@dotnet/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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SKILL.md

.NET Agent Skills

Dashboard

This repository contains the .NET team's curated set of core skills and custom agents for coding agents. For information about the Agent Skills standard, see agentskills.io.

📊 Dashboard - Accuracy and efficiency scoring trends for contained plugins (https://dotnet.github.io/skills/)

What's Included

Plugin Description
dotnet Collection of core .NET skills for handling common .NET coding tasks.
dotnet-data Skills for .NET data access and Entity Framework related tasks.
dotnet-diag Skills for .NET performance investigations, debugging, and incident analysis.
dotnet-msbuild Comprehensive MSBuild and .NET build skills: failure diagnosis, performance optimization, code quality, and modernization.
dotnet-nuget NuGet and .NET package management: dependency management and modernization.
dotnet-upgrade Skills for migrating and upgrading .NET projects across framework versions, language features, and compatibility targets.
dotnet-maui Skills for .NET MAUI development: environment setup, diagnostics, and troubleshooting.
dotnet-ai AI and ML skills for .NET: technology selection, LLM integration, agentic workflows, RAG pipelines, MCP, and classic ML with ML.NET.
dotnet-template-engine .NET Template Engine skills: template discovery, project scaffolding, and template authoring.
dotnet-test Skills for running, diagnosing, and migrating .NET tests: test execution, filtering, platform detection, and MSTest workflows.
dotnet-aspnet ASP.NET Core web development skills including middleware, endpoints, real-time communication, and API patterns.
dotnet-blazor Skills for Blazor development: component authoring, interactivity, and web application patterns.
dotnet11 Skills for new .NET 11 APIs and language features.

Installation

🚀 Plugins - Copilot CLI / Claude Code

  1. Launch Copilot CLI or Claude Code
  2. Add the marketplace:
    /plugin marketplace add dotnet/skills
  3. Install a plugin:
    /plugin install <plugin>@dotnet-agent-skills
  4. Restart to load the new plugins
  5. View available skills:
    /skills
  6. View available agents:
    /agents
  7. Update plugin (on demand):
    /plugin update <plugin>@dotnet-agent-skills

VS Code / VS Code Insiders (Preview)

[!IMPORTANT]
VS Code plugin support is a preview feature and subject to change. You may need to enable it first.

// settings.json
{
  "chat.plugins.enabled": true,
  "chat.plugins.marketplaces": ["dotnet/skills"]
}

Once configured, type /plugins in Copilot Chat or use the @agentPlugins filter in Extensions to browse and install plugins from the marketplace.

Cursor

This repository is a Cursor plugin marketplace. You can discover and install published plugins directly in Cursor:

  1. Open the marketplace panel in Cursor
  2. Search for .NET or browse cursor.com/marketplace
  3. Install the desired plugins

For local development or unpublished changes, import plugins from a local checkout:

  1. Copy or symlink your local checkout to ~/.cursor/plugins/local/dotnet-agent-skills
  2. Restart Cursor or run Developer: Reload Window

Codex CLI

Skills in this repository follow the agentskills.io open standard and are compatible with OpenAI Codex.

Install individual skills using the skill-installer CLI with the GitHub URL:

$ skill-installer install https://github.com/dotnet/skills/tree/main/plugins/<plugin>/skills/<skill-name>

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for contribution guidelines and how to add a new plugin.

License

See LICENSE for details.

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