NuGet Package Manager

Trigger On

• Checking outdated NuGet declarations with nuget-manager.
• Reviewing or applying one package family, such as Microsoft.Orleans, across projects and Central Package Management files.
• Using the ManagedCode NuGet Package Manager extension in VS Code.

Workflow

1. Install the public tool and confirm its current help.
2. Select a workspace, family, policy and prerelease scope; check feeds and preview exact edits.
3. Review the owning files and target versions, apply the authorized selection, then restore, build and run focused regressions.

Install

dotnet tool install --global nuget-manager
nuget-manager --help

For an existing installation, use dotnet tool update --global nuget-manager. This is a global tool, not an application PackageReference. The upstream repository publishes both the tool and a VS Code extension. Install the extension from the Marketplace or a released VSIX.

Inspect and Review

Run a read-only family check, then preview exact proposed edits:

nuget-manager check --path . --family Microsoft.Orleans --policy minor --json
nuget-manager update --path . --family Microsoft.Orleans --policy minor --dry-run --json

Microsoft.Orleans selects the exact ID and dot-boundary descendants, never Microsoft.OrleansExtra. Each package keeps its own available target version; selecting a family does not force a shared version or establish compatibility. Inspect every target version and owning file, including central declarations consumed by multiple projects.

Apply and Validate

After reviewing the preview, apply the same selection:

nuget-manager update --path . --family Microsoft.Orleans --policy minor --yes
git diff -- '*.csproj' '*.fsproj' '*.vbproj' 'Directory.Packages.props'
dotnet restore
dotnet build --no-restore
dotnet test --no-build

Use --yes only when writing that selection is authorized. Without it, update uses the interactive review. Run the repository's focused regressions after restore/build; keep unrelated tests parallel and respect the repository's test-output budget. The tool does not restore or test automatically. If a file changed since the review snapshot, refresh and review again before applying.

flowchart LR
  Check[Read declarations and listed feed versions] --> Preview[Dry-run exact family edits]
  Preview --> Review[Review versions and owning files]
  Review --> Apply[Validate snapshots and apply version edits]
  Apply --> Verify[Restore, build, focused regressions]

Options and Editor Workflow

• --policy latest accepts any numerically newer version; minor stays within the current major; patch stays within the current major and minor. Version numbers do not prove API compatibility.
• Stable versions are the default. Add --prerelease intentionally when preview versions are required.
• --source https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json adds a NuGet V3 feed. A failed configured feed remains an incomplete check; never interpret it as up to date.
• Use --path to bound the workspace and --json for machine-readable output.
• In VS Code, open NuGet: Open NuGet Package Manager for the sidebar or NuGet: Open NuGet Package Manager in Editor for the wide workbench. Choose Groups/List, select a family or declarations, review native diffs, and apply in a trusted workspace.
• nugetPackageManager.autoCheck defaults to true. Automatic checks may reuse successful version lists for ten minutes; Check for Updates queries the feeds again. Existing unsaved document edits remain unsaved after version updates.

Constraints

• Supported: literal PackageVersion entries in Directory.Packages.props, literal PackageReference versions, and explicit <Sdk Name="..." Version="..." /> declarations in C#, F#, and VB project files.
• An existing Aspire.AppHost.Sdk declaration participates in the Aspire family. Versionless SDKs are unchanged; no SDK is added.
• Property expressions, ranges, wildcards, invalid XML, and unsupported versions require manual handling. Project Sdk="Name/version", Import SDKs, and SDK versions in global.json are outside this tool's scope.
• The manager does not add/remove package references, resolve dependency compatibility, implement NuGet.config source mapping, or authenticate to private feeds. Keep credentials out of source settings.
• Conditional declarations remain independently selectable. Changing a central version affects every consuming project.

Deliver

Report the chosen family, policy and prerelease scope, reviewed files and versions, applied diff, and restore/build/regression results. Distinguish a failed feed check from a successful check with no updates.

Validate

• Confirm installed help matches the commands before automation.
• Confirm the dry-run leaves version files unchanged and the apply diff contains only reviewed literal versions.
• Confirm stale reviews are refreshed and unsupported declarations remain explicit.
• Confirm focused consumer regressions pass after restoring the changed versions.

Sources

• CLI setup and option contract
• Supported package and SDK update behavior
• Public releases