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VincentH-NetVincentH-Net/dotnet-agentic-engineering/.claude/skills/platform-detection/SKILL.md

platform-detection

Skill9 starsChanged 6 months agoMITView on GitHub

Reference data for detecting the test platform (VSTest vs Microsoft.Testing.Platform) and test framework (MSTest, xUnit, NUnit, TUnit) from project files. DO NOT USE directly — loaded by run-tests, mtp-hot-reload, and migrate-vstest-to-mtp when they need detection logic.

1 other project uses a version of this.

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The file

We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent

3 rules. About 0 are common, 0 are distinctive, and 3 are very specific to this project.

  • ≈0

    Common · estimate

    Many files like this have a rule of this kind.

  • ≈0

    Distinctive · estimate

    This author's own choices. Worth a look.

  • 3

    Very specific

    Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.

  • Common
  • Distinctive
  • Very specific
  1. Very specific:

    Read the .csproj file and Directory.Build.props / Directory.Packages.props (for centrally managed dependencies) and look for:

    line 19
  2. Very specific:

    If global.json contains "test": { "runner": "Microsoft.Testing.Platform" } → MTP

    line 37
  3. Very specific:

    If global.json has "runner": "VSTest", or no test section exists → VSTest

    line 38

≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 350,495 skill files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.

Keep what fits and drop the rest. Your version, ready for your agents.
Files
SKILL.md

Test Platform and Framework Detection

Determine which test platform (VSTest or Microsoft.Testing.Platform) and which test framework (MSTest, xUnit, NUnit, TUnit) a project uses.

Detection files to always check (in order): global.json → .csproj → Directory.Build.props → Directory.Packages.props

Detecting the test framework

Read the .csproj file and Directory.Build.props / Directory.Packages.props (for centrally managed dependencies) and look for:

Package or SDK referenceFramework
MSTest (metapackage, recommended) or <Sdk Name="MSTest.Sdk">MSTest
MSTest.TestFramework + MSTest.TestAdapterMSTest (also valid for v3/v4)
xunit, xunit.v3, xunit.v3.mtp-v1, xunit.v3.mtp-v2, xunit.v3.core.mtp-v1, xunit.v3.core.mtp-v2xUnit
NUnit + NUnit3TestAdapterNUnit
TUnitTUnit (MTP only)

Detecting the test platform

The detection logic depends on the .NET SDK version. Run dotnet --version to determine it.

.NET SDK 10+

On .NET 10+, the global.json test.runner setting is the authoritative source:

  • If global.json contains "test": { "runner": "Microsoft.Testing.Platform" } → MTP
  • If global.json has "runner": "VSTest", or no test section exists → VSTest

Important: On .NET 10+, <TestingPlatformDotnetTestSupport> alone does not switch to MTP. The global.json runner setting takes precedence. If the runner is VSTest (or unset), the project uses VSTest regardless of TestingPlatformDotnetTestSupport.

.NET SDK 8 or 9

On older SDKs, check these signals in priority order:

1. Check the <TestingPlatformDotnetTestSupport> MSBuild property. Look in the .csproj, Directory.Build.props, and Directory.Packages.props. If set to true in any of these files, the project uses MTP.

Critical: Always read Directory.Build.props and Directory.Packages.props if they exist. MTP properties are frequently set there instead of in the .csproj, so checking only the project file will miss them.

2. Check project-level signals:

SignalPlatform
<Sdk Name="MSTest.Sdk"> as project SDKMTP by default
<UseMicrosoftTestingPlatformRunner>true</UseMicrosoftTestingPlatformRunner>MTP runner (xUnit)
<EnableMSTestRunner>true</EnableMSTestRunner>MTP runner (MSTest)
<EnableNUnitRunner>true</EnableNUnitRunner>MTP runner (NUnit)
Microsoft.Testing.Platform package referenced directlyMTP
TUnit package referencedMTP (TUnit is MTP-only)

Note: The presence of Microsoft.NET.Test.Sdk does not necessarily mean VSTest. Some frameworks (e.g., MSTest) pull it in transitively for compatibility, even when MTP is enabled. Do not use this package as a signal on its own — always check the MTP signals above first. Key distinction: VSTest is the classic platform that uses vstest.console under the hood. Microsoft.Testing.Platform (MTP) is the newer, faster platform. Both can be invoked via dotnet test, but their filter syntax and CLI options differ.

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