Resolve Project References

OrganizationPopular

dotnet

resolve-project-references

Guide for interpreting ResolveProjectReferences time in MSBuild performance summaries. Activate when ResolveProjectReferences appears as the most expensive target and developers are trying to optimize it directly. Explains that the reported time includes wait time for dependent project builds and is misleading. Guides users to focus on task self-time instead. Do not activate for general build performance -- use build-perf-diagnostics instead.

Overview

Publisher	dotnet
Repository	`skills`
Skill name	`resolve-project-references`
Stars	5.4K
Forks	416
Bundled files	Instructions only
License	MIT
Links	Skill source Repository

Markdown instructions
A SKILL.md file the model loads on demand, so it only costs tokens when a request actually matches.
Works with any LLM
AI skills are plain Markdown, not provider-specific code, so this works with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model.
Self-contained
Everything the model needs lives in the instructions — no extra files to sync.
Open source
Published by dotnet on GitHub. Read the source before you install it.

Installation

Install the Resolve Project References AI skill in TypingMind to use it with any LLM, or drop it into another agent that reads SKILL.md.

Install in TypingMind

TypingMind installs a skill straight from its GitHub folder — it reads SKILL.md, bundles the resource files, and stores the result locally.

Open the app and go to Plugins → Skills.
Choose "Install from GitHub".
Paste the skill folder URL below and confirm.
Enable the skill in any chat where you want it available.

Store

Installed

Skills

Add skills

Import one or more skills from a public GitHub folder or a local .skill or .zip archive, or SKILL.md file.

From GitHub URLFrom .skill, .zip, or SKILL.md

GitHub repo or folder

https://github.com/dotnet/skills/tree/main/plugins/dotnet-msbuild/skills/resolve-project-references

Points to a single skill folder, or any folder that contains multiple skills. Public repos only.

CancelContinue

Plugins → Skills → Add skill → From GitHub URL, then paste the folder URL and press Continue.

Install in another agent

Any agent that reads the Agent Skills format can use this skill — copy the folder into that agent's skills directory.

Claude Code — .claude/skills

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/dotnet/skills.git /tmp/skills
mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/skills/plugins/dotnet-msbuild/skills/resolve-project-references .claude/skills/resolve-project-references

Restart Claude Code after copying so it picks up the new skill.

Use it in TypingMind

Enable Resolve Project References in any TypingMind chat and the model takes it from there. Its name and description sit in the system prompt, and the moment a request matches, the model loads the full instructions itself — you never invoke it by hand, and it costs no tokens until it is actually used.

The model loads Resolve Project References on its own as soon as a request matches it.

Works with any AI model

AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so Resolve Project References is not tied to the model it was written for. Install it once in TypingMind and use it with GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama, or a local model you run yourself — all on your own API keys.

Loaded only when it is needed
The system prompt carries just the name and description. The instructions are fetched on the first matching request, so an idle skill costs nothing.
Switch models mid-chat
Because the skill is instructions rather than code, changing model does not break it — the next model reads the same SKILL.md.

Skill instructions

This is the SKILL.md content the model loads. Read it before installing — a skill is instructions your model will follow.

Misleading ResolveProjectReferences Time

Prevent misguided optimization of ResolveProjectReferences by explaining that its reported time is wall-clock wait time, not CPU work.

When to Use

ResolveProjectReferences appears as the most expensive target in the Target Performance Summary
A developer is trying to optimize ResolveProjectReferences directly
Build performance analysis shows a single target consuming 50-80% of total build time

When Not to Use

General build performance optimization (use build-perf-diagnostics instead)
The bottleneck is clearly a different target (e.g., Csc, ResolveAssemblyReference)
The user has not yet captured a binlog or performance summary

Inputs

Input	Required	Description
Build log or binlog	Yes	A diagnostic build log or binlog containing the Target Performance Summary

Workflow

Step 1: Confirm the misleading symptom

Verify that ResolveProjectReferences appears as the top target in the Target Performance Summary. This is the misleading metric.

Step 2: Explain why it is misleading

The reported time includes waiting for dependent projects to build while the MSBuild node is yielded (see dotnet/msbuild#3135). During this wait, the node may be doing useful work on other projects. The target itself does very little work.

Step 3: Redirect to task self-time

Use the Task Performance Summary to identify the real bottleneck.

Primary: binlog MCP (preferred)

Use the binlog MCP server expensive_tasks tool to get task self-time rankings directly from the binlog.

Fallback: text-log replay (when MCP is unavailable)

bash
dotnet msbuild build.binlog -noconlog -fl "-flp:v=diag;logfile=full.log;performancesummary"
grep "Task Performance Summary" -A 50 full.log

Focus on self-time of actual tasks:

Csc: see build-perf-diagnostics skill (Section 2: Roslyn Analyzers)
ResolveAssemblyReference: see build-perf-diagnostics skill (Section 1: RAR)
Copy: see build-perf-diagnostics skill (Section 4: File I/O)
Serialization bottlenecks: see build-parallelism skill

Validation

Task Performance Summary was used instead of Target Performance Summary
ResolveProjectReferences was not set as the optimization target
A concrete task (e.g., Csc, Copy, ResolveAssemblyReference) was identified as the true bottleneck

Frequently asked questions

What does the Resolve Project References AI skill do?

Why use Resolve Project References on TypingMind?

Because you install it once and use it with any model. Resolve Project References is plain Markdown rather than provider-specific code, so the same skill runs on GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model — and you can switch model mid-chat without it breaking. TypingMind runs on your own API keys, so you pay providers directly instead of a per-seat subscription, and your skills and chats stay in your own storage.

How do I install Resolve Project References in TypingMind?

Open Plugins → Skills → Install from GitHub in TypingMind and paste https://github.com/dotnet/skills/tree/main/plugins/dotnet-msbuild/skills/resolve-project-references. TypingMind reads its SKILL.md and installs it as a skill you can enable per chat.

Which AI models can use Resolve Project References?

Any model you connect in TypingMind. AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and local models can all load this skill when a request matches it.

How many AI models can I use with Resolve Project References?

As many as you like. As long as a model supports skills, you can use Resolve Project References with it — GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama and more — all on TypingMind with your own API keys.

Is the Resolve Project References AI skill free?

Yes. It is published on GitHub by dotnet under the MIT license. You only pay your own AI provider for the tokens you use.

What are AI skills?

An AI skill is a reusable instruction bundle that teaches an AI model how to do one specific task. It follows the open Agent Skills format: a SKILL.md file with a name and description, plus any scripts, templates or reference files the model may need. The model reads the instructions only when your request matches the skill, so an installed skill costs nothing until it is used.

How are AI skills different from plugins or MCP servers?

A plugin or MCP server gives a model new tools to call — code that runs somewhere and returns a result. An AI skill gives the model knowledge and process instead: how to approach a task, which steps to follow, what good output looks like. Skills are plain Markdown, so they need no server, no API key and no runtime, and they work with any model.

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Overview

Installation

Install in TypingMind

Install in another agent

Use it in TypingMind

Works with any AI model

Skill instructions

Misleading ResolveProjectReferences Time

When to Use

When Not to Use

Inputs

Workflow

Step 1: Confirm the misleading symptom

Step 2: Explain why it is misleading

Step 3: Redirect to task self-time

Primary: binlog MCP (preferred)

Fallback: text-log replay (when MCP is unavailable)

Validation

Frequently asked questions

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