MSBuild Binlog Analyzer for VS Code
⚠️ This extension is deprecated
dotutils.binlog-analyzer has moved to the official Microsoft extension:
MSBuild Binlog Analyzer for VS Code (ms-dotnettools.msbuild-binlog-analyzer)
This dotutils version is no longer maintained and will not receive updates.
Please install the official extension and uninstall this one. VS Code will
also prompt you to migrate automatically.
Analyze MSBuild binary logs (.binlog) with GitHub Copilot Chat and MCP tools — right from VS Code.
Preview — This extension is under active development. Feedback welcome!
Quick Start
- Install this extension (requires VS Code 1.99+ with GitHub Copilot and .NET SDK)
- Open a
.binlog — via Binlog: Load File (Ctrl+Shift+P), Build & Collect Binlog, or from Structured Log Viewer → Open in VS Code
- Use
@binlog in Copilot Chat:
@binlog why did the build fail?
@binlog what are the slowest targets?
@binlog /perf
The Microsoft.AITools.BinlogMcp server (28 analysis tools) is auto-installed on first use.
What You Get
| Feature |
Description |
| @binlog Chat |
Ask Copilot about errors, performance, targets, imports, NuGet issues — with slash commands like /errors, /perf, /timeline, /compare, /summary, /incremental, /buildcheck, /search, /targets, /properties, /items, /propertyhistory |
| Build & Collect |
Build a project and capture a .binlog in one step |
| Binlog Explorer |
Sidebar tree with project → target → task hierarchy, errors, warnings, performance |
| Build Timeline |
Visual bar charts of target/task durations with click-to-analyze in Copilot |
| Fix All Issues |
Copilot fixes all build errors/warnings, rebuilds, and loads before/after for comparison |
| Auto-fix Diagnostic |
Right-click any error/warning in the tree → "Auto-fix with Copilot" to fix it directly |
| Optimize Build |
Pick optimizations, Copilot applies changes, verify with A/B comparison |
| Build Analysis Mode |
Chat mode pre-configured with Microsoft.AITools.BinlogMcp MCP tools — works with any agent |
| Language Model Tools |
binlog_lm_overview, binlog_lm_errors, binlog_lm_search, binlog_lm_perf, binlog_lm_compare — available to @workspace, agent mode, and custom chat modes |
| CI/CD Integration |
Download binlogs from Azure DevOps Pipelines and GitHub Actions — filter by branch or PR |
| Problems Panel |
Build diagnostics as native VS Code errors/warnings with per-project CodeLens and "Ask @binlog" CodeActions |
| Search |
Search across all build events — targets, tasks, messages, properties |
Configuration
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
binlogAnalyzer.mcpServerPath |
"" |
Custom path to the MCP server executable |
binlogAnalyzer.mcpServerArgs |
"--binlog ${binlog}" |
Argument template for the MCP server. ${binlog} is replaced with each binlog path |
binlogAnalyzer.autoLoad |
true |
Auto-load binlog diagnostics on activation |
binlogAnalyzer.diagnosticsSeverityFilter |
"Warning" |
Min severity for Problems panel |
binlogAnalyzer.inlineDecorations |
true |
Show build errors as inline decorations in source files |
binlogAnalyzer.chat.includeAllTools |
false |
Expose all available tools (file editing, terminal, other MCPs) to the @binlog chat participant |
binlogAnalyzer.chat.additionalToolPatterns |
[] |
Additional tool name patterns to include alongside binlog tools (e.g. ["copilot_codebase", "terminal"]) |
Troubleshooting: MCP Server Installation
The extension auto-installs Microsoft.AITools.BinlogMcp via dotnet tool install -g. In corporate environments with restricted NuGet feeds, this may fail. Here are the workarounds:
1. Install manually
dotnet tool install -g Microsoft.AITools.BinlogMcp
2. Diagnose NuGet issues
dotnet nuget list source
Common problems:
- nuget.org not configured — the tool is published on nuget.org, the default NuGet feed
- Authenticated feed requires credentials — may block access to the feed
- Package source mapping excludes nuget.org for this package
3. Verify installation
dotnet tool list -g | Select-String Microsoft.AITools.BinlogMcp
binlog-mcp --help
License
MIT
| |
