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docs: add JSpecify nullness guidelines to AGENTS.md #13881

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feat: add JSpecify nullness guidelines to AGENTS.md
nnicolee Jul 23, 2026
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updated context as per comments
nnicolee Jul 23, 2026
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18 changes: 15 additions & 3 deletions AGENTS.md
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Expand Up @@ -45,16 +45,28 @@ This is a standard Maven project.
4. Avoid unnecessary formatting changes to keep diffs clean.
5. Use `mvn` for everything other than the `test/integration` folder.

## 5. Dependency Management
## 5. Nullness Annotation Guidelines
To enforce compile-time null-safety and eliminate NullPointerExceptions, this repository is adopting JSpecify annotations.

### 5.1 Handwritten vs. Generated Code Handling
- **Handwritten Modules**: Annotations are added to source files directly.
- **Generated Modules**: Do not edit generated class files manually! Instead, update the code generator engine (`gapic-generator-java`) to automatically produce the annotations during the generation phase.

### 5.2 Annotation Usage & Type-Use Semantics
Prefer JSpecify annotations (`org.jspecify.annotations.NullMarked` and `org.jspecify.annotations.Nullable`) over legacy declaration annotations (like `javax.annotation.Nullable`).
- **Default semantics**: Annotate classes with `@NullMarked` to declare that all unannotated types exclude null.
- **Nullable types**: Annotate fields, return types, or parameters with `@Nullable` if they are allowed to be null.

## 6. Dependency Management
- Do not bump external dependency versions unless for CVE or critical bug fix.
- Avoid introducing new external dependencies if possible. Prefer Java standard library, then opt for existing dependencies.

## 6. Contribution Guidelines
## 7. Contribution Guidelines
- **Commits**: Conventional Commits `<type>(<scope>): <description>`.
- **Pull Requests**: Submitted via PR, require review. Pull latest from main and resolve conflicts.
- **Testing**: All new logic should be accompanied by tests.

## 7. Specialized Development Guides
## 8. Specialized Development Guides
For development on core components, refer to the following guides in `sdk-platform-java`:
- **GAPIC Generator**: [sdk-platform-java/gapic-generator-java/DEVELOPMENT.md](sdk-platform-java/gapic-generator-java/DEVELOPMENT.md)
- **GAX**: [sdk-platform-java/gax-java/DEVELOPMENT.md](sdk-platform-java/gax-java/DEVELOPMENT.md)
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