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build-parallelism

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Analyze an MSBuild solution, solution filter, or Build.proj that schedules multiple project files. USE FOR: measured idle worker nodes, `-m` that does not scale, a serial ProjectReference critical path, graph builds, or an MSBuild task that builds a Projects list. Requires at least two distinct project files whose scheduling or throughput must be analyzed. DO NOT USE for non-MSBuild build systems.

plugins/dotnet-msbuild/skills/build-parallelism/SKILL.md

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## Diagnose a slow parallel build (start here)

Work this checklist in order — it targets the usual root cause (a serial
dependency chain that no number of cores can parallelize):

1. **Check how many worker nodes actually built the solution.** Capture a
   binlog with `dotnet build /bl:{}` (PowerShell: `dotnet build '-bl:{}'`) and
   inspect the node timeline to see whether more than one node ran. Every
   `dotnet` CLI command built on the SDK's MSBuild-forwarding path (`build`,
   `msbuild`, `test`, `pack`, `publish`, etc.) enables `/maxcpucount` (multiple
   nodes) by default; `-m:1` forces a single node. A direct `MSBuild.exe`
   invocation is sequential by default, so pass `-m` explicitly to enable
   parallel worker nodes there.
2. **Find the critical path.** From the binlog, read per-project timings and the