself goes healthy before the dacpack has run, meaning you need to explicitly .WaitFor(sqlProject) on downstream dependencies of the database. So it's a bit of a pick your poison scenario.

We could add some detection logic to try and detect if the target database is also being waited on - likely BeforeResourceStart or BeforeStart, and fail fast if such a wait is detected. The logic wouldn't be perfect as it wouldn't catch if a wait was added after our event handler, but it shoudl captur ehte majority of cases.

[ErikEJ]

@afscrome I do not see any need to change anything, my resolution does the expected waits, and as I wrote, there is no mention of WaitFor in the SQL Projects docs.

[FreeAndWithBeer]

Thank you both very much! I've followed your guidance, and everything is running as desired.

In case it is of value, I'll provide the rationale for my choices. For additional perspective, I'm new to Aspire, and I'm only using it for development scenarios.

@ErikEJ

.WithSkipWhenDeployed()
.WithConfigureDacDeployOptions(options => options.CreateNewDatabase = true)

My intent was to "skip deployment when there are no SQL project changes; otherwise, overwrite the entire database". The example in your docs should be suitable, and I plan to use it going forward:

.WithSkipWhenDeployed()
.WithConfigureDacDeployOptions(options =>
{
    options.BlockOnPossibleDataLoss = false;
    options.DropObjectsNotInSource = true;
})

@afscrome My mental model for ".WithReference" was tied to Aspire.Hosting.ResourceBuilderExtensions.WithReference for unrelated resources (not parent-child), and I wasn't expecting any implicit "waiting" behavior. I am unfamiliar with how Aspire parent-child relationships are handled, so I have some learning to do on my end. Having a UI indicator as you described in the linked issue would be great.