Agent skill

.NET Aspire Explicit Configuration

by Aaronontheweb in Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills

Wires .NET Aspire AppHost resources into explicit environment-variable configuration, keeping application code free of Aspire client packages and service discovery.

MITAuto-check passedBackend & APIs

Install .NET Aspire Explicit Configuration

skills CLI

$ npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill aspire-configuration -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills aspire-configuration --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/aspire-configuration .claude/skills/aspire-configuration && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "aspire-configuration" agent skill from https://github.com/Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills/tree/master/skills/aspire-configuration into .claude/skills/aspire-configuration/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "aspire-configuration", then confirm the skill loads.

Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

$skill-installer

$skill-installer install https://github.com/Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills/tree/master/skills/aspire-configuration

Type this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill aspire-configuration -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills aspire-configuration --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/aspire-configuration .agents/skills/aspire-configuration && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "aspire-configuration" agent skill from https://github.com/Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills/tree/master/skills/aspire-configuration into .agents/skills/aspire-configuration/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "aspire-configuration", then confirm the skill loads.

Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill aspire-configuration -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills aspire-configuration --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/aspire-configuration .cursor/skills/aspire-configuration && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "aspire-configuration" agent skill from https://github.com/Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills/tree/master/skills/aspire-configuration into .cursor/skills/aspire-configuration/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "aspire-configuration", then confirm the skill loads.

Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

gemini skills install

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills.git --path skills/aspire-configuration

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill aspire-configuration -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills aspire-configuration --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/aspire-configuration .gemini/skills/aspire-configuration && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.

Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "aspire-configuration" agent skill from https://github.com/Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills/tree/master/skills/aspire-configuration into .gemini/skills/aspire-configuration/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "aspire-configuration", then confirm the skill loads.

Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills aspire-configuration

Installs for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill aspire-configuration -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/aspire-configuration .github/skills/aspire-configuration && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.

GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "aspire-configuration" agent skill from https://github.com/Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills/tree/master/skills/aspire-configuration into .github/skills/aspire-configuration/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "aspire-configuration", then confirm the skill loads.

GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill aspire-configuration -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills aspire-configuration --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/aspire-configuration .opencode/skills/aspire-configuration && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "aspire-configuration" agent skill from https://github.com/Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills/tree/master/skills/aspire-configuration into .opencode/skills/aspire-configuration/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "aspire-configuration", then confirm the skill loads.

OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

Facts

Skill name: aspire-configuration
GitHub stars: 1.2k
Used in: 1 other repo
Token cost: ~1.3k tokens
SKILL.md length: 340 words
Files: 1
Skills in repo: 35
Repo updated: Oct 10, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: MIT

At a glance

Wires .NET Aspire AppHost resources into explicit environment-variable configuration, keeping application code free of Aspire client packages and service discovery.

Works in 3 steps: AppHost owns Aspire infrastructure… → Explicit configuration only → Production parity and transparency
Wiring a new AppHost resource into application configuration explicitly
SKILL.md covers When to Use This Skill, Core Principles, Configuration Flow and AppHost Patterns (Explicit…, plus 5 more sections
Needs MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD

What it does

The skill's core rule is a one-way boundary: Aspire hosting packages and service discovery stay in the AppHost project, and application code only ever binds to IOptions<T> or Configuration, never referencing an Aspire client package directly. The AppHost is responsible for translating each resource, such as a database or blob storage connection, into explicit configuration keys through calls like WithEnvironment and WithReference, so every value it injects could also be set in production as a plain environment variable or config file without Aspire present at all.

Worked C# examples show an AppHost wiring a Postgres connection string and a blob storage resource into named configuration keys, and an API project reading those same keys through strongly typed options classes with no Aspire dependency. Feature toggles and test overrides follow the same pattern, driven through AppHost and test fixtures so dev, test and production configuration stay in parity rather than diverging behind implicit service discovery.

When your agent uses it

Wiring a new AppHost resource into application configuration explicitly
Removing an Aspire client or service-discovery dependency from application code
Setting up a feature toggle that behaves the same in dev, test and production

Example prompts

“Wire this new Redis resource in AppHost into explicit config keys for the API.”
“Remove the Aspire service-discovery package from this application project.”
“Add a feature toggle for disabling persistence in tests through AppHost config.”

Requirements

.NET with Aspire

Workflow steps

3 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

AppHost owns Aspire infrastructure packages
Explicit configuration only
Production parity and transparency

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 46003af. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are csharp).
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
Links to these hosts (documentation or services it may open):
- learn.microsoft.com
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names these keys or tokens, usually read from environment variables:
- MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

.NET Aspire Explicit Configuration loads about 1.3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 40 tokens; SKILL.md has 340 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~40
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~1.3k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills at commit 46003af, republished under its MIT licence (© Aaronontheweb). 340 words, ~1,273 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/aspire-configuration/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).

name: aspire-configuration
description: Configure Aspire AppHost to emit explicit app config via environment variables; keep app code free of Aspire clients and service discovery.
user-invocable: false

Aspire Configuration

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

Wiring AppHost resources to application configuration in Aspire-based repos
Ensuring production configuration is transparent and portable outside of Aspire
Avoiding Aspire client/service-discovery packages inside application code
Designing feature toggles for dev/test without changing app code paths

Core Principles

AppHost owns Aspire infrastructure packages
- Aspire Hosting packages belong in AppHost only.
- App projects should not reference Aspire client/service-discovery packages.
Explicit configuration only
- AppHost must translate resource outputs into explicit config keys (env vars).
- App code binds to IOptions<T> or Configuration only.
Production parity and transparency
- Every value injected by AppHost must be representable in production as env vars or config files without Aspire.
- Avoid opaque service discovery and implicit configuration.

Configuration Flow

AppHost resource -> WithEnvironment(...) -> app config keys -> IOptions<T> in app

The AppHost is responsible for turning Aspire resources into explicit app settings. The application never consumes Aspire clients or service discovery directly.

AppHost Patterns (Explicit Mapping)

Example: Database + Blob Storage

csharp

// AppHost/Program.cs
var builder = DistributedApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

var postgres = builder.AddPostgres("postgres");
var db = postgres.AddDatabase("appdb");

var minio = builder.AddContainer("minio", "minio/minio")
    .WithArgs("server", "/data")
    .WithHttpEndpoint(targetPort: 9000, name: "http")
    .WithHttpEndpoint(targetPort: 9001, name: "console")
    .WithEnvironment("MINIO_ROOT_USER", "minioadmin")
    .WithEnvironment("MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD", "minioadmin");

var api = builder.AddProject<Projects.MyApp_Api>("api")
    .WithReference(db, "Postgres")
    .WithEnvironment("BlobStorage__Enabled", "true")
    .WithEnvironment("BlobStorage__ServiceUrl", minio.GetEndpoint("http"))
    .WithEnvironment("BlobStorage__AccessKey", "minioadmin")
    .WithEnvironment("BlobStorage__SecretKey", "minioadmin")
    .WithEnvironment("BlobStorage__Bucket", "attachments")
    .WithEnvironment("BlobStorage__ForcePathStyle", "true");

builder.Build().Run();

Key points

WithReference(db, "Postgres") sets ConnectionStrings__Postgres explicitly.
Every external dependency is represented via explicit config keys.
The API project only reads Configuration values.

App Code Pattern (No Aspire Clients)

Application code binds to options and initializes SDKs directly. It never depends on Aspire client packages or service discovery.

csharp

// Api/Program.cs
builder.Services
    .AddOptions<BlobStorageOptions>()
    .BindConfiguration("BlobStorage")
    .ValidateDataAnnotations()
    .ValidateOnStart();

builder.Services.AddSingleton<IBlobStorageService>(sp =>
{
    var options = sp.GetRequiredService<IOptions<BlobStorageOptions>>().Value;
    return new S3BlobStorageService(options); // uses explicit options only
});

Do not add Aspire client packages (or AddServiceDiscovery) to the app. Those are orchestration concerns and should stay in AppHost.

Feature Toggles and Test Overrides

Keep toggles in config and drive them through AppHost and test fixtures. This maintains parity between dev/test and production configuration.

csharp

// AppHost: disable persistence in tests via config overrides
var config = builder.Configuration.GetSection("App")
    .Get<AppHostConfiguration>() ?? new AppHostConfiguration();

if (!config.UseVolumes)
{
    postgres.WithDataVolume(false);
}

api.WithEnvironment("BlobStorage__Enabled", config.EnableBlobStorage.ToString());

See skills/aspire/integration-testing/SKILL.md for patterns on passing configuration overrides into DistributedApplicationTestingBuilder.

Do / Don’t Checklist

Map every Aspire resource output to explicit configuration keys
Use IOptions<T> with validation for all infrastructure settings
Keep AppHost as the only place that references Aspire hosting packages
Ensure any AppHost-injected value can be set in production env vars

Don’t

Reference Aspire client/service-discovery packages in application projects
Rely on opaque service discovery that cannot be mirrored in production
Hide configuration behind Aspire-only abstractions

skills/aspire/service-defaults/SKILL.md
skills/aspire/integration-testing/SKILL.md
skills/akka/aspire-configuration/SKILL.md

Resources

Aspire AppHost environment configuration: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/aspire/fundamentals/app-host
Configuration in .NET: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/extensions/configuration

Files

Just SKILL.md in skills/aspire-configuration of Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 46003af

Used in 1 other repository

We found 1 copy of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 1 other GitHub owner. This page covers the copy in Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

NeverSight/learn-skills.devdata/skills-md/aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills/aspire-configuration

Compare with similar skills

.NET Aspire Explicit Configuration next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

.NET Aspire Explicit Configuration compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
.NET Aspire Explicit Configuration this skillAaronontheweb/dotnet-skills	1.2k	1 repos	~1.3k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
Generate Testability Wrappersmicrosoft/testfx	1k	2 repos	~3.9k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
SDK Conventionsaws/aws-sdk-net	147	—	~6.6k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	today
Csharp Dotnetericrisco/rsc-harness	180	—	~3.3k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
Validation Scopesatherio-danp/cde-dotnetcc	109	—	~927	Automated safety check: Notes	None	2 mo ago
Nodejs Backend Patternsever-works/ever-works	162	18 repos	~4k	Automated safety check: Pass	AGPL-3.0	today

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Questions about .NET Aspire Explicit Configuration

What does .NET Aspire Explicit Configuration do?

Wires .NET Aspire AppHost resources into explicit environment-variable configuration, keeping application code free of Aspire client packages and service discovery. The skill's core rule is a one-way boundary: Aspire hosting packages and service discovery stay in the AppHost project, and application code only ever binds to IOptions<T> or Configuration, never referencing an Aspire client package directly. The AppHost is responsible for translating each resource, such as a database or blob storage connection, into explicit configuration keys through calls like WithEnvironment and WithReference, so every value it injects could also be set in production as a plain environment variable or config file without Aspire present at all.

When should I use .NET Aspire Explicit Configuration?

.NET Aspire Explicit Configuration fits situations like: wiring a new AppHost resource into application configuration explicitly; removing an Aspire client or service-discovery dependency from application code; setting up a feature toggle that behaves the same in dev, test and production.

How do I install .NET Aspire Explicit Configuration in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill aspire-configuration -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/aspire-configuration in Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills) into .claude/skills/aspire-configuration in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install .NET Aspire Explicit Configuration in Codex?

Run `npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill aspire-configuration -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/aspire-configuration in Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills) into .agents/skills/aspire-configuration in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use .NET Aspire Explicit Configuration in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill aspire-configuration -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/aspire-configuration, .gemini/skills/aspire-configuration, .github/skills/aspire-configuration and .opencode/skills/aspire-configuration in your project.

What does .NET Aspire Explicit Configuration need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, .NET Aspire Explicit Configuration needs credentials named MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD. Our summary lists: .NET with Aspire.

Does .NET Aspire Explicit Configuration access the network?

SKILL.md names 1 domain. As links in the text: learn.microsoft.com. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is .NET Aspire Explicit Configuration safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does .NET Aspire Explicit Configuration use?

.NET Aspire Explicit Configuration is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does .NET Aspire Explicit Configuration use?

About 1.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.1k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to .NET Aspire Explicit Configuration?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with .NET Aspire Explicit Configuration: Generate Testability Wrappers (microsoft/testfx, 1k stars), SDK Conventions (aws/aws-sdk-net, 147 stars), Csharp Dotnet (ericrisco/rsc-harness, 180 stars) and Validation Scopes (atherio-danp/cde-dotnetcc, 109 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains .NET Aspire Explicit Configuration?

Aaronontheweb (a GitHub user) maintains it in Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills, which has 1,206 GitHub stars. The repository holds 35 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 10, 2026.

Source: Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Install .NET Aspire Explicit Configuration

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Requirements

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

Aspire Configuration

When to Use This Skill

Core Principles

Configuration Flow

AppHost Patterns (Explicit Mapping)

Example: Database + Blob Storage

App Code Pattern (No Aspire Clients)

Feature Toggles and Test Overrides

Do / Don’t Checklist

Related Skills

Resources

Files

Used in 1 other repository

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills

Related

Questions about .NET Aspire Explicit Configuration