Dotnet Dependency

What it does

Example prompts

• “/dotnet-dependency”

Requirements

• Pre-approved tools (allowed-tools): Bash(dotnet nuget why:*), Bash(dotnet list:*), Bash(dotnet outdated:*), Bash(dotnet package search:*), Bash(dotnet add package:*), Bash(dotnet remove package:*), Bash(dotnet tool:*), Read, Grep, Glob

Workflow steps

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

1. 1Recursive approach: Run dotnet list reference on each referenced project
2. 2Parse .csproj files: Search for elements recursively

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 281c063. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

• Tool permissions

  Pre-approves these tools, so the agent can use them without asking each time:

  • Bash(dotnet nuget why:*)
  • Bash(dotnet list:*)
  • Bash(dotnet outdated:*)
  • Bash(dotnet package search:*)
  • Bash(dotnet add package:*)
  • Bash(dotnet remove package:*)
  • Bash(dotnet tool:*)
  • Read
  • Grep
  • Glob

  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

Dotnet Dependency loads about 1.7k tokens when it runs, and up to ~2.4k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 49 tokens; SKILL.md has 361 words of instructions outside code blocks.

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

~49

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

~1.7k

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

~2.4k

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 NikiforovAll/claude-code-rules at commit 281c063, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© NikiforovAll). 361 words, ~1,663 tokens.

name

dotnet-dependency

description

This skill should be used when investigating .NET project dependencies, understanding why packages are included, listing references, or auditing for outdated/vulnerable packages.

allowed-tools

Bash(dotnet nuget why:*), Bash(dotnet list:*), Bash(dotnet outdated:*), Bash(dotnet package search:*), Bash(dotnet add package:*), Bash(dotnet remove package:*), Bash(dotnet tool:*), Read, Grep, Glob

# Search for packages by keyword
dotnet package search Serilog --take 5

# Find latest version of a specific package
dotnet package search Aspire.Hosting.AppHost --take 1

# Include prerelease versions
dotnet package search ModelContextProtocol --prerelease --take 3

# List ALL available versions of a package (version history)
dotnet package search Newtonsoft.Json --exact-match

# JSON output for scripting
dotnet package search Serilog --format json --take 3

# Add package (installs latest stable version)
dotnet add package Serilog

# Add specific version
dotnet add package Serilog -v 4.0.0

# Add prerelease version
dotnet add package ModelContextProtocol --prerelease

# Add to specific project
dotnet add src/MyProject/MyProject.csproj package Serilog

# Update existing package to latest (same command as add)
dotnet add package Serilog

# Remove package
dotnet remove package Serilog

# Search for tools
dotnet tool search dotnet-outdated --take 3

# Update a local tool (from manifest)
dotnet tool update cake.tool

# Update with prerelease
dotnet tool update aspire.cli --prerelease

# Update all local tools
dotnet tool update --all

# Update global tool
dotnet tool update -g dotnet-ef

# Why is this package included?
dotnet nuget why Newtonsoft.Json

# For a specific project
dotnet nuget why path/to/Project.csproj Newtonsoft.Json

# For a specific framework
dotnet nuget why Newtonsoft.Json --framework net8.0

# Direct dependencies only
dotnet list package

# Include transitive (indirect) dependencies
dotnet list package --include-transitive

# For a specific project
dotnet list package --project path/to/Project.csproj

# JSON output for scripting
dotnet list package --format json

# List project-to-project references
dotnet list reference --project path/to/Project.csproj

# Find all ProjectReference elements
grep -r "ProjectReference" --include="*.csproj" .

# Check for outdated packages
dotnet outdated

# Auto-update to latest versions
dotnet outdated -u

# Update only specific packages
dotnet outdated -u -inc PackageName

# Check for outdated packages
dotnet list package --outdated

# Include prerelease versions
dotnet list package --outdated --include-prerelease

© NikiforovAll, Apache-2.0. 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 1 other file (references) in plugins/handbook-dotnet/skills/dotnet-dependency of NikiforovAll/claude-code-rules.

• SKILL.md
• references/security-audit.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 281c063

Used in 1 other repository

We found 1 copy of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders. This page covers the copy in NikiforovAll/claude-code-rules, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

• NikiforovAll/github-copilot-rules.github/skills/dotnet-dependency