Skip to content
All Skills

Nuget Manager

Manage NuGet packages in .NET projects/solutions. Use this skill when adding, removing, or updating NuGet package versions. It enforces using `dotnet` CLI for package management and provides strict procedures for direct file edits only when updating versions.

Software Engineering|v1|Updated 7/14/2026|GitHub source
MCP get_skill({ skillId: "nuget-manager-cbfa7e2f" })

Use this skill with your agent

Create a free account and connect via MCP

Get Started Free
# NuGet Manager

## Overview

This skill ensures consistent and safe management of NuGet packages across .NET projects. It prioritizes using the `dotnet` CLI to maintain project integrity and enforces a strict verification and restoration workflow for version updates.

## Prerequisites

- .NET SDK installed (typically .NET 8.0 SDK or later, or a version compatible with the target solution).
- `dotnet` CLI available on your `PATH`.
- `jq` (JSON processor) OR PowerShell (for version verification using `dotnet package search`).

## Core Rules

1.  **NEVER** directly edit `.csproj`, `.props`, or `Directory.Packages.props` files to **add** or **remove** packages. Always use `dotnet add package` and `dotnet remove package` commands.
2.  **DIRECT EDITING** is ONLY permitted for **changing versions** of existing packages.
3.  **VERSION UPDATES** must follow the mandatory workflow:
    - Verify the target version exists on NuGet.
    - Determine if versions are managed per-project (`.csproj`) or centrally (`Directory.Packages.props`).
    - Update the version string in the appropriate file.
    - Immediately run `dotnet restore` to verify compatibility.

## Workflows

### Adding a Package
Use `dotnet add [<PROJECT>] package <PACKAGE_NAME> [--version <VERSION>]`.
Example: `dotnet add src/MyProject/MyProject.csproj package Newtonsoft.Json`

### Removing a Package
Use `dotnet remove [<PROJECT>] package <PACKAGE_NAME>`.
Example: `dotnet remove src/MyProject/MyProject.csproj package Newtonsoft.Json`

### Updating Package Versions
When updating a version, follow these steps:

1.  **Verify Version Existence**:
    Check if the version exists using the `dotnet package search` command with exact match and JSON formatting. 
    Using `jq`:
    `dotnet package search <PACKAGE_NAME> --exact-match --format json | jq -e '.searchResult[].packages[] | select(.version == "<VERSION>")'`
    Using PowerShell:
    `(dotnet package search <PACKAGE_NAME> --exact-match --format json | ConvertFrom-Json).searchResult.packages | Where-Object { $_.version -eq "<VERSION>" }`
    
2.  **Determine Version Management**:
    - Search for `Directory.Packages.props` in the solution root. If present, versions should be managed there via `<PackageVersion Include="Package.Name" Version="1.2.3" />`.
    - If absent, check individual `.csproj` files for `<PackageReference Include="Package.Name" Version="1.2.3" />`.

3.  **Apply Changes**:
    Modify the identified file with the new version string.

4.  **Verify Stability**:
    Run `dotnet restore` on the project or solution. If errors occur, revert the change and investigate.

## Examples

### User: "Add Serilog to the WebApi project"
**Action**: Execute `dotnet add src/WebApi/WebApi.csproj package Serilog`.

### User: "Update Newtonsoft.Json to 13.0.3 in the whole solution"
**Action**:
1. Verify 13.0.3 exists: `dotnet package search Newtonsoft.Json --exact-match --format json` (and parse output to confirm "13.0.3" is present).
2. Find where it's defined (e.g., `Directory.Packages.props`).
3. Edit the file to update the version.
4. Run `dotnet restore`.
#github-copilot#backend#developmentjqdotnetpowershell

Related Skills

More skills in Software Engineering

Accessibility Standards

Comprehensive web accessibility standards based on WCAG 2.2 AA, with 38+ anti-patterns, legal enforcement context (EAA, ADA Title II), WAI-ARIA patterns, and framework-specific fixes for modern web frameworks and libraries.

#github-copilot#accessibilityMIT

Accord

Authoring unified specification packages across Business/Development/Design teams via staged elaboration (L0 Vision → L1 Requirements → L2 Team Detail → L3 Acceptance Criteria). No code. Use when authoring cross-team specs, building L0-L3 packages, or aligning Biz/Dev/Design on a single source of truth.

#broad-capability#developmentMIT

Acquire Codebase Knowledge

Use this skill when the user explicitly asks to map, document, or onboard into an existing codebase. Trigger for prompts like "map this codebase", "document this architecture", "onboard me to this repo", or "create codebase docs". Do not trigger for routine feature implementation, bug fixes, or narrow code edits unless the user asks for repository-level discovery.

#github-copilot#documentationMIT

Acreadiness Assess

Run the AgentRC readiness assessment on the current repository and produce a static HTML dashboard at reports/index.html. Wraps `npx github:microsoft/agentrc readiness` and hands off rendering to the @ai-readiness-reporter custom agent. Supports policies (--policy) for org-specific scoring. Use when asked to assess, audit, or score the AI readiness of a repo.

#github-copilot#planningMIT

Acreadiness Generate Instructions

Generate tailored AI agent instruction files via AgentRC instructions command. Produces .github/copilot-instructions.md (default, recommended for Copilot in VS Code) plus optional per-area .instructions.md files with applyTo globs for monorepos. Use after running /acreadiness-assess to close gaps in the AI Tooling pillar.

#github-copilot#skillMIT

Acreadiness Policy

Help the user pick, write, or apply an AgentRC policy. Policies customise readiness scoring by disabling irrelevant checks, overriding impact/level, setting pass-rate thresholds, or chaining org baselines with team overrides. Use when the user asks about strict mode, AI-only scoring, custom weights, CI gating, or wants org-wide standardisation.

#github-copilot#planningMIT