framework-jit-optimization

compatibility	Requires a .NET SDK that can build both modern .NET and .NET Framework targets; measurements use BenchmarkDotNet.
description	Optimize hot-path code for the `net481` (.NET Framework) target in a multi-targeted library's Framework-only sources. Use when writing or reviewing performance-sensitive loops, deciding whether to specialize a generic method for primitive types, choosing between scalar/unrolled/BCL-delegating implementations, or diagnosing why a net481 micro-benchmark regresses on the older RyuJIT. Also covers the modern .NET (net10) counterpart - vectorization, hardware intrinsics, struct-generic kernels, JIT-friendly shapes - and the cross-TFM codegen fundamentals shared by both targets (arithmetic and branchless lowering, struct layout, zero-allocation static data, hot-path allocation anti-patterns). For BenchmarkDotNet harness mechanics (authoring/running benchmarks, evaluating allocations) see the `performance-testing` skill.
license	MIT
metadata	{"applicability":"dotnet-framework","binding":"optional-overlay","github-path":"skills/framework-jit-optimization","github-pinned":"v0.13.0","github-ref":"refs/tags/v0.13.0","github-repo":"https://github.com/JeremyKuhne/agent-skills","github-tree-sha":"97120f8dc990d4af91d9dbfb1c191a48ecce48f1","maturity":"canary","portability":"portable","related":"performance-testing, scratch-buffer-strategy, pre-pr-self-review","requires":"none","risk":"local-write"}
name	framework-jit-optimization

.NET Framework 4.8.1 JIT optimization

If overlay.md exists beside this file, read it before acting; it contains repository-specific bindings. This core remains usable without it.

A multi-targeted library targets net481 in addition to modern .NET. Code in the Framework-only source tree (the Framework/ subtree by convention, excluded from the modern build) only ever runs on the older RyuJIT. Treat net481 as a separate optimization target with its own rules.

This skill captures decisions distilled from real BenchmarkDotNet experiments in the repo's perf project (<root>.perf by convention). The deep span-walking field manual is bundled alongside this skill in references/framework-span-performance.md.

Always validate with the performance-testing skill workflow before committing a change, and run the pre-pr-self-review checklist before opening a PR - in particular its framework-correctness items (allocation-free over raw speed; perf claims must name the JIT and be measured) apply directly to changes guided by this skill.

For the broader "how do I polyfill API X for net472?" question (which packages to prefer, when to hand-roll), see the polyfill-dotnet-api skill. This skill picks up after that decision is already made and the polyfill lives in the Framework-only tree.

For choosing how a hot path gets its scratch buffer (zeroed stackalloc vs [SkipLocalsInit] vs a stack-with-pool-fallback buffer vs an ArrayPool rental, and the net481/net10 size crossovers), see the scratch-buffer-strategy skill.

The net481 rules below have two companions. What the modern target enables that net481 does not (vectorization, hardware intrinsics, struct-generic kernels, and the JIT-friendly shapes you should not hand-tune away) is in modern-net.md. The codegen fundamentals that hold on both targets (arithmetic and branchless lowering, uint-for-non-negative, struct layout, zero-allocation static data, hot-path allocation anti-patterns) are in cross-tfm-codegen.md.

A consuming repository wires the concrete cross-skill links and source-tree paths in its overlay.

What is and isn't available on net481

• No auto-vectorization. The BCL MemoryExtensions methods on net481 ship with System.Memory. They are hand-tuned scalar / integer-stride implementations - they do not use SIMD.
• No System.Runtime.Intrinsics. Vector128/Vector256/Vector512, Sse2.CompareEqual, Avx2.MoveMask are .NET 5+. Not available here.
• No tiered JIT or PGO. What you write is what gets compiled, once.
• Vector<T> from System.Numerics.Vectors technically exists but does not auto-vectorize equality-replace loops on the older JIT, and per-load/store overhead loses to a plain unrolled scalar loop at typical sizes.
• No source-level loop alignment controls.

"Integer-stride" means routines like IndexOf and SequenceEqual internally process multiple elements per loop step (e.g. compare a ulong chunk that spans 4 chars or 8 bytes) rather than one element at a time. This is not vectorization - just careful scalar code - but it still substantially beats a naive per-element loop for whole-buffer primitives.

Practical consequence: do not assume "the BCL is vectorized so my generic code is fine." On net481 a hand-written specialized loop frequently beats the BCL by 2-3× for full-scan workloads.

Decision flow for a new framework-only fast path

1. Start with the simplest possible scalar loop and measure it as the baseline. Capture the baseline on both net10.0 and net481 before editing, and keep the full BenchmarkDotNet rows (Mean/Error/StdDev/Allocated), not a one-line summary - see the before/after discipline in the performance-testing skill. EventPipe line profiling is net10-only, but every change still has to be re-measured on net481 overall.
2. Decide whether to specialize. See specialization.md for the typeof(T) pattern and primitive equivalence classes.
3. Decide whether to defer to a BCL primitive. See bcl-tradeoffs.md for the visit-most-vs-skip-runs rule.
4. If specializing, add [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)] on the generic entry point. The net481 JIT's default heuristics are conservative; small specialized loops often will not inline without it.
5. If the loop is the hot path, unroll by 4 with indexed reads + bulk pointer increment. See unrolling.md for the right form (and the wrong ones).
6. Stop there. Do not pursue SIMD, SWAR, or branchless tricks without data showing they win - in practice they regress more often than they help. See antipatterns.md.
7. Run the same benchmark on net10.0 to confirm you have not regressed the modern path. If a specialization is harmful on net10 (because the BCL is actually vectorized there), guard it with #if NETFRAMEWORK so only net481 gets the loop.
8. Report both TFMs' before/after tables together, and confirm the targeted hot line/method from the net10 trace actually shrank (e.g. System.Array.Copy self-time dropping). A faster Mean with the targeted frame unchanged is usually noise or an unrelated win.

Quick reference: ratios from real benchmarks

All numbers are from the smoke benchmarks in the repo's perf project. Treat as order-of-magnitude, not exact - rerun before claiming a specific number in a PR.

Decision	Net481 effect (length 4096, full scan)
typeof(T) specialization vs generic IEquatable loop	1.42× faster
[AggressiveInlining] on a tight scalar loop (length 16)	1.82× → 1.07× vs baseline
Unroll-4 indexed (ptr[0..3] + ptr += 4)	1.5× faster than scalar
Unroll-8 same form	1.6× slower than scalar at 256+
Per-iteration *ptr; ptr++ instead of indexed reads	~1.4× slower than indexed
Integer-indexed unroll (ptr[i+0..3]; i += 4)	Worse than the scalar baseline
Branchless *ptr = v == old ? new : v (sparse matches)	1.5-3× slower than branchful conditional store
SWAR haszero for char Replace (dense matches)	3× slower than scalar
BCL IndexOf for Replace (full-scan)	2.18-3.08× slower than specialized scalar
BCL IndexOf for Count (sparse matches, 1/64 density)	2-3× faster than full-scan specialization
Exponential SequenceEqual probe for CommonPrefixLength (4096, full match)	3.3× faster than per-element scalar
Tuple swap (a, b) = (b, a) for plain locals	~23% slower than T t = a; a = b; b = t;
Tuple swap on paired Span<T> indexed swap (sort hot path)	~9% slower than explicit temps
Tuple swap on a single Span<T> indexed swap or two ref locals	Equivalent (within noise)

The two BCL rows look contradictory. They aren't. See bcl-tradeoffs.md.

Sub-pages

• specialization.md - typeof(T) pattern, Unsafe.As, primitive bit-equality classes, when generic methods get inlined.
• unrolling.md - the only unroll form that wins on net481, and three that don't.
• bcl-tradeoffs.md - when to defer to BCL IndexOf / SequenceEqual on net481 despite no vectorization.
• antipatterns.md - specific tricks that look clever but regress on the older JIT.
• modern-net.md - the net10 counterpart: BCL-first (SearchValues/TensorPrimitives), the canonical vectorized loop, hardware intrinsics, struct-generic kernels, sealing/devirtualization, escape analysis, and why to keep the modern source simple.
• cross-tfm-codegen.md - fundamentals for both targets: division/modulo lowering, uint-for-non-negative, BitOperations, struct field ordering, AoS->SoA, false sharing, ReadOnlySpan<byte> blobs, [InlineArray], const-vs-static readonly, and hot-path allocation anti-patterns.