template-discovery

Original：🇺🇸 English

Translated

Helps find, inspect, and compare .NET project templates. Resolves natural-language project descriptions to ranked template matches with pre-filled parameters. USE FOR: finding the right dotnet new template for a task, comparing templates side by side, inspecting template parameters and constraints, understanding what a template produces before creating a project, resolving intent like "web API with auth" to concrete template + parameters. DO NOT USE FOR: actually creating projects (use template-instantiation), authoring custom templates (use template-authoring), MSBuild or build issues (use dotnet-msbuild plugin), NuGet package management unrelated to template packages.

4installs

Sourcedotnet/skills

Added on2026-04-06

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add dotnet/skills template-discovery

SKILL.md Content

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Template Discovery

This skill helps an agent find, inspect, and select the right

dotnet new

template for a given task using

dotnet new

CLI commands for search, listing, and parameter inspection.

When to Use

User asks "What templates are available for X?"
User describes a project in natural language ("I need a web API with authentication")
User wants to compare templates or understand parameters before creating a project
User needs to know what a template produces (files, structure) before committing

When Not to Use

User wants to create a project — route to
```
template-instantiation
```
skill
User wants to author or validate a custom template — route to
```
template-authoring
```
skill
User is troubleshooting build issues — route to
```
dotnet-msbuild
```
plugin

Inputs

Input	Required	Description
User intent or keywords	Yes	Natural-language description or keywords (e.g., "web API", "console app", "MAUI")
Language preference	No	C#, F#, or VB — defaults to C#
Framework preference	No	Target framework (e.g., net10.0, net9.0)

Workflow

Step 1: Resolve intent to template candidates

Map the user's natural-language description to template short names using these common keyword mappings:

User Intent	Template	Suggested Parameters
web API, REST API	`webapi`	`--auth Individual --use-controllers` if auth requested
web app, website	`webapp`
Blazor, interactive web	`blazor`
console app, CLI tool	`console`
class library, shared code	`classlib`
worker service, background job	`worker`
gRPC service	`grpc`
MAUI app, mobile app	`maui`
test project, unit tests	`xunit` , `mstest` , or `nunit`

Step 2: Search for templates

Use

dotnet new search

to find templates by keyword across both locally installed templates and NuGet.org:

bash

dotnet new search blazor

Use

dotnet new list

to show only installed templates, with optional filters:

bash

dotnet new list --language C# --type project
dotnet new list web

Step 3: Inspect template details

Use

dotnet new <template> --help

to get full parameter details for a specific template — parameter names, types, defaults, and allowed values:

bash

dotnet new webapi --help

Step 4: Preview output

Use

dotnet new <template> --dry-run

to show what files and directories a template would create without writing anything to disk:

bash

dotnet new webapi --name MyApi --auth Individual --dry-run

Step 5: Present findings

Summarize the best template match with:

Template name and short description
Key parameters and recommended values
What the user should expect (files created, project structure)
Any constraints or prerequisites

Validation

At least one template match was found for the user's intent
Template parameters are explained with types and defaults
User understands what the template produces before proceeding to creation

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall	Solution
Not searching NuGet for templates	If `dotnet new list` shows no matches, use `dotnet new search <keyword>` to find installable templates on NuGet.org.
Not checking template constraints	Some templates require specific SDKs or workloads. Use `dotnet new <template> --help` to surface constraints before recommending.
Recommending a template without previewing output	Always use `dotnet new <template> --dry-run` to confirm the template produces what the user expects.

More Info

dotnet new templates — built-in template reference
Template Engine Wiki — template engine internals

template-discovery

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Template Discovery

When to Use

When Not to Use

Inputs

Workflow

Step 1: Resolve intent to template candidates

Step 2: Search for templates

Step 3: Inspect template details

Step 4: Preview output

Step 5: Present findings

Validation

Common Pitfalls

More Info