`DistributedApplicationTestingBuilder` should disable interaction service by deault

[afscrome]

Is there an existing issue for this?

• I have searched the existing issues

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe the problem.

I have some tests that needed to access the telemetry API, so I had to enable the dashboard:

      var builder = DistributedApplicationTestingBuilder.Create([], (opt, _) =>
      {
         opt.DisableDashboard = false;
         opt.DashboardApplicationName = TestContext.CurrentContext?.Test.Name;
      });

However my test ended up deadlocking as one of my resources ended up trying to use the interaction service as InteractionService.IsAvailable was now true.

Describe the solution you'd like

I was able to fix my problem by explicitly disabling the interaction service in my tests

builder.Configuration["ASPIRE_INTERACTIVITY_ENABLED"] = "false";

But it left me wondering if this should be the default for DistributedApplicationTestingBuilder? Currently the value seems to be based simply on whether the dashboard is enabled. But with the dashboard now hosting APIs, it is starting to be used in non interactive scenarios.

Additional context

No response

[joperezr]

🤖 Aspire triage pass — 2026-06-08 10:19 UTC

Area: area-app-testing
Kind: feature-request (behavior/default change)
Repro: yes-minimal — see issue body lines 9–19 (deadlock when interaction service auto-enables because dashboard is enabled in DistributedApplicationTestingBuilder)
Affected version(s): 13.4.0 (latest). Author confirms workaround via ASPIRE_INTERACTIVITY_ENABLED=false.
Severity: S3 — broken edge scenario (deadlock in tests that enable the dashboard for telemetry access), but a documented workaround exists

Urgency: ⚪ backlog — no milestone
Reason: Not a 13.4 regression — the behavior the author challenges (interaction service follows dashboard-enabled) is the pre-existing default. Request is to change that default for the testing builder. Workaround exists. Suitable for 13.5+ design discussion; not servicing.

Suggested owner(s): @sebastienros (CODEOWNER), backup @JamesNK
Evidence:

• CODEOWNERS: /src/Aspire.Hosting.Testing → @sebastienros; /tests/Aspire.Hosting.Testing.Tests → @sebastienros
• Interaction service lives in Aspire.Hosting; @JamesNK + @karolz-ms + @danegsta + @mitchdenny + @davidfowl are CODEOWNERS there and would weigh in on the default-change

Confidence: medium
Needs human?: yes — defaults change with potential behavior impact on existing tests; needs human call on whether to flip the default vs. document the env var

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