Directory Build Organization

What it does

When your agent uses it

• : structuring multi-project repos
• Centralizing build settings
• Implementing NuGet Central Package Management (CPM) with ManagePackageVersionsCentrally
• Consolidating duplicated properties across .csproj files

Example prompts

• “/directory-build-organization”

Workflow steps

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

1. 1Audit all .csproj files — Catalog every , , and custom across the solution. Note which settings repeat and which are project-specific.
2. 2Create root Directory.Build.props — Move shared property defaults (LangVersion, Nullable, TreatWarningsAsErrors, metadata) here. These are…
3. 3Create root Directory.Build.targets — Move custom build targets, post-build validation, and any properties that depend on SDK-defined…
4. 4Create Directory.Packages.props — Enable Central Package Management (ManagePackageVersionsCentrally), list all PackageVersion entries, and…
5. 5Set up multi-level hierarchy — Create inner Directory.Build.props files for src/ and test/ folders with distinct settings. Use…
6. 6Simplify .csproj files — Remove all centralized properties, version attributes, and duplicated targets. Each project should only contain…
7. 7Validate — Run dotnet restore && dotnet build and verify no regressions. Use dotnet msbuild -pp:output.xml to inspect the final merged…

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 7c7d590. 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

  Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

  • dotnet

  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 no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

  From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Directory Build Organization loads about 2.5k tokens when it runs, and up to ~4.7k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 218 tokens; SKILL.md has 737 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it

~218

When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches

~2.5k

With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them

~4.7k

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

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 microsoft/testfx at commit 7c7d590, republished under its MIT licence (© microsoft). 737 words, ~2,454 tokens.

name

directory-build-organization

description

Guide for organizing MSBuild infrastructure with Directory.Build.props, Directory.Build.targets, Directory.Packages.props, and Directory.Build.rsp. USE FOR: structuring multi-project repos, centralizing build settings, implementing NuGet Central Package Management (CPM) with ManagePackageVersionsCentrally, consolidating duplicated properties across .csproj files, setting up multi-level Directory.Build hierarchy with GetPathOfFileAbove, understanding evaluation order (Directory.Build.props → SDK .props → .csproj → SDK .targets → Directory.Build.targets). Critical pitfall: $(TargetFramework) conditions in .props silently fail for single-targeting projects — must use .targets. DO NOT USE FOR: non-MSBuild build systems, migrating legacy projects to SDK-style (use msbuild-modernization), single-project solutions with no shared settings.

license

MIT

Directory.Build.props → SDK .props → YourProject.csproj → SDK .targets → Directory.Build.targets

<Project>
  <PropertyGroup>
    <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
    <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
    <TreatWarningsAsErrors>true</TreatWarningsAsErrors>
    <EnforceCodeStyleInBuild>true</EnforceCodeStyleInBuild>
    <Company>Contoso</Company>
    <Authors>Contoso Engineering</Authors>
  </PropertyGroup>
</Project>

<Project>
  <Target Name="ValidateProjectSettings" BeforeTargets="Build">
    <Error Text="All libraries must target netstandard2.0 or higher"
           Condition="'$(OutputType)' == 'Library' AND '$(TargetFramework)' == 'net472'" />
  </Target>

  <PropertyGroup>
    <!-- DocumentationFile depends on OutputPath, which is set by the SDK -->
    <DocumentationFile Condition="'$(IsPackable)' == 'true'">$(OutputPath)$(AssemblyName).xml</DocumentationFile>
  </PropertyGroup>
</Project>

<Project>
  <PropertyGroup>
    <ManagePackageVersionsCentrally>true</ManagePackageVersionsCentrally>
  </PropertyGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <PackageVersion Include="Microsoft.Extensions.Logging" Version="8.0.0" />
    <PackageVersion Include="Newtonsoft.Json" Version="13.0.3" />
    <PackageVersion Include="xunit" Version="2.9.0" />
    <PackageVersion Include="xunit.runner.visualstudio" Version="2.8.2" />
  </ItemGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <!-- GlobalPackageReference applies to ALL projects — great for analyzers -->
    <GlobalPackageReference Include="StyleCop.Analyzers" Version="1.2.0-beta.556" />
    <GlobalPackageReference Include="Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.NetAnalyzers" Version="8.0.0" />
  </ItemGroup>
</Project>

/maxcpucount
/nodeReuse:false
/consoleLoggerParameters:Summary;ForceNoAlign
/warnAsMessage:MSB3277

<Project>
  <Import Project="$([MSBuild]::GetPathOfFileAbove('Directory.Build.props', '$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)../'))"
         Condition="Exists('$([MSBuild]::GetPathOfFileAbove('Directory.Build.props', '$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)../'))')" />

  <!-- Inner-level overrides go here -->
</Project>

repo/
  Directory.Build.props          ← repo-wide (lang version, company info, analyzers)
  Directory.Build.targets        ← repo-wide targets
  Directory.Packages.props       ← central package versions
  src/
    Directory.Build.props        ← src-specific (imports repo-level, sets IsPackable=true)
  test/
    Directory.Build.props        ← test-specific (imports repo-level, sets IsPackable=false, adds test packages)

dotnet msbuild -pp:output.xml MyProject.csproj

© microsoft, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 3 other files (references) in .agents/skills/directory-build-organization of microsoft/testfx.

• SKILL.md
• references/common-patterns.md
• references/multi-level-examples.md
• references/targetframework-props-pitfall.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 7c7d590

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 microsoft/testfx, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

• runceel/ReactiveProperty.agents/skills/directory-build-organization