Topic: skills
17,247 skills in this topic.
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eval-performance
Guide for diagnosing and improving MSBuild project evaluation performance. Only activate in MSBuild/.NET build context. USE FOR: builds slow before any compilation starts, high evaluation time in binlog analysis, expensive glob patterns walking large directories (node_modules, .git, bin/obj), deep import chains (>20 levels), preprocessed output >10K lines indicating heavy evaluation, property functions with file I/O ($([System.IO.File]::ReadAllText(...))), multiple evaluations per project. Covers the 5 MSBuild evaluation phases, glob optimization via DefaultItemExcludes, import chain analysis with /pp preprocessing. DO NOT USE FOR: compilation-time slowness (use build-perf-diagnostics), incremental build issues (use incremental-build), non-MSBuild build systems. INVOKES: dotnet msbuild -pp:full.xml for preprocessing, /clp:PerformanceSummary.
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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optimizing-ef-core-queries
Optimize Entity Framework Core queries by fixing N+1 problems, choosing correct tracking modes, using compiled queries, and avoiding common performance traps. Use when EF Core queries are slow, generating excessive SQL, or causing high database load.
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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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.
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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dotnet-minimal-apis
Design and implement Minimal APIs in ASP.NET Core using handler-first endpoints, route groups, filters, and lightweight composition suited to modern .NET services.
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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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.
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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migrate-mstest-v3-to-v4
Migrate an MSTest v3 test project to MSTest v4. Use when user says "upgrade to MSTest v4", "update to latest MSTest", "MSTest 4 migration", "MSTest v4 breaking changes", "MSTest v4 compatibility", or has build errors after updating MSTest packages from 3.x to 4.x. Also use for target framework compatibility (e.g. net6.0/net7.0 support with MSTest v4). USE FOR: upgrading MSTest packages from 3.x to 4.x, fixing source breaking changes (Execute -> ExecuteAsync, CallerInfo constructor, ClassCleanupBehavior removal, TestContext.Properties, Assert API changes, ExpectedExceptionAttribute removal, TestTimeout enum removal), resolving behavioral changes (TreatDiscoveryWarningsAsErrors, TestContext lifecycle, TestCase.Id changes, MSTest.Sdk MTP changes), handling dropped TFMs (net5.0-net7.0 dropped, only net8.0+, net462, uap10.0 supported). DO NOT USE FOR: migrating from MSTest v1/v2 to v3 (use migrate-mstest-v1v2-to-v3 first), migrating between test frameworks, or general .NET upgrades unrelated to MSTest.
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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dotnet-graphify-dotnet
Use `graphify-dotnet` to generate codebase knowledge graphs, architecture snapshots, and exportable repository maps from .NET or polyglot source trees, with optional AI-enriched semantic relationships.
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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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.
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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exp-test-tagging
Analyzes test suites and tags each test with a standardized set of traits (e.g., positive, negative, critical-path, boundary, smoke, regression). Use when the user wants to categorize, audit, or label tests with traits. Do not use for writing new tests, running tests, or migrating test frameworks.
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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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.
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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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).
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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run-tests
Runs .NET tests with dotnet test. Use when user says "run tests", "execute tests", "dotnet test", "test filter", "filter by category", "filter by class", "run only specific tests", "tests not running", "hang timeout", "blame-hang", "blame-crash", "TUnit", "treenode-filter", or needs to detect the test platform (VSTest or Microsoft.Testing.Platform), identify the test framework, apply test filters, or troubleshoot test execution failures. Covers MSTest, xUnit, NUnit, and TUnit across both VSTest and MTP platforms. Also use for --filter-class, --filter-trait, and other framework-specific filter syntax. DO NOT USE FOR: writing or generating test code, CI/CD pipeline configuration, or debugging failing test logic.
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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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.
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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code-testing-agent
Generates comprehensive, workable unit tests for any programming language using a multi-agent pipeline. Use when asked to generate tests, write unit tests, improve test coverage, add test coverage, create test files, or test a codebase. Supports C#, TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Go, Rust, Java, and more. Orchestrates research, planning, and implementation phases to produce tests that compile, pass, and follow project conventions.
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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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.
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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minimal-api-file-upload
File upload endpoints in ASP.NET minimal APIs (.NET 8+)
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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exp-test-maintainability
Detects duplicate boilerplate, copy-paste tests, and structural maintainability issues across .NET test suites. Use when the user asks to reduce repetition, consolidate similar test methods, convert copy-paste tests to data-driven parameterized tests, suggest a better test structure, or identify refactoring opportunities. Identifies repeated construction, assertion patterns, copy-paste methods convertible to DataRow/Theory/TestCase, redundant setup/teardown, and shared infrastructure. Produces an analysis report with concrete before/after suggestions. Works with MSTest, xUnit, NUnit, and TUnit. DO NOT USE FOR: writing new tests (use writing-mstest-tests), reviewing test quality or anti-patterns (use test-anti-patterns), or deep mock auditing (use exp-mock-usage-analysis).
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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dotnet-eslint
Use ESLint in .NET repositories that ship JavaScript, TypeScript, React, or other Node-based frontend assets. Use when a repo needs a configurable CLI lint gate for frontend correctness, import hygiene, unsafe patterns, or framework-specific rules.
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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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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dotnet-complexity
Use free built-in .NET maintainability analyzers and code metrics configuration to find overly complex methods and coupled code. Use when a repo needs cyclomatic complexity checks, maintainability thresholds, or complexity-driven refactoring gates.
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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dotnet-cloc
Use the open-source free `cloc` tool for line-count, language-mix, and diff statistics in .NET repositories. Use when a repo needs C# and solution footprint metrics, branch-to-branch LOC comparison, or repeatable code-size reporting in local workflows and CI.
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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maui-app-lifecycle
.NET MAUI app lifecycle guidance — the four app states, cross-platform Window lifecycle events (Created, Activated, Deactivated, Stopped, Resumed, Destroying), platform-specific lifecycle mapping, backgrounding and resume behavior, and state-preservation patterns. USE FOR: "app lifecycle", "window lifecycle events", "save state on background", "resume app", "OnStopped", "OnResumed", "backgrounding", "deactivated event", "ConfigureLifecycleEvents", "platform lifecycle hooks". DO NOT USE FOR: navigation events (use maui-shell-navigation), dependency injection setup (use maui-dependency-injection), platform API invocation (use conditional compilation and partial classes).
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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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).
managedcode/dotnet-skills 302
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migrate-mstest-v3-to-v4
Migrate an MSTest v3 test project to MSTest v4. Use when user says "upgrade to MSTest v4", "update to latest MSTest", "MSTest 4 migration", "MSTest v4 breaking changes", "MSTest v4 compatibility", or has build errors after updating MSTest packages from 3.x to 4.x. Also use for target framework compatibility (e.g. net6.0/net7.0 support with MSTest v4). USE FOR: upgrading MSTest packages from 3.x to 4.x, fixing source breaking changes (Execute -> ExecuteAsync, CallerInfo constructor, ClassCleanupBehavior removal, TestContext.Properties, Assert API changes, ExpectedExceptionAttribute removal, TestTimeout enum removal), resolving behavioral changes (TreatDiscoveryWarningsAsErrors, TestContext lifecycle, TestCase.Id changes, MSTest.Sdk MTP changes), handling dropped TFMs (net5.0-net7.0 dropped, only net8.0+, net462, uap10.0 supported). DO NOT USE FOR: migrating from MSTest v1/v2 to v3 (use migrate-mstest-v1v2-to-v3 first), migrating between test frameworks, or general .NET upgrades unrelated to MSTest.
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