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Canonical patterns for writing custom MSBuild targets. USE FOR: diagnosing and fixing custom target authoring anti-patterns; broken SDK target chains across files (e.g., Directory.Build.targets silently redefining SDK targets); targets that replace CompileDependsOn instead of extending it with $(CompileDependsOn); query targets returning stale results from Outputs vs Returns misuse; missing Inputs/Outputs causing unnecessary rebuilds; missing FileWrites registration. Covers DependsOnTargets vs B
Passed 23 of 23 test cases with the skill, and 21 of 23 without it.
2 fixed21 passed either way0 still failing0 broke
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
One of 2 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
I am authoring an MSBuild target that prepares output directories and checks environment variables before compilation starts. What target naming convention applies to this stage?
| Checked | Without skill | With skill |
|---|---|---|
| Prefixes the target name with Prepare. | Missed | Passed |
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
Canonical patterns from Microsoft.Common.CurrentVersion.targets in the MSBuild repository.
Every major entry point (Build, Rebuild, Clean) delegates to a property listing its dependencies, which chains through Before → Core → After:
<PropertyGroup>
<BuildDependsOn>
BeforeBuild;
CoreBuild;
AfterBuild
</BuildDependsOn>
</PropertyGroup>
<Target Name="Build"
Condition=" '$(_InvalidConfigurationWarning)' != 'true' "
DependsOnTargets="$(BuildDependsOn)"
Returns="@(TargetPathWithTargetPlatformMoniker)" />
<!-- Empty extensibility targets — users override these -->
<Target Name="BeforeBuild" />
<Target Name="AfterBuild" />
CoreBuild delegates to $(CoreBuildDependsOn) and includes error handlers:
<Target Name="CoreBuild" DependsOnTargets="$(CoreBuildDependsOn)">
<OnError ExecuteTargets="_TimeStampAfterCompile;PostBuildEvent"
Condition="'$(RunPostBuildEvent)' == 'Always'" />
<OnError ExecuteTargets="_CleanRecordFileWrites" />
</Target>
DependsOnTargets="$(MyTargetDependsOn)"), not hardcoded targets.test cases passed, vs 21 / 23 without
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