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eval-performance

Guide for diagnosing and improving MSBuild project evaluation performance. USE FOR: builds slow before any compilation starts, high evaluation time in binlog analysis, expensive glob patterns walking large directories (node_modules, .git, bin/obj), deep import chains (>20 levels), preprocessed output >10K lines indicating heavy evaluation, property functions with file I/O ($([System.IO.File]::ReadAllText(...))), multiple evaluations per project. Covers the 5 MSBuild evaluation phases, glob optimization via DefaultItemExcludes, import chain analysis with /pp preprocessing. DO NOT USE FOR: compilation-time slowness (use build-perf-diagnostics), incremental build issues (use incremental-build), non-MSBuild build systems.

plugins/dotnet-msbuild/skills/eval-performance/SKILL.md

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# Diagnosing MSBuild Evaluation Performance

Evaluation is the work MSBuild does *before* any target runs — reading project
files, processing imports, expanding globs. This skill helps you **find and
confirm** evaluation bottlenecks. Measure first; recommend a change only when a
measurement proves it is warranted.

## Confirm the problem before changing anything

Engage only when evaluation is *measurably* the bottleneck. Do NOT act when:

- **The slowness is during compilation or target execution, not evaluation.**
  That is not an evaluation problem — use `build-perf-diagnostics` instead.
- **The complaint is "rebuilds too much" / incremental build.** Use