ChangeTracker retained entity references after DbContext disposal in EF Core 7.0.0

Answer

The EF Core team keeps AutoDetectChangesEnabled enabled by default because it guarantees that any changes to tracked entities are automatically persisted during SaveChanges(). For read‑heavy workloads the recommended way to avoid the overhead is to use AsNoTracking() on queries, not to flip the global default.

Confirmed facts

• EF Core 7.0.0 had a bug where the ChangeTracker retained entity references after DbContext.Dispose(), causing memory growth.
• EF Core 7.0.1 fixed this by clearing the internal state during disposal, allowing the GC to reclaim tracked entities.
• The fix applies to all disposal paths: using blocks, manual Dispose() calls, and DI‑scoped lifetimes that end with disposal.
• Disabling AutoDetectChangesEnabled stops the automatic snapshot comparison, but you must call ChangeTracker.DetectChanges() manually before SaveChanges() to ensure updates are saved.

Steps for this case

1. Verify you are using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore version 7.0.1 or later (dotnet list package or check your .csproj).
2. For read‑only queries, add .AsNoTracking() to the LINQ query to bypass the ChangeTracker entirely.
3. If you choose to disable AutoDetectChangesEnabled globally or per context, remember to invoke context.ChangeTracker.DetectChanges()SaveChanges().
4. Dispose contexts promptly (using using or relying on DI scoped lifetime) – the 7.0.1 fix ensures no retained references after disposal.

Missing diagnostic detail

If you still observe memory growth after upgrading to 7.0.1 and applying AsNoTracking(), please confirm how the DbContext lifetime is managed (e.g., transient, scoped, singleton) and whether any entities are held in static fields or long‑lived services, as external references can prevent GC reclamation.