wip: address performance issues in plugin loading and versioning

src/PepperDash.Essentials.Core/Plugins/PluginLoader.cs

@@ -2,13 +2,17 @@
 using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Linq;
 using Crestron.SimplSharp;
-using Crestron.SimplSharp.CrestronIO;
 using System.Reflection;
+using System.IO;
+using System.Reflection.PortableExecutable;
+using System.Reflection.Metadata;
 
 using PepperDash.Core;
 using PepperDash.Essentials.Core;
 using Serilog.Events;
 using Newtonsoft.Json;
+using CrestronIO = Crestron.SimplSharp.CrestronIO;
+using SystemIO = System.IO;
 
 namespace PepperDash.Essentials
 {
@@ -27,6 +31,11 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
         /// </summary>
         static List<LoadedAssembly> LoadedPluginFolderAssemblies;
 
+        /// <summary>
+        /// List of plugins that were found to be incompatible with .NET 8
+        /// </summary>
+        public static List<IncompatiblePlugin> IncompatiblePlugins { get; private set; }
+
         public static LoadedAssembly EssentialsAssembly { get; private set; }
 
         public static LoadedAssembly PepperDashCoreAssembly { get; private set; }
@@ -46,12 +55,28 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
         // The temp directory where .cplz archives will be unzipped to
         static string _tempDirectory => _pluginDirectory + Global.DirectorySeparator + "temp";
 
+        // Known incompatible types in .NET 8
+        private static readonly HashSet<string> KnownIncompatibleTypes = new HashSet<string>
+        {
+            "System.Net.ICertificatePolicy",
+            "System.Security.Cryptography.SHA1CryptoServiceProvider",
+            "System.Web.HttpUtility",
+            "System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager",
+            "System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapHttpClientProtocol",
+            "System.Runtime.Remoting",
+            "System.EnterpriseServices",
+            "System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary.BinaryFormatter",
+            "System.Security.SecurityManager",
+            "System.Security.Permissions.FileIOPermission",
+            "System.AppDomain.CreateDomain"
+        };
 
         static PluginLoader()
         {
             LoadedAssemblies = new List<LoadedAssembly>();
             LoadedPluginFolderAssemblies = new List<LoadedAssembly>();
             EssentialsPluginAssemblies = new List<LoadedAssembly>();
+            IncompatiblePlugins = new List<IncompatiblePlugin>();
         }
 
         /// <summary>
@@ -61,7 +86,7 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
         {
             Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Verbose, "Getting Assemblies loaded with Essentials");
             // Get the loaded assembly filenames
-            var appDi = new DirectoryInfo(Global.ApplicationDirectoryPathPrefix);
+            var appDi = new SystemIO.DirectoryInfo(Global.ApplicationDirectoryPathPrefix);
             var assemblyFiles = appDi.GetFiles("*.dll");
 
             Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Verbose, "Found {0} Assemblies", assemblyFiles.Length);
@@ -113,7 +138,6 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
             }
         }
 
-
         public static void SetEssentialsAssembly(string name, Assembly assembly)
         {
             var loadedAssembly = LoadedAssemblies.FirstOrDefault(la => la.Name.Equals(name));
@@ -125,19 +149,108 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
         }
 
         /// <summary>
-        /// Loads an assembly via Reflection and adds it to the list of loaded assemblies
+        /// Checks if a plugin is compatible with .NET 8 by examining its metadata
         /// </summary>
-        /// <param name="fileName"></param>
+        /// <param name="filePath">Path to the plugin assembly</param>
-        static LoadedAssembly LoadAssembly(string filePath)
+        /// <returns>Tuple with compatibility result, reason if incompatible, and referenced assemblies</returns>
+        public static (bool IsCompatible, string Reason, List<string> References) IsPluginCompatibleWithNet8(string filePath)
         {
             try
             {
-                //Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Verbose, "Attempting to load {0}", filePath);
+                List<string> referencedAssemblies = new List<string>();
+                
+                using (SystemIO.FileStream fs = new SystemIO.FileStream(filePath, SystemIO.FileMode.Open, 
+                    SystemIO.FileAccess.Read, SystemIO.FileShare.ReadWrite))
+                using (PEReader peReader = new PEReader(fs))
+                {
+                    if (!peReader.HasMetadata)
+                        return (false, "Not a valid .NET assembly", referencedAssemblies);
+
+                    MetadataReader metadataReader = peReader.GetMetadataReader();
+                    
+                    // Collect assembly references
+                    foreach (var assemblyRefHandle in metadataReader.AssemblyReferences)
+                    {
+                        var assemblyRef = metadataReader.GetAssemblyReference(assemblyRefHandle);
+                        string assemblyName = metadataReader.GetString(assemblyRef.Name);
+                        referencedAssemblies.Add(assemblyName);
+                    }
+
+                    // Check for references to known incompatible types
+                    foreach (var typeRefHandle in metadataReader.TypeReferences)
+                    {
+                        var typeRef = metadataReader.GetTypeReference(typeRefHandle);
+                        string typeNamespace = metadataReader.GetString(typeRef.Namespace);
+                        string typeName = metadataReader.GetString(typeRef.Name);
+
+                        string fullTypeName = $"{typeNamespace}.{typeName}";
+                        if (KnownIncompatibleTypes.Contains(fullTypeName))
+                        {
+                            return (false, $"Uses incompatible type: {fullTypeName}", referencedAssemblies);
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                    // Check for explicit .NET 8 compatibility attribute
+                    bool hasNet8Attribute = false;
+                    foreach (var customAttributeHandle in metadataReader.GetAssemblyDefinition().GetCustomAttributes())
+                    {
+                        var customAttribute = metadataReader.GetCustomAttribute(customAttributeHandle);
+                        var ctorHandle = customAttribute.Constructor;
+
+                        if (ctorHandle.Kind == HandleKind.MemberReference)
+                        {
+                            var memberRef = metadataReader.GetMemberReference((MemberReferenceHandle)ctorHandle);
+                            var typeRef = metadataReader.GetTypeReference((TypeReferenceHandle)memberRef.Parent);
+
+                            string typeName = metadataReader.GetString(typeRef.Name);
+                            if (typeName == "Net8CompatibleAttribute" || typeName == "TargetFrameworkAttribute")
+                            {
+                                hasNet8Attribute = true;
+                                break;
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                    if (hasNet8Attribute)
+                    {
+                        return (true, null, referencedAssemblies);
+                    }
+
+                    // If we can't determine incompatibility, assume it's compatible
+                    return (true, null, referencedAssemblies);
+                }
+            }
+            catch (Exception ex)
+            {
+                return (false, $"Error analyzing assembly: {ex.Message}", new List<string>());
+            }
+        }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Loads an assembly via Reflection and adds it to the list of loaded assemblies
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <param name="filePath">Path to the assembly file</param>
+        /// <param name="requestedBy">Name of the plugin requesting this assembly (null for direct loads)</param>
+        static LoadedAssembly LoadAssembly(string filePath, string requestedBy = null)
+        {
+            try
+            {
+                // Check .NET 8 compatibility before loading
+                var (isCompatible, reason, references) = IsPluginCompatibleWithNet8(filePath);
+                if (!isCompatible)
+                {
+                    string fileName = CrestronIO.Path.GetFileName(filePath);
+                    Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Warning, "Assembly '{0}' is not compatible with .NET 8: {1}", fileName, reason);
+                    
+                    var incompatiblePlugin = new IncompatiblePlugin(fileName, reason, requestedBy);
+                    IncompatiblePlugins.Add(incompatiblePlugin);
+                    return null;
+                }
+
                 var assembly = Assembly.LoadFrom(filePath);
                 if (assembly != null)
                 {
                     var assyVersion = GetAssemblyVersion(assembly);
-
                     var loadedAssembly = new LoadedAssembly(assembly.GetName().Name, assyVersion, assembly);
                     LoadedAssemblies.Add(loadedAssembly);
                     Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Information, "Loaded assembly '{0}', version {1}", loadedAssembly.Name, loadedAssembly.Version);
@@ -147,14 +260,47 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
                 {
                     Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Information, "Unable to load assembly: '{0}'", filePath);
                 }
-
-                return null;
-            } catch(Exception ex)
-            {
-                Debug.LogMessage(ex, "Error loading assembly from {path}", null, filePath);
                 return null;
             }
-
+            catch(SystemIO.FileLoadException ex) when (ex.Message.Contains("Assembly with same name is already loaded"))
+            {
+                // Get the assembly name from the file path
+                string assemblyName = CrestronIO.Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(filePath);
+                
+                // Try to find the already loaded assembly
+                var existingAssembly = AppDomain.CurrentDomain.GetAssemblies()
+                    .FirstOrDefault(a => a.GetName().Name.Equals(assemblyName, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase));
+                    
+                if (existingAssembly != null)
+                {
+                    Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Information, "Assembly '{0}' is already loaded, using existing instance", assemblyName);
+                    var assyVersion = GetAssemblyVersion(existingAssembly);
+                    var loadedAssembly = new LoadedAssembly(existingAssembly.GetName().Name, assyVersion, existingAssembly);
+                    LoadedAssemblies.Add(loadedAssembly);
+                    return loadedAssembly;
+                }
+                
+                Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Warning, "Assembly with same name already loaded but couldn't find it: {0}", filePath);
+                return null;
+            }
+            catch(Exception ex)
+            {
+                string fileName = CrestronIO.Path.GetFileName(filePath);
+                
+                // Check if this might be a .NET Framework compatibility issue
+                if (ex.Message.Contains("Could not load type") || 
+                    ex.Message.Contains("Unable to load one or more of the requested types"))
+                {
+                    Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Error, "Error loading assembly {0}: Likely .NET 8 compatibility issue: {1}", 
+                        fileName, ex.Message);
+                    IncompatiblePlugins.Add(new IncompatiblePlugin(fileName, ex.Message, requestedBy));
+                }
+                else
+                {
+                    Debug.LogMessage(ex, "Error loading assembly from {path}", null, filePath);
+                }
+                return null;
+            }
         }
 
         /// <summary>
@@ -216,12 +362,25 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
                 CrestronConsole.ConsoleCommandResponse("{0} Version: {1}" + CrestronEnvironment.NewLine, assembly.Name, assembly.Version);
             }
 
-            //CrestronConsole.ConsoleCommandResponse("Loaded Assemblies:" + CrestronEnvironment.NewLine);
+            if (IncompatiblePlugins.Count > 0)
-            //foreach (var assembly in LoadedAssemblies)
+            {
-            //{
+                CrestronConsole.ConsoleCommandResponse("Incompatible Plugins:" + CrestronEnvironment.NewLine);
-            //    CrestronConsole.ConsoleCommandResponse("{0} Version: {1}" + CrestronEnvironment.NewLine, assembly.Name, assembly.Version);
+                foreach (var plugin in IncompatiblePlugins)
-            //}
+                {
+                    if (plugin.TriggeredBy != "Direct load")
+                    {
+                        CrestronConsole.ConsoleCommandResponse("{0}: {1} (Required by: {2})" + CrestronEnvironment.NewLine, 
+                            plugin.Name, plugin.Reason, plugin.TriggeredBy);
+                    }
+                    else
+                    {
+                        CrestronConsole.ConsoleCommandResponse("{0}: {1}" + CrestronEnvironment.NewLine, 
+                            plugin.Name, plugin.Reason);
+                    }
+                }
+            }
         }
+        
         /// <summary>
         /// Moves any .dll assemblies not already loaded from the plugins folder to loadedPlugins folder
         /// </summary>
@@ -229,14 +388,14 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
         {
             Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Information, "Looking for .dll assemblies from plugins folder...");
 
-            var pluginDi = new DirectoryInfo(_pluginDirectory);
+            var pluginDi = new SystemIO.DirectoryInfo(_pluginDirectory);
             var pluginFiles = pluginDi.GetFiles("*.dll");
 
             if (pluginFiles.Length > 0)
             {
-                if (!Directory.Exists(_loadedPluginsDirectoryPath))
+                if (!SystemIO.Directory.Exists(_loadedPluginsDirectoryPath))
                 {
-                    Directory.CreateDirectory(_loadedPluginsDirectoryPath);
+                    SystemIO.Directory.CreateDirectory(_loadedPluginsDirectoryPath);
                 }
             }
 
@@ -253,14 +412,14 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
                         filePath = _loadedPluginsDirectoryPath + Global.DirectorySeparator + pluginFile.Name;
 
                         // Check if there is a previous file in the loadedPlugins directory and delete
-                        if (File.Exists(filePath))
+                        if (SystemIO.File.Exists(filePath))
                         {
                             Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Information, "Found existing file in loadedPlugins: {0} Deleting and moving new file to replace it", filePath);
-                            File.Delete(filePath);
+                            SystemIO.File.Delete(filePath);
                         }
 
                         // Move the file
-                        File.Move(pluginFile.FullName, filePath);
+                        SystemIO.File.Move(pluginFile.FullName, filePath);
                         Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Verbose, "Moved {0} to {1}", pluginFile.FullName, filePath);
                     }
                     else
@@ -284,21 +443,21 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
         static void UnzipAndMoveCplzArchives()
         {
             Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Information, "Looking for .cplz archives from plugins folder...");
-            var di = new DirectoryInfo(_pluginDirectory);
+            var di = new SystemIO.DirectoryInfo(_pluginDirectory);
             var zFiles = di.GetFiles("*.cplz");
 
             if (zFiles.Length > 0)
             {
-                if (!Directory.Exists(_loadedPluginsDirectoryPath))
+                if (!SystemIO.Directory.Exists(_loadedPluginsDirectoryPath))
                 {
-                    Directory.CreateDirectory(_loadedPluginsDirectoryPath);
+                    SystemIO.Directory.CreateDirectory(_loadedPluginsDirectoryPath);
                 }
             }
 
             foreach (var zfi in zFiles)
             {
-                Directory.CreateDirectory(_tempDirectory);
+                SystemIO.Directory.CreateDirectory(_tempDirectory);
-                var tempDi = new DirectoryInfo(_tempDirectory);
+                var tempDi = new SystemIO.DirectoryInfo(_tempDirectory);
 
                 Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Information, "Found cplz: {0}. Unzipping into temp plugins directory", zfi.Name);
                 var result = CrestronZIP.Unzip(zfi.FullName, tempDi.FullName);
@@ -316,14 +475,14 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
                             filePath = _loadedPluginsDirectoryPath + Global.DirectorySeparator + tempFile.Name;
 
                             // Check if there is a previous file in the loadedPlugins directory and delete
-                            if (File.Exists(filePath))
+                            if (SystemIO.File.Exists(filePath))
                             {
                                 Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Information, "Found existing file in loadedPlugins: {0} Deleting and moving new file to replace it", filePath);
-                                File.Delete(filePath);
+                                SystemIO.File.Delete(filePath);
                             }
 
                             // Move the file
-                            File.Move(tempFile.FullName, filePath);
+                            SystemIO.File.Move(tempFile.FullName, filePath);
                             Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Verbose, "Moved {0} to {1}", tempFile.FullName, filePath);
                         }
                         else
@@ -339,7 +498,7 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
                 }
 
                 // Delete the .cplz and the temp directory
-                Directory.Delete(_tempDirectory, true);
+                SystemIO.Directory.Delete(_tempDirectory, true);
                 zfi.Delete();
             }
 
@@ -352,16 +511,40 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
         static void LoadPluginAssemblies()
         {
             Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Information, "Loading assemblies from loadedPlugins folder...");
-            var pluginDi = new DirectoryInfo(_loadedPluginsDirectoryPath);
+            var pluginDi = new CrestronIO.DirectoryInfo(_loadedPluginsDirectoryPath);
             var pluginFiles = pluginDi.GetFiles("*.dll");
 
             Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Verbose, "Found {0} plugin assemblies to load", pluginFiles.Length);
 
+            // First, check compatibility of all assemblies before loading any
+            var assemblyCompatibility = new Dictionary<string, (bool IsCompatible, string Reason, List<string> References)>();
+            
             foreach (var pluginFile in pluginFiles)
             {
-                var loadedAssembly = LoadAssembly(pluginFile.FullName);
+                string fileName = pluginFile.Name;
-
+                assemblyCompatibility[fileName] = IsPluginCompatibleWithNet8(pluginFile.FullName);
-                LoadedPluginFolderAssemblies.Add(loadedAssembly);
+            }
+            
+            // Now load compatible assemblies and track incompatible ones
+            foreach (var pluginFile in pluginFiles)
+            {
+                string fileName = pluginFile.Name;
+                var (isCompatible, reason, references) = assemblyCompatibility[fileName];
+                
+                if (!isCompatible)
+                {
+                    Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Warning, "Assembly '{0}' is not compatible with .NET 8: {1}", fileName, reason);
+                    IncompatiblePlugins.Add(new IncompatiblePlugin(fileName, reason, null));
+                    continue;
+                }
+                
+                // Try to load the assembly
+                var loadedAssembly = LoadAssembly(pluginFile.FullName, null);
+                
+                if (loadedAssembly != null)
+                {
+                    LoadedPluginFolderAssemblies.Add(loadedAssembly);
+                }
             }
 
             Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Information, "All Plugins Loaded.");
@@ -373,8 +556,13 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
         static void LoadCustomPluginTypes()
         {
             Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Information, "Loading Custom Plugin Types...");
+            
             foreach (var loadedAssembly in LoadedPluginFolderAssemblies)
             {
+                // Skip if assembly is null (can happen if we had loading issues)
+                if (loadedAssembly == null || loadedAssembly.Assembly == null)
+                    continue;
+                
                 // iteratate this assembly's classes, looking for "LoadPlugin()" methods
                 try
                 {
@@ -385,11 +573,49 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
                         types = assy.GetTypes();
                         Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Debug, $"Got types for assembly {assy.GetName().Name}");
                     }
+                    catch (ReflectionTypeLoadException e)
+                    {
+                        Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Error, "Unable to get types for assembly {0}: {1}",
+                            loadedAssembly.Name, e.Message);
+                        
+                        // Check if any of the loader exceptions are due to missing assemblies
+                        foreach (var loaderEx in e.LoaderExceptions)
+                        {
+                            if (loaderEx is SystemIO.FileNotFoundException fileNotFoundEx)
+                            {
+                                string missingAssembly = fileNotFoundEx.FileName;
+                                if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(missingAssembly))
+                                {
+                                    Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Warning, "Assembly {0} requires missing dependency: {1}", 
+                                        loadedAssembly.Name, missingAssembly);
+                                    
+                                    // Add to incompatible plugins with dependency information
+                                    IncompatiblePlugins.Add(new IncompatiblePlugin(
+                                        CrestronIO.Path.GetFileName(missingAssembly), 
+                                        $"Missing dependency required by {loadedAssembly.Name}", 
+                                        loadedAssembly.Name));
+                                }
+                            }
+                        }
+                        
+                        Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Verbose, e.StackTrace);
+                        continue;
+                    }
                     catch (TypeLoadException e)
                     {
                         Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Error, "Unable to get types for assembly {0}: {1}",
                             loadedAssembly.Name, e.Message);
                         Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Verbose, e.StackTrace);
+                        
+                        // Add to incompatible plugins if this is likely a .NET 8 compatibility issue
+                        if (e.Message.Contains("Could not load type") || 
+                            e.Message.Contains("Unable to load one or more of the requested types"))
+                        {
+                            IncompatiblePlugins.Add(new IncompatiblePlugin(loadedAssembly.Name, 
+                                $"Type loading error: {e.Message}", 
+                                null));
+                        }
+                        
                         continue;
                     }
 
@@ -414,22 +640,63 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
                                 loadedAssembly.Name, e.Message, type.Name);
                             continue;
                         }
-
                     }
                 }
                 catch (Exception e)
                 {
                     Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Information, "Error Loading assembly {0}: {1}",
-                           loadedAssembly.Name, e.Message);
+                        loadedAssembly.Name, e.Message);
                     Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Verbose, "{0}", e.StackTrace);
+                    
+                    // Add to incompatible plugins if this is likely a .NET 8 compatibility issue
+                    if (e.Message.Contains("Could not load type") || 
+                        e.Message.Contains("Unable to load one or more of the requested types"))
+                    {
+                        IncompatiblePlugins.Add(new IncompatiblePlugin(loadedAssembly.Name, 
+                            $"Assembly loading error: {e.Message}", 
+                            null));
+                    }
+                    
                     continue;
                 }
             }
+            
+            // Update incompatible plugins with dependency information
+            UpdateIncompatiblePluginDependencies();
+            
             // plugin dll will be loaded.  Any classes in plugin should have a static constructor
             // that registers that class with the Core.DeviceFactory
             Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Information, "Done Loading Custom Plugin Types.");
         }
 
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Updates incompatible plugins with information about which plugins depend on them
+        /// </summary>
+        private static void UpdateIncompatiblePluginDependencies(Dictionary<string, List<string>> pluginDependencies)
+        {
+            // For each incompatible plugin
+            foreach (var incompatiblePlugin in IncompatiblePlugins)
+            {
+                // If it already has a requestedBy, skip it
+                if (incompatiblePlugin.TriggeredBy != "Direct load")
+                    continue;
+                    
+                // Find plugins that depend on this incompatible plugin
+                foreach (var plugin in pluginDependencies)
+                {
+                    string pluginName = plugin.Key;
+                    List<string> dependencies = plugin.Value;
+                    
+                    // If this plugin depends on the incompatible plugin
+                    if (dependencies.Contains(incompatiblePlugin.Name) || 
+                        dependencies.Any(d => d.StartsWith(incompatiblePlugin.Name + ",")))
+                    {
+                        incompatiblePlugin.UpdateTriggeringPlugin(pluginName);
+                        break;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
         /// <summary>
         /// Loads a
         /// </summary>
@@ -506,7 +773,6 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
 
             Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Information, "Loading legacy plugin: {0}", loadedAssembly.Name);
             loadPlugin.Invoke(null, null);
-
         }
 
         /// <summary>
@@ -516,7 +782,7 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
         {
             Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Information, "Attempting to Load Plugins from {_pluginDirectory}", _pluginDirectory);
 
-            if (Directory.Exists(_pluginDirectory))
+            if (SystemIO.Directory.Exists(_pluginDirectory))
             {
                 Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Information, "Plugins directory found, checking for plugins");
 
@@ -526,7 +792,7 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
                 // Deal with any .cplz files
                 UnzipAndMoveCplzArchives();
 
-                if (Directory.Exists(_loadedPluginsDirectoryPath))
+                if (SystemIO.Directory.Exists(_loadedPluginsDirectoryPath))
                 {
                     // Load the assemblies from the loadedPlugins folder into the AppDomain
                     LoadPluginAssemblies();
@@ -534,9 +800,27 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
                     // Load the types from any custom plugin assemblies
                     LoadCustomPluginTypes();
                 }
+                
+                // Report on incompatible plugins
+                if (IncompatiblePlugins.Count > 0)
+                {
+                    Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Warning, "Found {0} incompatible plugins:", IncompatiblePlugins.Count);
+                    foreach (var plugin in IncompatiblePlugins)
+                    {
+                        if (plugin.TriggeredBy != "Direct load")
+                        {
+                            Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Warning, "  - {0}: {1} (Required by: {2})", 
+                                plugin.Name, plugin.Reason, plugin.TriggeredBy);
+                        }
+                        else
+                        {
+                            Debug.LogMessage(LogEventLevel.Warning, "  - {0}: {1}", 
+                                plugin.Name, plugin.Reason);
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
             }
         }
-
     }
 
     /// <summary>
@@ -563,4 +847,52 @@ namespace PepperDash.Essentials
             Assembly = assembly;
         }
     }
+    
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Represents a plugin that was found to be incompatible with .NET 8
+    /// </summary>
+    public class IncompatiblePlugin
+    {
+        [JsonProperty("name")]
+        public string Name { get; private set; }
+        
+        [JsonProperty("reason")]
+        public string Reason { get; private set; }
+        
+        [JsonProperty("triggeredBy")]
+        public string TriggeredBy { get; private set; }
+        
+        public IncompatiblePlugin(string name, string reason, string triggeredBy = null)
+        {
+            Name = name;
+            Reason = reason;
+            TriggeredBy = triggeredBy ?? "Direct load";
+        }
+        
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Updates the plugin that triggered this incompatibility
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <param name="triggeringPlugin">Name of the plugin that requires this incompatible plugin</param>
+        public void UpdateTriggeringPlugin(string triggeringPlugin)
+        {
+            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(triggeringPlugin))
+            {
+                TriggeredBy = triggeringPlugin;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Attribute to explicitly mark a plugin as .NET 8 compatible
+    /// </summary>
+    [AttributeUsage(AttributeTargets.Assembly)]
+    public class Net8CompatibleAttribute : Attribute
+    {
+        public bool IsCompatible { get; }
+        
+        public Net8CompatibleAttribute(bool isCompatible = true)
+        {
+            IsCompatible = isCompatible;
+        }
+    }
 }