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Generate MSBuild binary logs (binlogs) for build diagnostics and analysis. USE FOR: adding /bl:{} to any dotnet build, test, pack, publish, or restore command to capture a full build execution trace,
The skill file stays in the publisher's repository.
Paste the copied command in a terminal. It installs this SKILL.md into that agent.
npx skills add dotnet/skills --skill binlog-generation -a cursor -y
Generate MSBuild binary logs (binlogs) for build diagnostics and analysis. USE FOR: adding /bl:{} to any dotnet build, test, pack, publish, or restore command to capture a full build execution trace, prerequisite for binlog-failure-analysis and build-perf-diagnostics skills, enabling post-build investigation of errors or performance. Requires MSBuild 17.8+ / .NET 8 SDK+ for {} placeholder; PowerShell must quote the complete switch as '-bl:{}'. DO NOT USE FOR: non-MSBuild build systems (npm, Maven, CMake), analyzing an existing binlog (use binlog-failure-analysis instead).
Generate MSBuild binary logs (binlogs) for build diagnostics and analysis. USE FOR: adding /bl:{} to any dotnet build, test, pack, publish, or restore command to capture a full build execution trace, prerequisite for binlog-failure-analysis and build-perf-diagnostics skills, enabling post-build investigation of errors or performance. Requires MSBuild 17.8+ / .NET 8 SDK+ for {} placeholder; PowerShell must quote the complete switch as '-bl:{}'. DO NOT USE FOR: non-MSBuild build systems (npm, Maven, CMake), analyzing an existing binlog (use binlog-failure-analysis instead).
Pass the /bl switch when running any MSBuild-based command. This is a non-negotiable requirement for all .NET builds.
You MUST add the /bl:{} flag to:
dotnet builddotnet testdotnet packdotnet publishdotnet restoremsbuild or msbuild.exe{} for Automatic Unique NamesNote: The
{}placeholder requires MSBuild 17.8+ / .NET 8 SDK or later.
The {} placeholder in the binlog filename is replaced by MSBuild with a unique identifier, guaranteeing no two builds ever overwrite each other — without needing to track or check existing files.
# Every invocation produces a distinct file automatically
dotnet build /bl:{}
dotnet test /bl:{}
dotnet build --configuration Release /bl:{}
PowerShell requires quoting the complete switch:
# Keep the literal {} placeholder in one argument
dotnet build '-bl:{}'
dotnet test '-bl:{}'
# ✅ CORRECT - {} generates a unique name automatically (bash/cmd)
dotnet build /bl:{}
dotnet test /bl:{}
# ✅ CORRECT - quote the complete PowerShell argument
dotnet build '-bl:{}'
dotnet test '-bl:{}'
# ❌ WRONG - Missing /bl flag entirely
dotnet build
dotnet test
# ❌ WRONG - No filename (overwrites the same msbuild.binlog every time)
dotnet build /bl
dotnet build /bl
Add /bl:{} to every MSBuild invocation separately — never reuse a name and
never rely on bare /bl:
/bl:{} so the logs never overwrite each other.dotnet build -c Debug /bl:{} # unique file
dotnet build -c Release /bl:{} # another unique file
After the build, confirm a .binlog was actually produced before moving on to
analysis — a build that fails before MSBuild starts (e.g. a bad argument)
writes no binlog:
ls -1 *.binlog # bash
dir /b *.binlog # Windows cmd
Get-ChildItem *.binlog # PowerShell
Note the resulting path so binlog-failure-analysis or build-perf-diagnostics
can consume it.
If the binlog filename needs to be known upfront (e.g., for CI artifact upload), or if {} is not available in the installed MSBuild version, pick a name that won't collide with existing files:
*.binlog files in the directory# Example: directory contains 3.binlog — use 4.binlog
dotnet build /bl:4.binlog
When cleaning the repository with git clean, always exclude binlog files to preserve your build history:
# ✅ CORRECT - Exclude binlog files from cleaning
git clean -fdx -e "*.binlog"
# ❌ WRONG - This deletes binlog files (they're usually in .gitignore)
git clean -fdx
This is especially important when iterating on build fixes - you need the binlogs to analyze what changed between builds.