dotnet-add-ci

Add starter CI/CD workflows to an existing .NET project. Detects the hosting platform (GitHub Actions or Azure DevOps) and generates an appropriate starter workflow for build, test, and pack.

Scope

• Platform detection (GitHub Actions vs Azure DevOps)

• Starter build/test/pack workflow generation

• Basic CI workflow templates for .NET projects

Out of scope

• Advanced CI/CD patterns (reusable workflows, matrix builds, deployment) -- see [skill:dotnet-gha-patterns] and [skill:dotnet-ado-patterns]

Prerequisites: Run [skill:dotnet-version-detection] first to determine SDK version for the workflow. Run [skill:dotnet-project-analysis] to understand solution structure.

Cross-references: [skill:dotnet-project-structure] for build props layout, [skill:dotnet-scaffold-project] which generates the project structure these workflows build.

Platform Detection

Detect the CI platform from existing repo indicators:

Indicator Platform

.github/ directory exists GitHub Actions

azure-pipelines.yml exists Azure DevOps

.github/workflows/ has YAML files GitHub Actions (already configured)

Neither Ask the user which platform to target

GitHub Actions Starter Workflow

Create .github/workflows/build.yml :

name: Build and Test

on: push: branches: [main] pull_request: branches: [main]

permissions: contents: read

env: DOTNET_NOLOGO: true DOTNET_CLI_TELEMETRY_OPTOUT: true DOTNET_SKIP_FIRST_TIME_EXPERIENCE: true

jobs: build: runs-on: ubuntu-latest

steps:
  - uses: actions/checkout@v4

  - name: Setup .NET
    uses: actions/setup-dotnet@v4
    with:
      global-json-file: global.json

  - name: Restore
    run: dotnet restore --locked-mode

  - name: Build
    run: dotnet build --no-restore -c Release

  - name: Test
    run: dotnet test --no-build -c Release --logger trx --results-directory TestResults

  - name: Upload test results
    uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
    if: always()
    with:
      name: test-results
      path: TestResults/**/*.trx

Key Decisions Explained

• global-json-file — uses the repo's global.json to install the exact SDK version. If the project has no global.json , replace with dotnet-version: '10.0.x' (or the appropriate version)

• --locked-mode — ensures packages.lock.json files are respected; fails if they're out of date. If the project doesn't use lock files, replace with plain dotnet restore

• -c Release — builds in Release mode so ContinuousIntegrationBuild takes effect

• permissions: contents: read — principle of least privilege

• Environment variables — suppress .NET CLI noise in logs

Adding NuGet Pack (Libraries)

For projects that publish to NuGet, add a pack step:

  - name: Pack
    run: dotnet pack --no-build -c Release -o artifacts

  - name: Upload packages
    uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
    with:
      name: nuget-packages
      path: artifacts/*.nupkg

Azure DevOps Starter Pipeline

Create azure-pipelines.yml at the repo root:

trigger: branches: include: - main

pr: branches: include: - main

pool: vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'

variables: DOTNET_NOLOGO: true DOTNET_CLI_TELEMETRY_OPTOUT: true DOTNET_SKIP_FIRST_TIME_EXPERIENCE: true buildConfiguration: 'Release'

steps:

• task: UseDotNet@2 displayName: 'Setup .NET SDK' inputs: useGlobalJson: true

• script: dotnet restore --locked-mode displayName: 'Restore'

• script: dotnet build --no-restore -c $(buildConfiguration) displayName: 'Build'

• task: DotNetCoreCLI@2 displayName: 'Test' inputs: command: 'test' arguments: '--no-build -c $(buildConfiguration) --logger trx' publishTestResults: true

Adding NuGet Pack (Libraries)

• script: dotnet pack --no-build -c $(buildConfiguration) -o $(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory) displayName: 'Pack'

• task: PublishBuildArtifacts@1 displayName: 'Publish NuGet packages' inputs: pathToPublish: '$(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory)' artifactName: 'nuget-packages'

Adapting the Starter Workflow

Multi-TFM Projects

If the project multi-targets, the default workflow works without changes — dotnet build and dotnet test handle all TFMs automatically. No matrix is needed for the starter.

Windows-Only Projects (MAUI, WPF, WinForms)

Change the runner:

GitHub Actions

runs-on: windows-latest

Azure DevOps

pool: vmImage: 'windows-latest'

Solution Filter

If the repo has multiple solutions or uses solution filters:

  - name: Build
    run: dotnet build MyApp.slnf --no-restore -c Release

Verification

After adding the workflow, verify locally:

GitHub Actions — validate YAML syntax

Install: gh extension install moritztomasi/gh-workflow-validator

gh workflow-validator .github/workflows/build.yml

Or simply verify the build steps work locally

dotnet restore --locked-mode dotnet build --no-restore -c Release dotnet test --no-build -c Release

Push a branch and open a PR to trigger the workflow.

What's Next

This starter covers build-test-pack. For advanced scenarios, see the CI/CD depth skills:

• Reusable composite actions and workflow templates

• Matrix builds across OS/TFM combinations

• Deployment pipelines with environment gates

• NuGet publishing with signing

• Container image builds

• Code coverage reporting and enforcement

References

• GitHub Actions for .NET

• Azure Pipelines for .NET

• setup-dotnet Action

• UseDotNet Task