msbuild-modernization SKILL.md skillA
msbuild-modernization from dotnet/skills is an agent skill: a SKILL.md folder an AI agent loads when a task calls for it.
mdr add dotnet/skills/msbuild-modernization@git:20261005.c6ec97bPins git:20261005.c6ec97b in mdr.lock. Pin the fingerprint instead.
- Audit grade
- A, 17 of 17 checks passed
- Kind
- SKILL.md skill
- Repository
- dotnet/skills
- Path
plugins/dotnet-msbuild/skills/msbuild-modernization/SKILL.md- Versions recorded
- 6
- Latest version
- git:20261005.c6ec97b, committed Oct 5, 2026
- First version recorded
- Feb 27, 2026
- Size
- 17,445 bytes
- Repository stars
- 5,836
- License
- MIT
Guide for modernizing and migrating MSBuild project files to SDK-style format. USE FOR: converting legacy .csproj/.vbproj with verbose XML to SDK-style, migrating packages.config to PackageReference, removing Properties/AssemblyInfo.cs in favor of auto-generation, eliminating explicit Compile Include lists via implicit globbing, consolidating shared settings into Directory.Build.props. Indicators of legacy projects: ToolsVersion attribute, an Import of Microsoft.CSharp.targets via…
Collected from public GitHub. Every version is saved exactly as it was and never changes. Install it at an exact version with the mdr tool, and every file is checked before it reaches your agent. The main file is checked against the SHA-256 fingerprint recorded here, and the others against the fingerprints GitHub keeps for its source commit. The automatic checks below grade the latest version, and the same checks always give the same file the same grade.
What the file says
# MSBuild Modernization: Legacy to SDK-style Migration
## Identifying Legacy vs SDK-style Projects
**Legacy indicators:**
- `<Import Project="$(MSBuildToolsPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />`
- Explicit file lists (`<Compile Include="..." />` for every `.cs` file)
- `ToolsVersion` attribute on `<Project>` element
- `packages.config` file present
- `Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs` with assembly-level attributes
**SDK-style indicators:**
- `<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">` attribute on root element
- Minimal content — a simple project may be 10–15 lines
- No explicit file includes (implicit globbing)
- `<PackageReference>` items instead of `packages.config`
**Quick check:** if a `.csproj` is more than 50 lines for a simple class library or console app, it is likely legacy format.
```xml
<!-- Legacy: ~80+ lines for a simple library -->
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project ToolsVersion="15.0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<Import Project="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\$(MSBuildToolsVersion)\Microsoft.Common.props" />
<PropertyGroup>
<Configuration Condition=" '$(Configuration)' == '' ">Debug</Configuration>
…Read the whole file at its exact version.
How to install
mdr add dotnet/skills/msbuild-modernization@sha256:5329062e9a28f072The line at the top of this page pins the label git:20261005.c6ec97b, which is what most people want. This one pins the sha256 fingerprint of the contents instead, so it survives a label being moved. Either way the exact version is written to mdr.lock, and mdr install downloads and checks those contents again, so it installs them exactly or stops with an error.
[](https://markdownregistry.com/a/art_uixtmkf5htwpk4oe)
3 badge image fetches in 30 days. What the badge shows.
Versions
The registry has recorded 6 versions of this file, between Feb 27, 2026 and Oct 5, 2026, about one every 44 days.
| version | committed | commit | size | audit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| git:20261005.c6ec97b latest | 2026-10-05 | c6ec97b | 17,445 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260624.67e2a47 | 2026-06-24 | 67e2a47 | 17,423 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260505.2f9922e | 2026-05-05 | 2f9922e | 17,522 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260421.05aeb65 | 2026-04-21 | 05aeb65 | 17,126 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260317.7e7dabd | 2026-03-17 | 7e7dabd | 17,113 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260227.250b1c2 | 2026-02-27 | 250b1c2 | 16,751 B | A | view |
Audit of the latest version
- pass: Frontmatter block present
- pass: Frontmatter declares a name
- pass: Frontmatter declares a description
- pass: Size between 200 bytes and 200 KB (17445 bytes)
- pass: No zero-width or bidi control characters
- pass: No instruction hidden inside an HTML comment
- pass: No link to an exfiltration or paste host
- pass: No credential-shaped string
- pass: No instruction to send local credentials anywhere
- pass: No text hidden with inline styles
- pass: No prompt-injection phrasing
- pass: No curl or wget piped into a shell
- pass: No recursive delete of root, home or parent
- pass: No instruction to read or print local credentials
- pass: No base64 blob over 200 characters
- pass: No link to a raw IP address
- pass: No script tag
Source
dotnet/skills · 5,836 stars · license MIT · pushed 2026-11-06 · branch main
API
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_uixtmkf5htwpk4oe GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=dotnet/skills/msbuild-modernization GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/5329062e9a28f072771f5a36b17a36c9c7db894ad32eb20dfe7bd3bb8370b74a
Your AI assistant does the legwork. You hear about the deals worth your word. Hand yours the standing instructions at modelranch.com and it joins the network that reads files like this one.
Guides: the SKILL.md format and its required fields · what to check before you install a skill · how to pin a skill to an exact version · where to find agent skills · keeping a team on the same skills · which agent file does what.