dotnet/skills: Curated .NET Agent Skills for AI Coding Agents

Introduction

The dotnet/skills repository is a pivotal resource from the .NET team, offering a curated set of core skills and custom agents specifically designed for AI coding agents. This initiative aims to enhance the capabilities of AI in assisting with .NET and C# development tasks. Adhering to the Agent Skills standard, this repository provides a robust framework for integrating specialized .NET knowledge into AI workflows.

Installation

The dotnet/skills repository supports various platforms for installing its plugins.

? Plugins - Copilot CLI / Claude Code

1. Launch Copilot CLI or Claude Code
2. Add the marketplace:

   /plugin marketplace add dotnet/skills
   

3. Install a plugin:

   /plugin install <plugin>@dotnet-agent-skills
   

4. Restart to load the new plugins
5. View available skills:

   /skills
   

6. View available agents:

   /agents
   

7. Update plugin (on demand):

   /plugin update <plugin>@dotnet-agent-skills
   

VS Code / VS Code Insiders (Preview)

IMPORTANT
VS Code plugin support is a preview feature and subject to change. You may need to enable it first.

// settings.json
{
  "chat.plugins.enabled": true,
  "chat.plugins.marketplaces": ["dotnet/skills"]
}

Once configured, type /plugins in Copilot Chat or use the @agentPlugins filter in Extensions to browse and install plugins from the marketplace.

Cursor

This repository is a Cursor plugin marketplace. You can discover and install published plugins directly in Cursor:

1. Open the marketplace panel in Cursor
2. Search for .NET or browse cursor.com/marketplace
3. Install the desired plugins

For local development or unpublished changes, import plugins from a local checkout:

1. Copy or symlink your local checkout to ~/.cursor/plugins/local/dotnet-agent-skills
2. Restart Cursor or run Developer: Reload Window

Codex CLI

Skills in this repository follow the agentskills.io open standard and are compatible with OpenAI Codex.

Install individual skills using the skill-installer CLI with the GitHub URL:

$ skill-installer install https://github.com/dotnet/skills/tree/main/plugins/<plugin>/skills/<skill-name>

Examples

The repository includes a wide array of plugins, each designed to address specific .NET development needs. Here are a few examples of the specialized skills available:

• dotnet: Collection of core .NET skills for handling common .NET coding tasks.
• dotnet-data: Skills for .NET data access and Entity Framework related tasks.
• dotnet-diag: Skills for .NET performance investigations, debugging, and incident analysis.
• dotnet-ai: AI and ML skills for .NET, including technology selection, LLM integration, and RAG pipelines.
• dotnet-upgrade: Skills for migrating and upgrading .NET projects across framework versions, language features, and compatibility targets.

Why Use It

Leveraging the dotnet/skills repository offers significant advantages for developers working with AI coding agents. It provides access to a rich, curated set of Microsoft-backed skills, ensuring high quality and relevance for .NET and C# projects. By integrating these skills, AI agents can perform more accurate diagnostics, streamline development workflows, assist with complex upgrades, and even guide AI/ML integration within .NET applications. This ultimately leads to increased efficiency, reduced manual effort, and more reliable AI assistance in coding.

Links

• GitHub Repository
• Dashboard
• Agent Skills Standard