dotnet-workload-info

name

dotnet-workload-info

description

Discover .NET SDK versions, workload sets, manifest versions, and workload dependencies (Xcode, JDK, Android SDK) from live NuGet APIs. USE FOR: .NET SDK requirements/versions, workload set versions, workload manifest versions, Xcode version requirements, JDK version requirements, Android SDK packages, MAUI NuGet package versions. DO NOT USE FOR: Installing workloads (use `dotnet workload install`), general MAUI debugging, app build failures. Triggers on questions like "What Xcode is required for .NET 10?" or "What's the latest workload set?"

.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) The NuGet package is: Microsoft.NET.Workloads.{band} where band = CLI version (e.g., Microsoft.NET.Workloads.10.0.100)

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)

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"
  }
}

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'

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" } }
  }],
  "mauiNugets": [{ "packageId": "Microsoft.Maui.Controls", "latestVersion": "10.0.30" }]
}

---

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.