Discovering step definitions raises error Method not found: 'Void System.Text.Json.JsonSerializerOptions.set_Encoder

[harryKont]

Used Visual Studio

Visual Studio 2022

Are the latest Visual Studio updates installed?

Yes

Content of reqnroll.json (if present)

No response

Issue Description

When loading/building a Reqnroll tests project the following error is raised in output and the steps are not discovered

Info: OnActivityStarted: Starting Visual Studio Extension...
Info: CreateProjectScope: Initializing project: OrderAutomation.Api.SystemTests
Info: OnSettingsInitialized: Project settings initialized: .NETCoreApp,Version=v8.0,Reqnroll:2.4.0
Warning: AndDiscoveryProviderSucceed: Error during binding discovery. 
Command executed:
  C:\src\order-automation-system\OrderAutomationService\src\OrderAutomation.Api.SystemTests\bin\Debug\net8.0> C:\Program Files\dotnet\dotnet.exe exec c:\users\user\appdata\local\microsoft\visualstudio\17.0_7ddf514c\extensions\h2qrjthr.ahg\Connectors\Reqnroll-Generic-net8.0\reqnroll-vs.dll discovery C:\src\order-automation-system\OrderAutomationService\src\OrderAutomation.Api.SystemTests\bin\Debug\net8.0\OrderAutomation.Api.SystemTests.dll ""
Exit code: 0
Message: 
'M' is an invalid start of a value. Path: $ | LineNumber: 0 | BytePositionInLine: 0.
Method not found: 'Void System.Text.Json.JsonSerializerOptions.set_Encoder(System.Text.Encodings.Web.JavaScriptEncoder)'.
Unable to deserialize discovery options:  Method not found: 'Void System.Text.Json.JsonSerializerOptions.set_Encoder(System.Text.Encodings.Web.JavaScriptEncoder)'. ({
  "assemblyFile": "C:\\src\\order-automation-system\\OrderAutomationService\\src\\OrderAutomation.Api.SystemTests\\bin\\Debug\\net8.0\\OrderAutomation.Api.SystemTests.dll",
  "connectorFolder": "c:\\users\\user\\appdata\\local\\microsoft\\visualstudio\\17.0_7ddf514c\\extensions\\h2qrjthr.ahg\\Connectors\\Reqnroll-Generic-net8.0"
})
Error System.MissingMethodException: Method not found: 'Void System.Text.Json.JsonSerializerOptions.set_Encoder(System.Text.Encodings.Web.JavaScriptEncoder)'.
   at ReqnrollConnector.JsonSerialization.GetJsonSerializerSettings()
   at ReqnrollConnector.JsonSerialization.DeserializeDiscoveryOptions(String json, ILogger log) in D:\a\Reqnroll.VisualStudio\Reqnroll.VisualStudio\Connectors\Reqnroll.VisualStudio.ReqnrollConnector.Generic\JsonSerialization.cs:line 77

DiscoveryOptions { DebugMode = False, AssemblyFile = C:\src\order-automation-system\OrderAutomationService\src\OrderAutomation.Api.SystemTests\bin\Debug\net8.0\OrderAutomation.Api.SystemTests.dll, ConfigFile = , ConnectorFolder = c:\users\user\appdata\local\microsoft\visualstudio\17.0_7ddf514c\extensions\h2qrjthr.ahg\Connectors\Reqnroll-Generic-net8.0 }
Loading C:\src\order-automation-system\OrderAutomationService\src\OrderAutomation.Api.SystemTests\bin\Debug\net8.0\OrderAutomation.Api.SystemTests.dll
OrderAutomation.Api.SystemTests, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null loaded
Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyModel.DependencyContext loaded
Loading System.Runtime, Version=8.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a
Loading nunit.framework, Version=3.13.1.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=2638cd05610744eb
Resolved with Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyModel.Resolution.AppBaseCompilationAssemblyResolver from C:\src\order-automation-system\OrderAutomationService\src\OrderAutomation.Api.SystemTests\bin\Debug\net8.0\nunit.framework.dll
Found runtime library:nunit.framework, Version=3.13.1.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=2638cd05610744eb
Loading netstandard, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cc7b13ffcd2ddd51
System.InvalidOperationException: Cannot find reference assembly 'netstandard.dll' file for package netstandard
   at Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyModel.Resolution.ReferenceAssemblyPathResolver.TryResolveAssemblyPaths(CompilationLibrary library, List`1 assemblies)
   at ReqnrollConnector.AssemblyLoading.RuntimeCompositeCompilationAssemblyResolver.TryResolveAssemblyPaths(CompilationLibrary library, List`1 assemblies) in D:\a\Reqnroll.VisualStudio\Reqnroll.VisualStudio\Connectors\Reqnroll.VisualStudio.ReqnrollConnector.Generic\AssemblyLoading\RuntimeCompositeCompilationAssemblyResolver.cs:line 19
Loading Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.UserSecrets, Version=8.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=adb9793829ddae60
Resolved with Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyModel.Resolution.PackageCompilationAssemblyResolver from C:\Users\user\.nuget\packages\Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.UserSecrets\8.0.1\lib/net8.0/Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.UserSecrets.dll
Found runtime library:Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.UserSecrets, Version=8.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=adb9793829ddae60
Loading System.Runtime, Version=8.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a
Loading System.Runtime, Version=8.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a
Loading System.Runtime.Loader, Version=8.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a
Loading System.Collections.Immutable, Version=8.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a
Loading System.Text.Json, Version=8.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cc7b13ffcd2ddd51
Loading System.Text.Encodings.Web, Version=8.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cc7b13ffcd2ddd51
Resolved with Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyModel.Resolution.AppBaseCompilationAssemblyResolver from C:\src\order-automation-system\OrderAutomationService\src\OrderAutomation.Api.SystemTests\bin\Debug\net8.0\System.Text.Encodings.Web.dll
Found runtime library:System.Text.Encodings.Web, Version=9.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cc7b13ffcd2ddd51
Loading System.Runtime, Version=8.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a
Loading Reqnroll.VisualStudio.ReqnrollConnector.Models, Version=2025.1.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=611ce36403091019
System.Text.Json.JsonException: 'M' is an invalid start of a value. Path: $ | LineNumber: 0 | BytePositionInLine: 0.
 ---> System.Text.Json.JsonReaderException: 'M' is an invalid start of a value. LineNumber: 0 | BytePositionInLine: 0.
   at System.Text.Json.ThrowHelper.ThrowJsonReaderException(Utf8JsonReader& json, ExceptionResource resource, Byte nextByte, ReadOnlySpan`1 bytes)
   at System.Text.Json.Utf8JsonReader.ConsumeValue(Byte marker)
   at System.Text.Json.Utf8JsonReader.ReadFirstToken(Byte first)
   at System.Text.Json.Utf8JsonReader.ReadSingleSegment()
   at System.Text.Json.Utf8JsonReader.Read()
   at System.Text.Json.Serialization.JsonConverter`1.ReadCore(Utf8JsonReader& reader, JsonSerializerOptions options, ReadStack& state)
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at System.Text.Json.ThrowHelper.ReThrowWithPath(ReadStack& state, JsonReaderException ex)
   at System.Text.Json.Serialization.JsonConverter`1.ReadCore(Utf8JsonReader& reader, JsonSerializerOptions options, ReadStack& state)
   at System.Text.Json.JsonSerializer.ReadFromSpan[TValue](ReadOnlySpan`1 utf8Json, JsonTypeInfo`1 jsonTypeInfo, Nullable`1 actualByteCount)
   at System.Text.Json.JsonSerializer.ReadFromSpan[TValue](ReadOnlySpan`1 json, JsonTypeInfo`1 jsonTypeInfo)
   at System.Text.Json.JsonSerializer.Deserialize[TValue](String json, JsonSerializerOptions options)
   at ReqnrollConnector.JsonSerialization.DeserializeObjectRunnerResult(String json, ILogger log) in D:\a\Reqnroll.VisualStudio\Reqnroll.VisualStudio\Connectors\Reqnroll.VisualStudio.ReqnrollConnector.Generic\JsonSerialization.cs:line 108
Warning: AndDiscoveryProviderSucceed: The project bindings (e.g. step definitions) could not be discovered. Navigation, step completion and other features are disabled. 
  Please check the error message above and report to https://github.com/reqnroll/Reqnroll.VisualStudio/issues if you cannot fix.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Create a .NET project targeting .NET8
2. Add a feature
3. Build the project
4. Try to navigate to a step definition from the feature file.

Link to a project repository that reproduces the issue

No response

[304NotModified]

See dotnet/runtime#82798

Looks like an issue with the nunit version?

Under the hood it looks like a mix of assembly versions, suspects are System.Text.Json and System.Text.Encodings.Web

Check the version in the bin folder for those files of updating NUnit won't fix the issue

[harryKont]

I narrowed it down to a conflict with System.Text.Encodings.Web, in my case we have a direct dependency to this package
<PackageReference Include="System.Text.Encodings.Web" Version="8.0.10" />

The moment I removed this dependency the discovery worked again correctly. The problem is that ideally we want to keep the dependency. Any idea why this is happening?

[304NotModified]

So there is a mix of versions then. You could check the version (when not using PackageReference Include="System.Text.Encodings.Web) in your bin folder.

Maybe you need <PackageReference Include="System.Text.Encodings.Web" Version="9.0.4" />?

[harryKont]

I guess issues like this would not arise if the extension had a different way of discovering the tests without loading our dll or if there was a way to isolate it.

[r-oldenburg]

Same problem here. But it seems that I only have References to 9.0.4 versions of System.Text.Encodings.Web and System.Text.Json. Still it fails with the above message.

While debugging it appeared to me as if the required method itself was actually available but the (parameter) types apparently do not match. Could that be caused by multiple assemblies loaded that provide the same type (JavaScriptEncoder in this case)?

[r-oldenburg]

Follow-Up: Installing VS anew and removing ".Net SDK Preview" helped. Root cause for me was that I had VS Preview with a Preview SDK running. Then the project somehow always had .NetCore 9.0.3 resolved and installed via nuget (no idea why). After installing regular VS it would always build with 9.0.4 and then the error vanished.