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MSBuild Top 80 Commands

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Provides a prioritized set of 80 essential MSBuild CLI commands for restoring, building, testing, publishing, packaging, diagnosing, and CI-hardening .NET/AS...

Install

openclaw skills install msbuild

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
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Restore
  1. Build solution (Debug)
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Debug
  1. Build solution (Release)
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release
  1. Clean solution
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Clean /p:Configuration=Debug
  1. Rebuild solution (Clean + Build)
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Rebuild /p:Configuration=Release
  1. Restore + Build in one call
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /restore /t:Build /p:Configuration=Debug
  1. Build without restore (CI-friendly)
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:Restore=false
  1. Parallel build (max CPU)
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /m /p:Configuration=Release
  1. Quiet-ish CI output
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /nologo /v:minimal /p:Configuration=Release
  1. Build a single project
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Build /p:Configuration=Debug
  1. Set Platform explicitly
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:Platform="Any CPU"
  1. Treat warnings as errors
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:TreatWarningsAsErrors=true
  1. Deterministic build
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:Deterministic=true
  1. CI build mode (SourceLink/versioning behavior)
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:ContinuousIntegrationBuild=true
  1. Disable incremental up-to-date checks (force build behavior)
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:DisableFastUpToDateCheck=true
  1. Build with defined constants
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Build /p:Configuration=Debug /p:DefineConstants="TRACE;DEBUG;MYFLAG"
  1. Set OutputPath (ad-hoc artifacts)
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:OutputPath=artifacts/bin/
  1. Set BaseIntermediateOutputPath (obj isolation / CI caching)
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:BaseIntermediateOutputPath=artifacts/obj/
  1. Disable shared compilation (debug odd build behavior)
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Debug /p:UseSharedCompilation=false
  1. Show MSBuild version
dotnet msbuild -version

B) Tests (practical CLI; MSBuild-based)

  1. Run tests (solution)
dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release
  1. Tests without build
dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release --no-build
  1. Tests without restore
dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release --no-restore
  1. Test a single test project
dotnet test tests/MyWeb.Tests/MyWeb.Tests.csproj -c Debug
  1. Test filter by fully qualified name
dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release --filter "FullyQualifiedName~MyNamespace"
  1. Test filter by trait/category (example)
dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release --filter "TestCategory=Integration"
  1. TRX logger
dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release --logger "trx"
  1. Results directory
dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release --results-directory artifacts/testresults
  1. Collect coverage (cross-platform collector)
dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release --collect "XPlat Code Coverage"
  1. Increase test verbosity
dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release -v normal
  1. Blame/hang diagnostics
dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release --blame
  1. Run a specific test by name
dotnet test MySolution.sln -c Release --filter "Name=MySpecificTest"

C) Publish (ASP.NET core scenarios)

  1. Publish (Release, framework-dependent)
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release
  1. Publish to a specific directory
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:PublishDir=artifacts/publish/
  1. Publish with RuntimeIdentifier (RID)
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:RuntimeIdentifier=linux-x64
  1. Self-contained publish
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:RuntimeIdentifier=linux-x64 /p:SelfContained=true
  1. Framework-dependent (explicit)
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:SelfContained=false
  1. Single-file publish
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:RuntimeIdentifier=win-x64 /p:PublishSingleFile=true
  1. ReadyToRun publish
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:PublishReadyToRun=true
  1. Trim publish (use with care)
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:PublishTrimmed=true
  1. Single-file + trim (advanced)
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:RuntimeIdentifier=linux-x64 /p:PublishSingleFile=true /p:PublishTrimmed=true
  1. Stamp environment property (pattern; app must use it)
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:EnvironmentName=Production
  1. Publish with version stamping
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:Version=1.2.3
  1. Publish with explicit TargetFramework (multi-TFM projects)
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:TargetFramework=net8.0
  1. Publish with CI properties
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:ContinuousIntegrationBuild=true /p:Deterministic=true
  1. Publish: RID + self-contained + output
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

  1. Pack a library
dotnet msbuild src/MyLib/MyLib.csproj /t:Pack /p:Configuration=Release
  1. Pack to a custom output path
dotnet msbuild src/MyLib/MyLib.csproj /t:Pack /p:Configuration=Release /p:PackageOutputPath=artifacts/nuget/
  1. Pack with version
dotnet msbuild src/MyLib/MyLib.csproj /t:Pack /p:Configuration=Release /p:Version=1.2.3
  1. Set AssemblyVersion / FileVersion
dotnet msbuild src/MyLib/MyLib.csproj /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:AssemblyVersion=1.2.0.0 /p:FileVersion=1.2.3.0
  1. InformationalVersion (commit metadata)
dotnet msbuild src/MyLib/MyLib.csproj /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:InformationalVersion=1.2.3+sha.abcdef
  1. Restore generating packages.lock.json
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Restore /p:RestorePackagesWithLockFile=true
  1. Restore locked mode (fail if lock changes)
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Restore /p:RestoreLockedMode=true
  1. Restore using a custom NuGet.config
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Restore /p:RestoreConfigFile=NuGet.config
  1. Restore with custom packages folder (CI cache)
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Restore /p:RestorePackagesPath=artifacts/nuget-packages

E) Diagnostics / Troubleshooting

  1. Binary log (binlog) — best first step
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /bl
  1. Binlog with specific path
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /bl:artifacts/logs/build.binlog
  1. Verbosity: detailed
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /v:detailed
  1. Verbosity: diagnostic (only when needed)
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /v:diag
  1. File logger (text log)
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /fl /flp:logfile=artifacts/logs/build.log;verbosity=normal
  1. Console logger summary + performance
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /clp:Summary;PerformanceSummary
  1. Preprocess project (expanded after imports)
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /pp:artifacts/logs/preprocessed.xml
  1. Graph build for solutions
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /graphBuild /p:Configuration=Release
  1. Run a single target explicitly (example: Clean)
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Clean /p:Configuration=Release
  1. Show command lines (helps reproduce compiler invocation)
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /m /v:minimal /clp:ShowCommandLine
  1. Disable node reuse (CI stability)
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /nr:false /p:Configuration=Release
  1. Limit parallelism
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /m:4 /p:Configuration=Release

F) Advanced build controls

  1. Generic custom property pattern
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /p:MyCustomProperty=Value
  1. Override restore sources (quick feed test)
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Restore /p:RestoreSources="https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json;https://myfeed/v3/index.json"
  1. Disable implicit restore (full control)
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Restore=false /p:BuildProjectReferences=true
  1. Build without project references (debugging)
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Build /p:BuildProjectReferences=false
  1. Publish using apphost (common for exe-style hosting)
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:RuntimeIdentifier=linux-x64 /p:SelfContained=true /p:UseAppHost=true
  1. Publish without apphost (edge cases)
dotnet msbuild src/MyWeb/MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:UseAppHost=false
  1. Restore with interactive auth (private feeds)
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Restore /p:NuGetInteractive=true
  1. Override MSBuild SDKs path (rare edge cases)
dotnet msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:MSBuildSDKsPath=/path/to/sdks

G) msbuild.exe variants (Windows / VS Build Tools)

  1. Build solution with msbuild.exe
msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /m
  1. Restore with msbuild.exe
msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Restore
  1. Publish with msbuild.exe
msbuild src\MyWeb\MyWeb.csproj /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:PublishDir=artifacts\publish\
  1. Binlog with msbuild.exe
msbuild MySolution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release /bl:artifacts\logs\msbuild.binlog
  1. Preprocess with msbuild.exe
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.
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