dotnet-workload-info

name	dotnet-workload-info
description	Discover MAUI workload metadata from live NuGet APIs. USE FOR: workload manifest lookup, WorkloadDependencies.json, v3-flatcontainer, CLI-to-NuGet version conversion, Xcode/JDK/Android SDK requirements, CI sdkmanager packages, `packageid:Microsoft.Maui.Controls`. DO NOT USE FOR: installing workloads, build debugging, or app version edits.

.NET Workload Info Discovery

Query live NuGet APIs to discover authoritative .NET SDK versions, workload sets, and dependency requirements.

Inputs

Parameter	Required	Example	Notes
dotnetVersion	yes	9.0, 10.0	Major.minor format
prerelease	no	true/false	Default false
workload	no	ios, android, maui	Alias or full id

Workload Aliases

Alias	Full ID
ios	microsoft.net.sdk.ios
android	microsoft.net.sdk.android
maccatalyst	microsoft.net.sdk.maccatalyst
macos	microsoft.net.sdk.macos
tvos	microsoft.net.sdk.tvos
maui	microsoft.net.sdk.maui

---

Discovery Process

Step 1: Get Latest SDK Version

curl -s "https://dotnetcli.blob.core.windows.net/dotnet/release-metadata/releases-index.json" | \
  jq '.["releases-index"][] | select(.["channel-version"]=="{MAJOR}.0")'

Extract latest-sdk and derive SDK band:

• 10.0.103 → band 10.0.100 (hundreds digit)
• 10.0.205 → band 10.0.200

Step 2: Find Workload Set Package / Version

Use the dotnet workload search version command to discover the latest workload set version (requires .NET SDK 9.0.200+ with workload sets support):

dotnet workload search version
# Returns: workload set version, e.g. 10.0.103

dotnet workload search version

Note: This command requires .NET SDK 9.0.200 or later. If unavailable, use the NuGet API instead: https://api.nuget.org/v3/registration5-gz-semver2/microsoft.net.workloads.10.0.100/index.json

The returned workloadVersion is the CLI version to use with --version flag.

Version conversion: To convert this to the NuGet package version (needed for Steps 3-4):

CLI 10.0.103 → NuGet 10.103.0 (remove middle .0., combine) Do not use the CLI version as the NuGet package version in flat-container URLs. The NuGet package is Microsoft.NET.Workloads.{band} where {band} is the SDK band derived from the CLI version (for example, CLI 10.0.103 → package Microsoft.NET.Workloads.10.0.100, NuGet version 10.103.0).

Step 3: Download Workload Set Manifest

curl -o workloadset.nupkg "https://api.nuget.org/v3-flatcontainer/microsoft.net.workloads.{band}/{version}/microsoft.net.workloads.{band}.{version}.nupkg"
unzip -p workloadset.nupkg data/microsoft.net.workloads.workloadset.json

Format: "{workload_id}": "{manifestVersion}/{sdkBand}"

Step 4: Download Workload Manifest

Build package id: {WorkloadId}.Manifest-{sdkBand} (e.g., Microsoft.NET.Sdk.iOS.Manifest-10.0.100) Use the same SDK band discovered in Step 1 or extracted from the workload set entry. Do not hardcode 10.0.100 when the current SDK band is 10.0.200, 10.0.300, or another band.

curl -o manifest.nupkg "https://api.nuget.org/v3-flatcontainer/{packageid}/{version}/{packageid}.{version}.nupkg"
unzip -p manifest.nupkg data/WorkloadDependencies.json

Step 5: Parse Dependencies

Android (microsoft.net.sdk.android):

{
  "jdk": { "version": "[17.0,22.0)", "recommendedVersion": "17.0.14" },
  "androidsdk": {
    "packages": ["build-tools;35.0.0", "platform-tools", "platforms;android-35"],
    "apiLevel": "35", "buildToolsVersion": "35.0.0"
  }
}

After extracting androidsdk.packages, show how to install them in CI:

sdkmanager --install "platform-tools" "platforms;android-35" "build-tools;35.0.0"

Use the exact package IDs from WorkloadDependencies.json; do not copy the sample API level or build-tools version blindly.

When the user asks for CI-ready Android SDK package discovery, include this minimum flow in the answer:

1. Download Microsoft.NET.Workloads.{sdkBand} and read data/microsoft.net.workloads.workloadset.json (workloadset.json).
2. Read the microsoft.net.sdk.android entry to get {manifestVersion}/{manifestSdkBand}.
3. Download Microsoft.NET.Sdk.Android.Manifest-{manifestSdkBand} at that manifest version and read data/WorkloadDependencies.json.
4. Extract androidsdk.packages, including platform-tools, platforms;android-*, build-tools;*, and cmdline-tools;*. Filter by "optional": "false" when the manifest marks packages optional.
5. Feed the extracted package IDs to sdkmanager --install.

iOS/macOS (microsoft.net.sdk.ios):

{
  "xcode": { "version": "[26.2,)", "recommendedVersion": "26.2" },
  "sdk": { "version": "26.2" }
}

Version ranges: [17.0,22.0) = >=17.0 AND <22.0; [26.2,) = >=26.2

---

MAUI NuGet Packages

MAUI packages may be newer than workload versions. Query for latest:

curl -s "https://azuresearch-usnc.nuget.org/query?q=packageid:Microsoft.Maui.Controls&prerelease=false" | \
  jq '.data[0].versions | map(select(.version | startswith("{MAJOR}."))) | last'

When the user asks for the NuGet search API or an exact package ID filter, use https://azuresearch-usnc.nuget.org/query?q=packageid:<PackageId> and show the packageid: filter. Do not answer with only the flat-container or registration endpoints; those are useful follow-up APIs but they are not the search API.

Key packages: Microsoft.Maui.Controls, Microsoft.Maui.Essentials, Microsoft.Maui.Graphics

To use newer version than workload:

<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Maui.Controls" Version="10.0.30" />

---

Output Format

{
  "dotnetVersion": "10.0",
  "latestSdk": "10.0.102",
  "sdkBand": "10.0.100",
  "workloadSet": { "packageId": "...", "nugetVersion": "10.102.0", "cliVersion": "10.0.102" },
  "workloads": [{
    "workloadId": "microsoft.net.sdk.ios",
    "manifestVersion": "26.2.10191",
    "sdkBand": "10.0.100",
    "dependencies": { "xcode": { "versionRange": "[26.2,)", "recommendedVersion": "26.2"  
  
        

---

Error Handling

• No results → retry with prerelease=true
• Missing WorkloadDependencies.json → report explicitly
• Missing dependency key → note which keys absent

Best Practices

• ALWAYS fetch live data; never hardcode versions
• ALWAYS include sdkBand with manifest versions
• Show exact URLs used for transparency

Reference

See references/workload-discovery-process.md for detailed NuGet API documentation and complete examples.