dotnet10-pack-tool

.NET 10 Hybrid Pack Tool

Purpose

Guides you through creating hybrid .NET 10 tool packages that combine Native AOT for maximum performance on select platforms with CoreCLR fallback for universal compatibility.

When I Activate

I automatically load when you mention:

• "pack .NET tool" or "dotnet pack AOT"
• "Native AOT tool" or "hybrid .NET tool"
• "ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers"
• ".NET 10 tool packaging"
• "cross-platform .NET tool with AOT"

What I Do

1. Configure your .csproj with ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers and PublishAot=true
2. Generate the pointer package (metapackage)
3. Build Native AOT packages for each target RID
4. Create CoreCLR fallback with -r any
5. Validate package structure

Quick Start

Step 1: Configure .csproj

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
    <TargetFramework>net10.0</TargetFramework>
    <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>

    <!-- Package as .NET Tool -->
    <PackAsTool>true</PackAsTool>
    <ToolCommandName>your-tool-name</ToolCommandName>

    <!-- RIDs: CoreCLR fallback + Native AOT targets -->
    <ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers>any;osx-arm64;linux-arm64;linux-x64</ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers>

    <!-- Enable Native AOT -->
    <PublishAot>true</PublishAot>
  </PropertyGroup>

  <!-- Native AOT optimizations -->
  <PropertyGroup Condition="'$(PublishAot)' == 'true'">
    <InvariantGlobalization>true</InvariantGlobalization>
    <OptimizationPreference>Size</OptimizationPreference>
    <StripSymbols>true</StripSymbols>
  </PropertyGroup>
</Project>

Step 2: Build Packages

# 1. Create pointer package (no binaries, just metadata)
dotnet pack -o ./packages

# 2. Build Native AOT for each target platform
dotnet pack -r osx-arm64 -o ./packages      # On macOS
dotnet pack -r linux-arm64 -o ./packages    # On Linux ARM or container
dotnet pack -r linux-x64 -o ./packages      # On Linux x64 or container

# 3. Create CoreCLR fallback for all other platforms
dotnet pack -r any -p:PublishAot=false -o ./packages

Step 3: Install & Run

dotnet tool install -g your-tool-name
your-tool-name  # Auto-selects best package for platform

Key Concepts

Concept	Description
Pointer Package	Metapackage that references RID-specific packages
ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers	Lists RIDs, creates pointer structure (no auto-build)
-r any	CoreCLR fallback for unlisted platforms
-p:PublishAot=false	Disables AOT for CoreCLR fallback

Why This Pattern Works

• PublishAot=true disables automatic RID package generation (AOT can't cross-compile OSes)
• ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers creates the pointer package structure
• Manual -r <RID> builds produce AOT binaries per platform
• -r any -p:PublishAot=false creates portable CoreCLR fallback

Documentation

• reference.md: Complete build script, container builds, CI/CD patterns
• examples.md: Real-world examples and troubleshooting

Requirements

• .NET 10 SDK installed
• Docker (for cross-platform Linux builds from macOS/Windows)
• AOT-compatible container: mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:10.0-noble-aot