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Topic: dotnet

245 skills in this topic.

binlog-failure-analysis Analyze MSBuild binary logs to diagnose build failures by replaying binlogs to searchable text logs. Only activate in MSBuild/.NET build context. USE FOR: build errors that are unclear from console output, diagnosing cascading failures across multi-project builds, tracing MSBuild target execution order, investigating common errors like CS0246 (type not found), MSB4019 (imported project not found), NU1605 (package downgrade), MSB3277 (version conflicts), and ResolveProjectReferences failures. Requires an existing .binlog file. DO NOT USE FOR: generating binlogs (use binlog-generation), build performance analysis (use build-perf-diagnostics), non-MSBuild build systems. INVOKES: dotnet msbuild binlog replay, grep, cat, head, tail for log analysis.
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binlog-generation Generate MSBuild binary logs (binlogs) for build diagnostics and analysis. Only activate in MSBuild/.NET build context. USE FOR: adding /bl:{} to any dotnet build, test, pack, publish, or restore command to capture a full build execution trace, prerequisite for binlog-failure-analysis and build-perf-diagnostics skills, enabling post-build investigation of errors or performance. Requires MSBuild 17.8+ / .NET 8 SDK+ for {} placeholder; PowerShell needs -bl:{{}}. DO NOT USE FOR: non-MSBuild build systems (npm, Maven, CMake), analyzing an existing binlog (use binlog-failure-analysis instead). INVOKES: shell commands (dotnet build /bl:{}).
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build-parallelism Guide for optimizing MSBuild build parallelism and multi-project scheduling. Only activate in MSBuild/.NET build context. USE FOR: builds not utilizing all CPU cores, speeding up multi-project solutions, evaluating graph build mode (/graph), build time not improving with -m flag, understanding project dependency topology. Note: /maxcpucount default is 1 (sequential) — always use -m for parallel builds. Covers /maxcpucount, graph build for better scheduling and isolation, BuildInParallel on MSBuild task, reducing unnecessary ProjectReferences, solution filters (.slnf) for building subsets. DO NOT USE FOR: single-project builds, incremental build issues (use incremental-build), compilation slowness within a project (use build-perf-diagnostics), non-MSBuild build systems. INVOKES: dotnet build -m, dotnet build /graph, binlog analysis.
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build-perf-baseline Establish build performance baselines and apply systematic optimization techniques. Only activate in MSBuild/.NET build context. USE FOR: diagnosing slow builds, establishing before/after measurements (cold, warm, no-op scenarios), applying optimization strategies like MSBuild Server, static graph builds, artifacts output, and dependency graph trimming. Start here before diving into build-perf-diagnostics, incremental-build, or build-parallelism. DO NOT USE FOR: non-MSBuild build systems, detailed bottleneck analysis (use build-perf-diagnostics after baselining).
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build-perf-diagnostics Diagnose MSBuild build performance bottlenecks using binary log analysis. Only activate in MSBuild/.NET build context. USE FOR: identifying why builds are slow by analyzing binlog performance summaries, detecting ResolveAssemblyReference (RAR) taking >5s, Roslyn analyzers consuming >30% of Csc time, single targets dominating >50% of build time, node utilization below 80%, excessive Copy tasks, NuGet restore running every build. Covers timeline analysis, Target/Task Performance Summary interpretation, and 7 common bottleneck categories. Use after build-perf-baseline has established measurements. DO NOT USE FOR: establishing initial baselines (use build-perf-baseline first), fixing incremental build issues (use incremental-build), parallelism tuning (use build-parallelism), non-MSBuild build systems. INVOKES: dotnet msbuild binlog replay with performancesummary, grep for analysis.
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check-bin-obj-clash Detects MSBuild projects with conflicting OutputPath or IntermediateOutputPath. Only activate in MSBuild/.NET build context. USE FOR: builds failing with 'Cannot create a file when that file already exists', 'The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process', intermittent build failures that succeed on retry, missing outputs in multi-project builds, multi-targeting builds where project.assets.json conflicts. Diagnoses when multiple projects or TFMs write to the same bin/obj directories due to shared OutputPath, missing AppendTargetFrameworkToOutputPath, or extra global properties like PublishReadyToRun creating redundant evaluations. DO NOT USE FOR: file access errors unrelated to MSBuild (OS-level locking), single-project single-TFM builds, non-MSBuild build systems. INVOKES: dotnet msbuild binlog replay, grep for output path analysis.
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directory-build-organization Guide for organizing MSBuild infrastructure with Directory.Build.props, Directory.Build.targets, Directory.Packages.props, and Directory.Build.rsp. Only activate in MSBuild/.NET build context. USE FOR: structuring multi-project repos, centralizing build settings, implementing NuGet Central Package Management (CPM) with ManagePackageVersionsCentrally, consolidating duplicated properties across .csproj files, setting up multi-level Directory.Build hierarchy with GetPathOfFileAbove, understanding evaluation order (Directory.Build.props → SDK .props → .csproj → SDK .targets → Directory.Build.targets). Critical pitfall: $(TargetFramework) conditions in .props silently fail for single-targeting projects — must use .targets. DO NOT USE FOR: non-MSBuild build systems, migrating legacy projects to SDK-style (use msbuild-modernization), single-project solutions with no shared settings. INVOKES: no tools — pure knowledge skill.
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migrate-mstest-v1v2-to-v3 Migrate MSTest v1 or v2 test project to MSTest v3. Use when user says "upgrade MSTest", "upgrade to MSTest v3", "migrate to MSTest v3", "update test framework", "modernize tests", "MSTest v3 migration", "MSTest compatibility", "MSTest v2 to v3", or build errors after updating MSTest packages from 1.x/2.x to 3.x. USE FOR: upgrading from MSTest v1 assembly references (Microsoft.VisualStudio.QualityTools.UnitTestFramework) or MSTest v2 NuGet (MSTest.TestFramework 1.x-2.x) to MSTest v3, fixing assertion overload errors (AreEqual/AreNotEqual), updating DataRow constructors, replacing .testsettings with .runsettings, timeout behavior changes, target framework compatibility (.NET 5 dropped -- use .NET 6+; .NET Fx older than 4.6.2 dropped), adopting MSTest.Sdk. First step toward MSTest v4 -- after this, use migrate-mstest-v3-to-v4. DO NOT USE FOR: migrating to MSTest v4 (use migrate-mstest-v3-to-v4), migrating between frameworks (MSTest to xUnit/NUnit), or general .NET upgrades unrelated to MSTest.
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including-generated-files Fix MSBuild targets that generate files during the build but those files are missing from compilation or output. Only activate in MSBuild/.NET build context. USE FOR: generated source files not compiling (CS0246 for a type that should exist), custom build tasks that create files but they are invisible to subsequent targets, globs not capturing build-generated files because they expand at evaluation time before execution creates them, ensuring generated files are cleaned by the Clean target. Covers correct BeforeTargets timing (CoreCompile, BeforeBuild, AssignTargetPaths), adding to Compile/FileWrites item groups, using $(IntermediateOutputPath) instead of hardcoded obj/ paths. DO NOT USE FOR: C# source generators that already work via the Roslyn pipeline, T4 design-time generation that runs in Visual Studio, non-MSBuild build systems. INVOKES: no tools — pure knowledge skill.
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incremental-build Guide for optimizing MSBuild incremental builds. Only activate in MSBuild/.NET build context. USE FOR: builds slower than expected on subsequent runs, 'nothing changed but it rebuilds anyway', diagnosing why targets re-execute unnecessarily, fixing broken no-op builds. Covers 8 common causes: missing Inputs/Outputs on custom targets, volatile properties in output paths (timestamps/GUIDs), file writes outside tracked Outputs, missing FileWrites registration, glob changes, Visual Studio Fast Up-to-Date Check (FUTDC) issues. Key diagnostic: look for 'Building target completely' vs 'Skipping target' in binlog. DO NOT USE FOR: first-time build slowness (use build-perf-baseline), parallelism issues (use build-parallelism), evaluation-phase slowness (use eval-performance), non-MSBuild build systems. INVOKES: dotnet build /bl, binlog replay with diagnostic verbosity.
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msbuild-antipatterns Catalog of MSBuild anti-patterns with detection rules and fix recipes. Only activate in MSBuild/.NET build context. USE FOR: reviewing, auditing, or cleaning up .csproj, .vbproj, .fsproj, .props, .targets, or .proj files. Each anti-pattern has a symptom, explanation, and concrete BAD→GOOD transformation. Covers Exec-instead-of-built-in-task, unquoted conditions, hardcoded paths, restating SDK defaults, scattered package versions, and more. DO NOT USE FOR: non-MSBuild build systems (npm, Maven, CMake, etc.), project migration to SDK-style (use msbuild-modernization).
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msbuild-modernization Guide for modernizing and migrating MSBuild project files to SDK-style format. Only activate in MSBuild/.NET build context. USE FOR: converting legacy .csproj/.vbproj with verbose XML to SDK-style, migrating packages.config to PackageReference, removing Properties/AssemblyInfo.cs in favor of auto-generation, eliminating explicit <Compile Include> lists via implicit globbing, consolidating shared settings into Directory.Build.props. Indicators of legacy projects: ToolsVersion attribute, <Import Project="$(MSBuildToolsPath)">, .csproj files > 50 lines for simple projects. DO NOT USE FOR: projects already in SDK-style format, non-.NET build systems (npm, Maven, CMake), .NET Framework projects that cannot move to SDK-style. INVOKES: dotnet try-convert, upgrade-assistant tools.
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msbuild-server Guide for using MSBuild Server to improve CLI build performance. Only activate in MSBuild/.NET build context. Activate when developers report slow incremental builds from the command line, or when CLI builds are noticeably slower than IDE builds. Covers MSBUILDUSESERVER=1 environment variable for persistent server-based caching. Do not activate for IDE-based builds (Visual Studio already uses a long-lived process).
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resolve-project-references Guide for interpreting ResolveProjectReferences time in MSBuild performance summaries. Only activate in MSBuild/.NET build context. Activate when ResolveProjectReferences appears as the most expensive target and developers are trying to optimize it directly. Explains that the reported time includes wait time for dependent project builds and is misleading. Guides users to focus on task self-time instead. Do not activate for general build performance -- use build-perf-diagnostics instead.
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convert-to-cpm Convert .NET projects and solutions (.sln, .slnx) to NuGet Central Package Management (CPM) using Directory.Packages.props. USE FOR: converting to CPM, centralizing or aligning NuGet package versions across multiple projects, inlining MSBuild version properties from Directory.Build.props into Directory.Packages.props, resolving version conflicts or mismatches across a solution or repository, updating or bumping or syncing package versions across projects. Also activate when packages are out of sync, drifting, or inconsistent -- even without the user mentioning CPM. Provides baseline build capture, version conflict resolution, build validation with binlog comparison, and a structured post-conversion report. DO NOT USE FOR: packages.config projects (must migrate to PackageReference first) or repositories that already have CPM fully enabled.
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filter-syntax Reference data for test filter syntax across all platform and framework combinations: VSTest --filter expressions, MTP filters for MSTest/NUnit/xUnit v3/TUnit, and VSTest-to-MTP filter translation. DO NOT USE directly — loaded by run-tests, mtp-hot-reload, and migrate-vstest-to-mtp when they need filter syntax.
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template-discovery Helps find, inspect, and compare .NET project templates. Resolves natural-language project descriptions to ranked template matches with pre-filled parameters. USE FOR: finding the right dotnet new template for a task, comparing templates side by side, inspecting template parameters and constraints, understanding what a template produces before creating a project, resolving intent like "web API with auth" to concrete template + parameters. DO NOT USE FOR: actually creating projects (use template-instantiation), authoring custom templates (use template-authoring), MSBuild or build issues (use dotnet-msbuild plugin), NuGet package management unrelated to template packages.
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template-instantiation Creates .NET projects from templates with validated parameters, smart defaults, Central Package Management adaptation, and latest NuGet version resolution. USE FOR: creating new dotnet projects, scaffolding solutions with multiple projects, installing or uninstalling template packages, creating projects that respect Directory.Packages.props (CPM), composing multi-project solutions (API + tests + library), getting latest NuGet package versions in newly created projects. DO NOT USE FOR: finding or comparing templates (use template-discovery), authoring custom templates (use template-authoring), modifying existing projects or adding NuGet packages to existing projects.
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template-validation Validates custom dotnet new templates for correctness before publishing. Catches missing fields, parameter bugs, shortName conflicts, constraint issues, and common authoring mistakes that cause templates to fail silently. USE FOR: checking template.json files for errors before publishing or testing, diagnosing why a template doesn't appear after installation, reviewing template parameter definitions for type mismatches and missing defaults, finding shortName conflicts with dotnet CLI commands, validating post-action and constraint configuration. DO NOT USE FOR: finding or using existing templates (use template-discovery), creating projects from templates (use template-instantiation), creating templates from existing projects (use template-authoring).
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dotnet-profiling Use the free official .NET diagnostics CLI tools for profiling and runtime investigation in .NET repositories. Use when a repo needs CPU tracing, live counters, GC and allocation investigation, exception or contention tracing, heap snapshots, or startup diagnostics without GUI-only tooling.
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dotnet-quality-ci Set up or refine open-source .NET code-quality gates for CI: formatting, `.editorconfig`, SDK analyzers, third-party analyzers, coverage, mutation testing, architecture tests, and security scanning. Use when a .NET repo needs an explicit quality stack in `AGENTS.md`, docs, or pipeline YAML.
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dotnet-quickdup Use the open-source free `QuickDup` clone detector for .NET repositories. Use when a repo needs duplicate C# code discovery, structural clone detection, DRY refactoring candidates, or repeatable duplication scans in local workflows and CI.
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dotnet-reportgenerator Use the open-source free `ReportGenerator` tool for turning .NET coverage outputs into HTML, Markdown, Cobertura, badges, and merged reports. Use when raw coverage files are not readable enough for CI or human review.
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dotnet-test-frameworks Reference data for .NET test framework detection patterns, assertion APIs, skip annotations, setup/teardown methods, and common test smell indicators across MSTest, xUnit, NUnit, and TUnit. DO NOT USE directly — loaded by test analysis skills (test-anti-patterns, exp-test-smell-detection, exp-assertion-quality, exp-test-maintainability, exp-test-tagging) when they need framework-specific lookup tables.
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