dotnet-local-tools

1# .NET Local Tools
2 
3## When to Use This Skill
4 
5Use this skill when:
6- Setting up consistent tooling across a development team
7- Ensuring CI/CD pipelines use the same tool versions as local development
8- Managing project-specific CLI tools (docfx, incrementalist, dotnet-ef, etc.)
9- Avoiding global tool version conflicts between projects
10 
11## What Are Local Tools?
12 
13Local tools are .NET CLI tools that are installed and versioned per-repository rather than globally. They're defined in `.config/dotnet-tools.json` and restored with `dotnet tool restore`.
14 
15### Local vs Global Tools
16 
17| Aspect | Global Tools | Local Tools |
18|--------|--------------|-------------|
19| Installation | `dotnet tool install -g` | `dotnet tool restore` |
20| Scope | Machine-wide | Per-repository |
21| Version control | Manual | In `.config/dotnet-tools.json` |
22| CI/CD | Must install each tool | Single restore command |
23| Conflicts | Can have version conflicts | Isolated per project |
24 
25---
26 
27## Setting Up Local Tools
28 
29### Initialize the Manifest
30 
31```bash
32# Create .config/dotnet-tools.json
33dotnet new tool-manifest
34```
35 
36This creates:
37```
38.config/
39└── dotnet-tools.json
40```
41 
42### Install Tools Locally
43 
44```bash
45# Install a tool locally
46dotnet tool install docfx
47 
48# Install specific version
49dotnet tool install docfx --version 2.78.3
50 
51# Install from a specific source
52dotnet tool install MyTool --add-source https://mycompany.pkgs.visualstudio.com/_packaging/feed/nuget/v3/index.json
53```
54 
55### Restore Tools
56 
57```bash
58…