NuGet Reference Switcher for VS Code

Switch between NuGet PackageReference and local ProjectReference in .NET projects — directly from VS Code.

Features

• Status bar button — Single button in the VS Code status bar that dynamically switches between "NuGet → Project" and "Project → NuGet" based on current state
• Auto-discovery — Scans workspace for all .csproj files, matching NuGet packages to local projects by name, PackageId, or AssemblyName
• Interactive picker — Choose which references to switch via a multi-select QuickPick
• Reversible — Saves switch state in .nugetswitch.json sidecar files so you can cleanly revert
• Auto-restore — Optionally runs dotnet restore after switching
• Additional search paths — Configure directories outside the workspace to discover projects

Requirements

• VS Code 1.85+
• .NET SDK installed (dotnet available in PATH)
• Projects should have been restored (dotnet restore) so project.assets.json exists

Building the Extension

# Clone and install dependencies
git clone <repo-url>
cd vscode-nuget-switcher
npm install

# Compile TypeScript
npm run compile

# Watch mode (recompiles on save)
npm run watch

Running in Development

1. Open the vscode-nuget-switcher folder in VS Code
2. Press F5 — this launches an Extension Development Host
3. In the new VS Code window, open a folder/workspace containing .csproj files
4. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and run one of the commands below

Packaging as a VSIX

# Install vsce if you haven't
npm install -g @vscode/vsce

# Package the extension
vsce package

This produces a .vsix file you can install via:
Extensions → ... → Install from VSIX...

Status Bar Button

A single button is always visible in the bottom status bar while working in a .csproj workspace.

Idle — no active switches:

Active — switches in place:

The button updates automatically when .nugetswitch.json files are created or deleted.

Commands

All commands are also available via the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P):

Configuration

Add to your .vscode/settings.json or user settings:

{
  // Directories outside the workspace to search for .csproj files
  "nugetSwitcher.additionalSearchPaths": [
    "C:/repos/shared-libraries",
    "D:/projects/my-framework"
  ],

  // Run dotnet restore after switching (default: true)
  "nugetSwitcher.autoRestore": true,

  // Glob patterns to exclude from project discovery
  "nugetSwitcher.excludePatterns": [
    "**/node_modules/**",
    "**/bin/**",
    "**/obj/**"
  ]
}

How It Works

Switching to Project References

1. Extension scans the workspace (and additionalSearchPaths) for all .csproj files
2. For each project, reads its PackageReference entries
3. Matches package names against discovered local projects (by project name, <PackageId>, or <AssemblyName>)
4. Shows you a picker with all switchable references
5. Replaces <PackageReference Include="X" Version="1.0.0" /> with <ProjectReference Include="../path/to/X.csproj" />
6. Saves the original state in a ProjectName.nugetswitch.json sidecar file

Reverting to Package References

1. Finds all .nugetswitch.json manifest files in the workspace
2. For each recorded switch, replaces the ProjectReference back with the original PackageReference (including version)
3. Deletes the manifest file after successful revert

Sidecar File Format

{
  "switchedAt": "2026-05-04T12:00:00.000Z",
  "sourceProject": "C:/repos/app/MyApp/MyApp.csproj",
  "switches": [
    {
      "packageId": "MyLibrary",
      "version": "2.1.0",
      "projectPath": "../../MyLibrary/MyLibrary.csproj"
    }
  ]
}

Tips

• Add *.nugetswitch.json to your .gitignore — these are local development files
• Use a multi-root workspace (.code-workspace file) to have all your library projects visible alongside your app
• Install the C# Dev Kit extension for a Solution Explorer view that shows all projects in your .sln

License

MIT