Microsoft

@microsoftOpen source projects and samples from Microsoft

Open source projects and samples from Microsoft

Redmond, WA

microsoft.com

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GitHub sources1370 Skills · 102 repositories

102 sources

1370 standalone skills1370 published skills

Data Engineering

target-authoring

Canonical patterns for writing custom MSBuild targets. USE FOR: diagnosing and fixing custom target authoring anti-patterns, reviewing MSBuild target definitions for correctness, diagnosing broken SDK target chains across files (e.g., Directory.Build.targets silently redefining SDK targets), fixing targets that replace CompileDependsOn instead of extending it with $(CompileDependsOn), fixing query targets that return stale results due to Outputs vs Returns misuse, fixing missing Inputs/Outputs causing unnecessary rebuilds, fixing missing FileWrites registration. Covers DependsOnTargets vs Befo

Testing

run-tests

For `dotnet test`: figures out which test platform (VSTest vs Microsoft.Testing.Platform) a project uses from `Directory.Build.props`, `global.json`, and `.csproj`, then picks the matching command syntax. USE FOR: running, filtering, or troubleshooting `dotnet test`; identifying the test runner/platform from project files; `--` separator rules on .NET SDK 8/9 vs 10+; choosing the right filter syntax for MSTest / xUnit / NUnit / TUnit (--filter, --filter-class, --filter-trait, --filter-query, --treenode-filter); TRX/reporting (--report-trx vs --logger trx); blame/hang/crash diagnostics (--blame

Developer Tools

resolve-project-references

Guide for interpreting ResolveProjectReferences time in MSBuild performance summaries. Activate when ResolveProjectReferences appears as the most expensive target and developers are trying to optimize it directly. Explains that the reported time includes wait time for dependent project builds and is misleading. Guides users to focus on task self-time instead. Do not activate for general build performance -- use build-perf-diagnostics instead.

Developer Tools

property-patterns

MSBuild property definition patterns: conditional defaults, composition/concatenation, path normalization, trailing slash handling, TFM detection helpers, and property evaluation order. USE FOR: diagnosing and fixing MSBuild property definition issues in .props or .csproj files, reviewing and fixing shared property configuration anti-patterns, fixing DefineConstants or NoWarn being overwritten instead of appended, fixing unconditional property assignments that prevent project-level overrides, fixing unquoted conditions that fail when properties are empty, fixing hardcoded paths that break cros

Testing

platform-detection

Reference data for detecting the test platform (VSTest vs Microsoft.Testing.Platform) and test framework (MSTest, xUnit, NUnit, TUnit) from project files. DO NOT USE directly — loaded by run-tests, mtp-hot-reload, and migrate-vstest-to-mtp when they need detection logic.

Delivery

mtp-hot-reload

Suggests using Microsoft Testing Platform (MTP) hot reload to iterate fixes on failing tests without rebuilding. Use when user says "hot reload tests", "iterate on test fix", "run tests without rebuilding", "speed up test loop", "fix test faster", or needs to set up MTP hot reload to rapidly iterate on test failures. Covers setup (NuGet package, environment variable, launchSettings.json) and the iterative workflow for fixing tests. DO NOT USE FOR: writing test code, diagnosing test failures, running tests normally with dotnet test (use run-tests), applying test filters, producing TRX reports,

Backend

msbuild-server

Guide for using MSBuild Server to improve CLI build performance. 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).

Backend

msbuild-modernization

Guide for modernizing and migrating MSBuild project files to SDK-style format. 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

Backend

msbuild-antipatterns

Catalog of MSBuild anti-patterns with detection rules and fix recipes. USE FOR: reviewing, auditing, or cleaning up .csproj, .vbproj, .fsproj, .props, .targets, or .proj files. Each anti-pattern has a symptom, explanation, and concrete BAD→GOOD transformation. Covers Exec-instead-of-built-in-task, unquoted conditions, hardcoded paths, restating SDK defaults, scattered package versions, and more. DO NOT USE FOR: non-MSBuild build systems (npm, Maven, CMake, etc.), project migration to SDK-style (use msbuild-modernization).

Testing

migrate-xunit-to-xunit-v3

Migrates .NET test projects from xUnit.net v2 to xUnit.net v3. USE FOR: upgrading xunit to xunit.v3. DO NOT USE FOR: migrating between test frameworks (MSTest/NUnit to xUnit.net), migrating from VSTest to Microsoft.Testing.Platform (use migrate-vstest-to-mtp). For xUnit v3 MTP filter syntax (--filter-class, --filter-trait, --filter-query), also load migrate-vstest-to-mtp.

Testing

migrate-xunit-to-mstest

Migrate .NET test projects from xUnit.net (v2 or v3) to MSTest v4. USE FOR: convert/migrate xUnit tests to MSTest, replace xunit/xunit.v3 packages, port [Fact]/[Theory]/[InlineData]/[MemberData]/[ClassData] to [TestMethod]/[DataRow]/[DynamicData], port Assert.Equal/True/Throws/ThrowsAsync to Assert.AreEqual/IsTrue/ThrowsExactly/ThrowsExactlyAsync, port IClassFixture/ ICollectionFixture/IDisposable/IAsyncLifetime/ITestOutputHelper/[Trait]/[Fact(Skip)] to MSTest equivalents, preserve xUnit parallel-class default via [assembly: Parallelize(Scope = ClassLevel)], remove xunit.runner.json. DO NOT US

Delivery

migrate-vstest-to-mtp

Migrates .NET test projects from VSTest to Microsoft.Testing.Platform (MTP). Use when user asks to "migrate to MTP", "switch from VSTest", "enable Microsoft.Testing.Platform", "use MTP runner", or mentions EnableMSTestRunner, EnableNUnitRunner, or UseMicrosoftTestingPlatformRunner. USE FOR: MTP behavioral differences vs VSTest (exit code 8, zero tests discovered, --ignore-exit-code, TESTINGPLATFORM_EXITCODE_IGNORE), conditioning OutputType=Exe to test projects when centralizing MTP properties in Directory.Build.props. Supports MSTest, NUnit, xUnit.net v2 (via YTest.MTP.XUnit2), and xUnit.net v

Testing

migrate-static-to-wrapper

Mechanically replace static dependency call sites with wrapper or built-in abstraction calls across a bounded scope (file, project, or namespace). Performs codemod-style bulk replacement of DateTime.UtcNow to TimeProvider.GetUtcNow(), File.ReadAllText to IFileSystem, and similar transformations. Adds constructor injection parameters and updates DI registration. USE FOR: replace DateTime.UtcNow with TimeProvider, replace DateTime.Now with TimeProvider, migrate static calls to wrapper, bulk replace File.* with IFileSystem, codemod static to injectable, add constructor injection for time provider

Testing

migrate-mstest-v3-to-v4

Fix build errors and breaking changes after upgrading MSTest from v3 to v4, or plan a complete MSTest v3-to-v4 migration. Use when user says "upgrade to MSTest v4", "MSTest 4 migration", "MSTest v4 breaking changes", "tests don't compile after upgrading MSTest", or has errors CS0507, CS0103, CS1061, CS1615 after updating MSTest packages from 3.x to 4.x. USE FOR: Execute to ExecuteAsync, CallerInfo constructor on TestMethodAttribute, sealed custom attributes, ClassCleanupBehavior removal, TestContext.Properties Contains to ContainsKey, Assert.ThrowsException to ThrowsExactly, Assert.IsInstanceO

Testing

migrate-mstest-v1v2-to-v3

Migrate MSTest v1 or v2 test project to MSTest v3. Use when user says "upgrade MSTest", "upgrade to MSTest v3", "migrate to MSTest v3", "update test framework", "modernize tests", "MSTest v3 migration", "MSTest compatibility", "MSTest v2 to v3", or build errors after updating MSTest packages from 1.x/2.x to 3.x. USE FOR: upgrading from MSTest v1 assembly references (Microsoft.VisualStudio.QualityTools.UnitTestFramework) or MSTest v2 NuGet (MSTest.TestFramework 1.x-2.x) to MSTest v3, fixing assertion overload errors (AreEqual/AreNotEqual), updating DataRow constructors, replacing .testsettings

Strategy

item-management

Patterns for managing MSBuild item groups: Include/Remove/Update semantics, item metadata, batching with %(Metadata), transforms, per-item filtering, and cross-product batching pitfalls. USE FOR: diagnosing and fixing item group anti-patterns in .csproj files, reviewing item management for correctness, fixing CS2002 duplicate file warnings from SDK globbing, fixing targets that run more times than expected due to cross-product batching, fixing Include vs Update misuse on SDK-globbed items, fixing FileWrites registration for generated file clean support, moving generated files to IntermediateOu

Developer Tools

incremental-build

Guide for optimizing MSBuild incremental builds. USE FOR: builds slower than expected on subsequent runs, 'nothing changed but it rebuilds anyway', diagnosing why targets re-execute unnecessarily, fixing broken no-op builds. Covers 8 common causes: missing Inputs/Outputs on custom targets, volatile properties in output paths (timestamps/GUIDs), file writes outside tracked Outputs, missing FileWrites registration, glob changes, Visual Studio Fast Up-to-Date Check (FUTDC) issues. Key diagnostic: look for 'Building target completely' vs 'Skipping target' in binlog. DO NOT USE FOR: first-time buil

UI Design

including-generated-files

Fix MSBuild targets that generate files during the build but those files are missing from compilation or output. 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 $(IntermediateOutp

Testing

grade-tests

Grades a specified set of test methods individually and produces a concise table mapping each test (fully-qualified name) to a letter grade (A–F), a score band, pseudo-mutation resilience, a one-line note, and a concrete improvement for every grade below A — designed to be posted as a PR comment. Use when the caller wants per-test feedback on a curated list of methods (for example, the new or modified tests in a pull request), not a suite-wide audit. Polyglot: .NET (MSTest/xUnit/NUnit/TUnit), Python (pytest/unittest), TS/JS (Jest/Vitest/Mocha/node:test), Java (JUnit/TestNG), Go, Ruby (RSpec/Mi

UI Design

generate-testability-wrappers

Generate wrapper interfaces and DI registration for hard-to-test static dependencies in C#. Produces IFileSystem, IEnvironmentProvider, IConsole, IProcessRunner wrappers, or guides adoption of TimeProvider and IHttpClientFactory. USE FOR: generate wrapper for static, create IFileSystem wrapper, wrap DateTime.Now, make static testable, make class testable, create abstraction for File.*, generate DI registration, TimeProvider adoption, IHttpClientFactory setup, testability wrapper, mock-friendly interface, mock time in tests, create the right abstraction to mock, how to mock DateTime, test code

Testing

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.

UI Design

extension-points

Guide for MSBuild extensibility: CustomBefore/CustomAfter hooks, wildcard imports with alphabetic ordering, import gating with control properties, NuGet package build extension layout (build/buildTransitive), and the MicrosoftCommonPropsHasBeenImported guard. USE FOR: diagnosing and fixing MSBuild import and hook patterns, reviewing and fixing extension point anti-patterns in Directory.Build files, fixing missing Exists() guards on imports that break fresh clones, fixing NuGet package hooks being silently dropped instead of appended, making build targets extensible for other projects, injectin

Backend

eval-performance

Guide for diagnosing and improving MSBuild project evaluation performance. 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: compi

Testing

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. Loaded by test analysis skills (test-anti-patterns) as framework-specific lookup tables.