Target Authoring
by dotnet0608d8924cd3MIT5.5K starsListed Oct 8, 2026Updated Oct 8, 2026Repository updated today
Canonical patterns for writing custom MSBuild targets. USE FOR: diagnosing and fixing custom target authoring anti-patterns; broken SDK target chains across files (e.g., Directory.Build.targets silently redefining SDK targets); targets that replace CompileDependsOn instead of extending it with $(CompileDependsOn); query targets returning stale results from Outputs vs Returns misuse; missing Inputs/Outputs causing unnecessary rebuilds; missing FileWrites registration. Covers DependsOnTargets vs BeforeTargets vs AfterTargets, the Build→CoreBuild three-level pattern, and the $(XxxDependsOn) chain-extension pattern. DO NOT USE FOR: incremental build tuning (use incremental-build), parallelization (use build-parallelism), general anti-patterns (use msbuild-antipatterns), 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 | 6.5 KB | text/markdown |
Source and attribution
Source:dotnet/skillsinplugins/dotnet-msbuild/skills/target-authoringat 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.
Resolve Project References
dotnet
Explains why ResolveProjectReferences time in MSBuild summaries is misleading and redirects optimization to task self-time.
Migrate Dotnet8 To Dotnet9
dotnet
Guides migration of a .NET 8 project to .NET 9, resolving breaking changes and updating build infrastructure.
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.