NugetPilot
NugetPilot is a VS Code extension for managing NuGet packages in .NET workspaces. It is designed to feel like a premium IDE package manager: fast scanning, clear project scope, package search, Central Package Management insight, safe package-edit planning, and polished UI that respects VS Code themes.
The initial implementation focuses on the read-only foundation. It detects solutions, projects, package references, Directory.Packages.props, NuGet.config, and Central Package Management state. Write actions are intentionally gated until the safe edit planner and preview flow are fully tested.
Current Features
- Activity bar container named NugetPilot.
- Webview View package manager that shows search results when available and installed packages by default.
- Pop-out package manager command that opens the same experience in a full editor Webview Panel.
- Workspace scanner for
.sln, .slnx, .csproj, .fsproj, .vbproj, Directory.Packages.props, and NuGet.config.
- XML parsing for
PackageReference, GlobalPackageReference, and PackageVersion entries.
- Central Package Management detection from nearest
Directory.Packages.props and project properties.
- Read-only warnings for missing central versions, project-level versions in CPM projects, unused central versions, XML parse errors, and explicit version conflicts.
- NuGet v3 search across configured package sources, falling back to the configured default package source, with a pre-release toggle and TTL cache.
- Typed extension host to webview message contracts with validation.
- Unit tests for parser and message behavior.
Roadmap
- Extension skeleton: activity bar, commands, webview, workspace scanner. Done.
- Read-only package insight: project parsing, package references, CPM state, central package versions. Done.
- NuGet search: nuget.org search, package details, pre-release toggle, metadata cache. Partially implemented.
- Safe package edits: install, update, remove, diff preview, WorkspaceEdit, restore.
- Central Package Management: add or update
PackageVersion, convert to CPM, consolidate versions, richer diagnostics.
- Polish: accessibility, keyboard navigation, loading states, tests, docs, marketplace readiness.
Development
npm install
npm run compile
npm test
Use the VS Code extension host debugger to launch the extension. The main view is contributed under the NugetPilot activity bar item.
After making changes, refresh the locally installed VS Code extension:
npm run check
npm run install:local
Add changelog entries for notable work:
npm run changelog:add -- added "Describe the user-visible change"
Architecture
The extension keeps package domain logic out of the webview:
src/extension.ts: activation, commands, providers, watchers.src/core/: workspace scanning, XML parsing, package models, future edit planning.src/nuget/: NuGet v3 client, config reading, dotnet CLI integration.src/ui/webview/: React webview frontend and provider.src/diagnostics/: VS Code diagnostics for package warnings.src/test/: unit and integration test fixtures.
See docs/architecture.md for details.
Safety Principles
- No write action mutates XML directly from the UI.
- Package changes must go through an edit plan and preview.
- XML must be parsed and edited structurally; fragile regex editing is not allowed.
- Feed credentials and secrets must never be logged or sent to the webview.
- Private feeds should delegate authentication to existing dotnet or NuGet tooling when direct API access is not enough.
Documentation
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