switcher

name	switcher
description	Switch .csproj references between NuGet packages and local projects using a JSON config

Switcher

Switch .csproj references between NuGet PackageReference and local ProjectReference entries using a switcher.json configuration file. Useful when developing across multiple .NET solutions that depend on each other.

Instructions

When the user asks to switch references between NuGet packages and local projects, run the following command:

dotnet run "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/switcher.cs" <to-project|to-nuget|status> <path-to-switcher.json>

${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR} resolves to this skill's directory regardless of where it's installed. Replace <to-project|to-nuget|status> with the desired command and <path-to-switcher.json> with the path to the configuration file.

Config Format

The switcher.json file defines which references can be switched and which .csproj targets to modify. All paths are relative to the config file's directory.

{
  "references": [
    {
      "package": "Acme.Core",
      "version": "2.1.0",
      "project": "../acme-core/src/Acme.Core/Acme.Core.csproj"
    }
  ],
  "targets": [
    "src/MyApp/MyApp.csproj"
  ]
}

• references[].package — NuGet package name (matches <PackageReference Include="...">).
• references[].version — Version to restore when switching back to NuGet.
• references[].project — Path to the local .csproj for ProjectReference.
• targets[] — .csproj files to modify.

Behaviour

Command	Action
to-project	Replace matching PackageReference entries with ProjectReference pointing at local source
to-nuget	Replace matching ProjectReference entries with PackageReference (restores version and extra attributes)
status	Report current state of each reference in each target — no file changes

Output Example

[OK]      src/MyApp/MyApp.csproj :: Acme.Core → ProjectReference
[SKIP]    src/MyApp/MyApp.csproj :: Acme.Logging (already switched)
[NUGET]   src/MyApp/MyApp.csproj :: Acme.Core (v2.1.0)
[PROJECT] src/MyApp/MyApp.csproj :: Acme.Core (../acme-core/src/Acme.Core/Acme.Core.csproj)

Done. Switched: 1 | Skipped: 1 | Errors: 0

When to Use

• Local development across multiple .NET solutions that reference each other via NuGet.
• Quickly toggling between NuGet packages and local project references without manual .csproj editing.
• Ensuring a clean switch back to NuGet before committing changes.

Prerequisites

• .NET 10 SDK installed and dotnet available on the PATH.
• No extra NuGet packages required — uses in-box System.Text.Json and System.Xml.Linq.
• A switcher.json config file describing the references and targets.

Limitations

• Only switches references listed in switcher.json — unlisted references are not touched.
• Does not modify Directory.Build.props or Directory.Packages.props (central package management).
• Extra attributes on PackageReference (e.g. PrivateAssets, IncludeAssets) are preserved via XML comments and restored on round-trip, but only when the switch was performed by this tool.