
Incremental Build
by dotnet0608d8924cd3MIT5.5K starsListed Oct 8, 2026Updated Oct 8, 2026Repository updated today
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 build slowness (use build-perf-baseline), parallelism issues (use build-parallelism), evaluation-phase slowness (use eval-performance), non-MSBuild build systems.
Only the file list is public. File contents are available once the skill is installed in a workspace.
| Path | Size | Type |
|---|---|---|
| SKILL.md | 16.9 KB | text/markdown |
Source and attribution
Source:dotnet/skillsinplugins/dotnet-msbuild/skills/incremental-buildat commit0608d89
License: MIT
Content belongs to its original authors. SourceWeft indexes it from a public repository.
More from dotnet/skills

Setup Local Sdk
dotnet
Guides installing a project-local .NET SDK in .dotnet/ and wiring it through global.json paths.

System Text Json Net11
dotnet
Guides use of three System.Text.Json APIs added in .NET 11: PascalCase naming policy and generic type-info accessors.

Thread Abort Migration
dotnet
Guides migrating .NET Framework Thread.Abort usage to cooperative cancellation in modern .NET.

Migrate Dotnet9 To Dotnet10
dotnet
Guides migration of a .NET 9 project or solution to .NET 10, resolving breaking changes.

Target Authoring
dotnet
Canonical patterns for authoring custom MSBuild targets, including dependency chains, extension, and incrementality.

Resolve Project References
dotnet
Explains why ResolveProjectReferences time in MSBuild summaries is misleading and redirects optimization to task self-time.
More in Software Development

Playground
anthropics
Builds self-contained interactive HTML playgrounds with controls, live preview, and copyable prompt output.

M5 Onboard
anthropics
Provisions M5Stack ESP32 boards by detecting them on USB, flashing UIFlow 2.0 firmware, and installing a MicroPython app bundle.

Cardputer Buddy
anthropics
Guides iterating on a Cardputer-Adv MicroPython app bundle: adding apps, pushing files over USB-serial, tailing logs, and running REPL commands.

Web Design Guidelines
vercel-labs
Reviews UI code against Web Interface Guidelines fetched from a remote source and reports findings as file:line entries.

Vercel React Native Skills
vercel-labs
React Native and Expo best-practice rules covering list performance, animation, navigation, UI patterns, state, and monorepo setup.

Vercel React Best Practices
vercel-labs
Vercel's React and Next.js performance guidelines, organized as 70 rules for writing, reviewing, and refactoring code.