What this skill does

# Skill: Top 80 MSBuild Commands for .NET / ASP.NET (CLI) ## Purpose This skill provides a practical, **prioritized** set of the **80 most useful command templates** for working with .NET / ASP.NET projects on the command line using **MSBuild** (via `dotnet msbuild` or `msbuild`). It mirrors a realistic day-to-day workflow: restore → build → test → publish/pack → diagnose → CI hardening. ## Typical ASP.NET Developer Workflow (why these commands are prioritized) A typical ASP.NET CLI workflow: 1. **Restore** dependencies (often locked mode in CI) 2. **Build** quickly (Debug) and reliably (Release) 3. **Test** repeatedly (filters, logs, results dirs, no-build/no-restore in CI) 4. **Publish** artifacts (RID, self-contained, single-file, trimming, ready-to-run) 5. **Package** libraries (Pack), versioning 6. **Diagnose** build issues (binlog, verbosity, preprocess, graph build) 7. **CI hardening** (determinism, CI flags, node reuse, parallelism, reproducibility) Ranking reflects frequency + impact in that flow. ## Conventions - Prefer cross-platform: `dotnet msbuild` - On Windows with VS Build Tools you can swap to: `msbuild` - Targets: `/t:<Target>` - Properties: `/p:Name=Value` - Logging: `/v:<level>`, `/bl[:file]`, `/fl`, `/pp` - Multiproc: `/m[:n]` - Note: `dotnet test` is included because it is the practical test CLI (it invokes MSBuild under the hood). --- ## Top 80 Commands (1 = most important) > Replace `MySolution.sln` / `src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj` / `tests/...` as needed. ### A) Restore / Build / Clean / Rebuild (daily) 1) Restore solution ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Restore ``` 2) Build solution (Debug) ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Debug ``` 3) Build solution (Release) ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release ``` 4) Clean solution ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Clean /p:Configuration=Debug ``` 5) Rebuild solution (Clean + Build) ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Rebuild /p:Configuration=Release ``` 6) Restore + Build in one call ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /restore /t:Build /p:Configuration=Debug ``` 7) Build without restore (CI-friendly) ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:Restore=false ``` 8) Parallel build (max CPU) ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /m /p:Configuration=Release ``` 9) Quiet-ish CI output ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /nologo /v:minimal /p:Configuration=Release ``` 10) Build a single project ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Build /p:Configuration=Debug ``` 11) Set Platform explicitly ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:Platform="Any CPU" ``` 12) Treat warnings as errors ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:TreatWarningsAsErrors=true ``` 13) Deterministic build ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:Deterministic=true ``` 14) CI build mode (SourceLink/versioning behavior) ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:ContinuousIntegrationBuild=true ``` 15) Disable incremental up-to-date checks (force build behavior) ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:DisableFastUpToDateCheck=true ``` 16) Build with defined constants ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Build /p:Configuration=Debug /p:DefineConstants="TRACE;DEBUG;MYFLAG" ``` 17) Set OutputPath (ad-hoc artifacts) ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:OutputPath=artifacts/bin/ ``` 18) Set BaseIntermediateOutputPath (obj isolation / CI caching) ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:BaseIntermediateOutputPath=artifacts/obj/ ``` 19) Disable shared compilation (debug odd build behavior) ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Debug /p:UseSharedCompilation=false ``` 20) Show MSBuild version ```bash dotnet msbuild -version ``` ### B) Tests (practical CLI; MSBuild-based) 21) Run tests (solution) ```bash dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release ``` 22) Tests without build ```bash dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release --no-build ``` 23) Tests without restore ```bash dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release --no-restore ``` 24) Test a single test project ```bash dotnet test tests/MyWeb.Tests/MyWeb.Tests.csproj -c Debug ``` 25) Test filter by fully qualified name ```bash dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release --filter "FullyQualifiedName~MyNamespace" ``` 26) Test filter by trait/category (example) ```bash dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release --filter "TestCategory=Integration" ``` 27) TRX logger ```bash dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release --logger "trx" ``` 28) Results directory ```bash dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release --results-directory artifacts/testresults ``` 29) Collect coverage (cross-platform collector) ```bash dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release --collect "XPlat Code Coverage" ``` 30) Increase test verbosity ```bash dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release -v normal ``` 31) Blame/hang diagnostics ```bash dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release --blame ``` 32) Run a specific test by name ```bash dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release --filter "Name=MySpecificTest" ``` ### C) Publish (ASP.NET core scenarios) 33) Publish (Release, framework-dependent) ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release ``` 34) Publish to a specific directory ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:PublishDir=artifacts/publish/ ``` 35) Publish with RuntimeIdentifier (RID) ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:RuntimeIdentifier=linux-x64 ``` 36) Self-contained publish ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:RuntimeIdentifier=linux-x64 /p:SelfContained=true ``` 37) Framework-dependent (explicit) ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:SelfContained=false ``` 38) Single-file publish ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:RuntimeIdentifier=win-x64 /p:PublishSingleFile=true ``` 39) ReadyToRun publish ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:PublishReadyToRun=true ``` 40) Trim publish (use with care) ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:PublishTrimmed=true ``` 41) Single-file + trim (advanced) ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:RuntimeIdentifier=linux-x64 /p:PublishSingleFile=true /p:PublishTrimmed=true ``` 42) Stamp environment property (pattern; app must use it) ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:EnvironmentName=Production ``` 43) Publish with version stamping ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:Version=1.2.3 ``` 44) Publish with explicit TargetFramework (multi-TFM projects) ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:TargetFramework=net8.0 ``` 45) Publish with CI properties ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:ContinuousIntegrationBuild=true /p:Deterministic=true ``` 46) Publish: RID + self-contained + output ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:RuntimeIdentifier=linux-x64 /p:SelfContained=true /p:PublishDir=artifacts/publish/linux-x64/ ``` ### D) Pack / NuGet / Versioning 47) Pack a library ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyLib/MyLib.csproj /t:Pack /p:Configuration=Release ``` 48) Pack to a custom output path ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyLib/MyLib.csproj /t:Pack /p:Configuration=Release /p:PackageOutputPath=artifacts/nuget/ ``` 49) Pack with version ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyLib/MyLib.csproj /t:Pack /p:Configuration=Release /p:Version=1.2.3 ``` 50) Set AssemblyVersion / FileVersion ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyLib/MyLib.csproj /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:AssemblyVersion=1.2.0.0 /p:FileVersion=1.2.3.0 ``` 51) InformationalVersion (commit metadata) ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyLib/MyLib.csproj /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:InformationalVersion=1.2.3+sha.abcdef ``` 52) Restore generating packages.lock.json ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Restore /p:RestorePackagesWithLockFile=true ``` 53) Restore locked mode (fail if lock changes) ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Restore /p:RestoreLockedMode=true ``` 54) Restore using a custom NuGet.config ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Restore /p:RestoreConfigFile=NuGet.config ``` 55) Restore with custom packages folder (CI cache) ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Restore /p:RestorePackagesPath=artifacts/nuget-packages ``` ### E) Diagnostics / Troubleshooting 56) Binary log (binlog) — best first step ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /bl ``` 57) Binlog with specific path ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /bl:artifacts/logs/build.binlog ``` 58) Verbosity: detailed ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /v:detailed ``` 59) Verbosity: diagnostic (only when needed) ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /v:diag ``` 60) File logger (text log) ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /fl /flp:logfile=artifacts/logs/build.log;verbosity=normal ``` 61) Console logger summary + performance ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /clp:Summary;PerformanceSummary ``` 62) Preprocess project (expanded after imports) ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /pp:artifacts/logs/preprocessed.xml ``` 63) Graph build for solutions ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /graphBuild /p:Configuration=Release ``` 64) Run a single target explicitly (example: Clean) ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Clean /p:Configuration=Release ``` 65) Show command lines (helps reproduce compiler invocation) ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /m /v:minimal /clp:ShowCommandLine ``` 66) Disable node reuse (CI stability) ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /nr:false /p:Configuration=Release ``` 67) Limit parallelism ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /m:4 /p:Configuration=Release ``` ### F) Advanced build controls 68) Generic custom property pattern ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:MyCustomProperty=Value ``` 69) Override restore sources (quick feed test) ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Restore /p:RestoreSources="https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json;https://myfeed/v3/index.json" ``` 70) Disable implicit restore (full control) ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Restore=false /p:BuildProjectReferences=true ``` 71) Build without project references (debugging) ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Build /p:BuildProjectReferences=false ``` 72) Publish using apphost (common for exe-style hosting) ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:RuntimeIdentifier=linux-x64 /p:SelfContained=true /p:UseAppHost=true ``` 73) Publish without apphost (edge cases) ```bash dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:UseAppHost=false ``` 74) Restore with interactive auth (private feeds) ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Restore /p:NuGetInteractive=true ``` 75) Override MSBuild SDKs path (rare edge cases) ```bash dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:MSBuildSDKsPath=/path/to/sdks ``` ### G) msbuild.exe variants (Windows / VS Build Tools) 76) Build solution with msbuild.exe ```bash msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /m ``` 77) Restore with msbuild.exe ```bash msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Restore ``` 78) Publish with msbuild.exe ```bash msbuild src\MyWeb\MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:PublishDir=artifacts\publish\ ``` 79) Binlog with msbuild.exe ```bash msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /bl:artifacts\logs\msbuild.binlog ``` 80) Preprocess with msbuild.exe ```bash msbuild src\MyWeb\MyWeb.csproj /pp:artifacts\logs\preprocessed.xml ``` * * * ## How to use this skill When you describe a goal (e.g., “Publish linux-x64 self-contained single-file”), the skill should output: - the **top 3** relevant commands from this list, - the **few** MSBuild properties that matter most, - and **one** diagnostic command (usually `/bl`) to capture a binlog if something fails. ## Caveats - Trim/ReadyToRun/SingleFile can have app-specific implications. - For build issues: rerun with `/bl` and inspect with MSBuild Structured Log Viewer.