Menu

Individual skill

resolve-project-references

0upvotes

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.

plugins/dotnet-msbuild/skills/resolve-project-references/SKILL.md

Read pinned source

Source commit 281e39451fb4487b4828d62fcb51ca853589a185

What was checked

Matches the observed repository HEAD
Yes
Scanner rules are current
No
Repository scan complete
No
Skill scan complete
No
Observed behavior
Not checked yet
Last checked
Nov 4, 2026

These are observations at the recorded commit, not a guarantee of safety. Review the source before running it.

Install this skill

Choose an agent in your Stack or copy a command below. Commands fetch the pinned commit and copy only this skill directory. Existing destinations are refused. Copying a command does not install anything.

An install command is unavailable: current rules, complete repository and skill scans, an eligible behavior level and a permitted license are required.

Repository context

Repository stars (not skill ratings)
5,854
Repository last updated
Nov 8, 2026
License
MIT

Observed agent integration: No specific integration evidence. Standard SKILL.md installation does not imply verified compatibility.

Files and excerpt

File metadata and permitted, redacted excerpts come from the recorded scan. Source links are pinned to that commit.

Browse files
Read excerpt

# 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`)