https://github.com/richlander/dotnet-inspect
Tool to inspect .NET assets, like docker inspect.
https://github.com/richlander/dotnet-inspect
Last synced: about 2 months ago
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Tool to inspect .NET assets, like docker inspect.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/richlander/dotnet-inspect
- Owner: richlander
- Created: 2026-01-24T16:42:59.000Z (6 months ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2026-05-30T21:49:38.000Z (about 2 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-05-30T23:20:47.146Z (about 2 months ago)
- Language: C#
- Size: 2.48 MB
- Stars: 135
- Watchers: 2
- Forks: 7
- Open Issues: 2
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
- awesome-ccamel - richlander/dotnet-inspect - Tool to inspect .NET assets, like docker inspect and kubectl describe. (C#)
README
# dotnet-inspect
CLI tool for inspecting .NET libraries and NuGet packages. It is for .NET what `docker inspect` and `kubectl describe` are for container land: view package metadata, API surfaces, dependencies, source provenance, and version-to-version changes.
## Install or run
```bash
dotnet tool install -g dotnet-inspect
dotnet-inspect
```
Run without installing:
```bash
dnx dotnet-inspect -y --
```
## What it inspects
| Source | Examples | Notes |
| ------ | -------- | ----- |
| NuGet packages | `package System.Text.Json`, `type --package Markout` | Supports versions, custom sources, `nuget.config`, TFMs, package layout, dependencies, and vulnerabilities. |
| Platform libraries | `library System.Private.CoreLib`, `library System.Text.Json --version 10.0.0`, `diff --platform System.Runtime@9.0.0..10.0.0` | Resolves installed SDK/runtime assemblies, including runtime-only implementation assemblies with no NuGet package. |
| Local assets | `library ./bin/MyLib.dll`, `package ./pkg/MyLib.nupkg` | Useful for auditing builds before publishing. |
Bare names are routed automatically: platform-looking names (`System.*`, `Microsoft.AspNetCore.*`) resolve to installed platform libraries; other names resolve as NuGet packages. Use explicit commands and `--package`, `--platform`, or `--library` when you need a specific source.
## Capability inventory
| Capability | Commands | Highlights |
| ---------- | -------- | ---------- |
| Package inventory | `package` | Metadata, versions, TFMs, file layout, dependency tree, metadata audit, vulnerability data, custom feeds, NuGet config support. |
| Library audit | `library` | Assembly identity, public key token, trim/AOT metadata, unsafe/interoperability signals, symbols/PDBs, SourceLink and determinism audit, references, resources, async method classification. |
| API discovery | `type`, `member`, `find` | Type search, member tables, docs, overload selection, generics, obsolete-member markers, source/decompiled/IL drill-in. |
| API compatibility | `diff` | Version ranges, package or platform diffs, breaking/additive/potentially-breaking classification, type filters. |
| Relationships | `depends`, `extensions`, `implements` | Type hierarchies, package dependencies, library reference graphs, extension methods/properties, implementors and subclasses. |
| Source mapping | `source`, `member -v:d` | SourceLink URLs, member line numbers, source fetching, URL verification, token+IL-offset to source-line resolution. |
| Agent-friendly output | global flags | Markdown by default, compact `--oneline`, `--plaintext`, `--json`, Mermaid diagrams, section/field projection, `--count`, built-in head/tail limiting. |
## Command inventory
| Command | Purpose |
| ------- | ------- |
| `package X` | Inspect NuGet metadata, versions, dependencies, TFMs, layout, and vulnerabilities. |
| `library X` | Inspect assembly metadata, symbols, SourceLink, references, resources, and async methods. |
| `type X` | Discover types or render a single type shape. |
| `member X` | Inspect members, docs, overloads, source, decompiled C#, and IL. |
| `find X` | Search for types across packages, frameworks, projects, and local assets. |
| `diff X` | Compare API surfaces between versions. |
| `extensions X` | Find extension methods and C# extension properties for a type. |
| `implements X` | Find concrete implementors or subclasses. |
| `depends X` | Walk type, package, or library dependency graphs; emits Mermaid diagrams. |
| `source X` | Resolve SourceLink URLs or map method token + IL offset to source. |
| `cache` | Inspect or clear dotnet-inspect caches. |
| `skill` | Print the embedded LLM skill definition. |
## Signals
`Signals` is an evidence report, not a safety certification. Select it with `-S Signals`. For libraries, Signals reports metadata/provenance observations and acquires a missing PDB when selected to resolve SourceLink. For packages, Signals reports package metadata/assets, dependencies, signature provenance, and NuGet registry observations. The per-source-file reachability pass (`SourceLink Availability`, `SourceLink Missing Files`) is selected explicitly with `-S` because its cost scales with source-file count. The slow, exhaustive content check (`SourceLink Integrity`) is opt-in only.
| Command | Scope | Signals |
| ------- | ----- | ------- |
| `library X -S Signals` | Metadata + provenance | Library metadata/provenance signals; a missing library PDB is acquired to resolve SourceLink. |
| `library X -S "Signals,SourceLink Availability,SourceLink Missing Files"` | Detailed SourceLink reachability | Adds the opt-in per-file HEAD pass and reports embedded-source coverage. |
| `library X -S "SourceLink Integrity"` | Content verification (slow, opt-in) | Downloads every tracked source file and compares its hash to the PDB checksum; a mismatch exits non-zero. Never runs in a default flow. |
| `package X -S Signals` | Full package signals | Package and dependency signals, including known vulnerabilities, package age, dependency vulnerability/deprecation counts, and dependency age. |
## Output and querying
Default output is Markdown. Use `--oneline` for compact rows, `--plaintext` for plain text, `--json` for structured data, `--count` to count table rows in one selected section, and `--mermaid` on `depends` for diagrams. Verbosity is `-v:q`, `-v:m`, `-v:n`, or `-v:d`.
Sections and fields are queryable without a template language:
```bash
dotnet-inspect library System.Net.Security -S "Async*"
dotnet-inspect member JsonSerializer --package System.Text.Json -D
dotnet-inspect member JsonSerializer --package System.Text.Json -D --schema
dotnet-inspect type --package System.Text.Json --columns Kind,Name
dotnet-inspect library System.Text.Json -S Symbols --fields "PDB*;SourceLink"
dotnet-inspect library System.Text.Json -S "Async*" --count
dotnet-inspect library System.Text.Json -S Signals
```
For target-based queries, `-D` and bare `-S` report the effective schema by default: only sections and columns that can actually render for that query. Add `--schema` for the static schema. Lists for `-S`, `--columns`, and `--fields` accept commas or semicolons. Use `-S All` to select all sections.
## Common examples
```bash
dotnet-inspect library System.Text.Json -S Signals
dotnet-inspect library System.Text.Json -S "Signals,SourceLink Availability,SourceLink Missing Files"
dotnet-inspect library System.Text.Json -S "SourceLink Integrity"
dotnet-inspect package System.Text.Json -S Signals
dotnet-inspect package System.Text.Json --versions
dotnet-inspect type --package System.Text.Json --oneline
dotnet-inspect member JsonSerializer --package System.Text.Json -m Serialize
dotnet-inspect member JsonSerializer --package System.Text.Json Serialize:1 -v:d
dotnet-inspect source JsonSerializer --package System.Text.Json --il-offset 0x06000004+0x15
dotnet-inspect diff --package System.Text.Json@9.0.0..10.0.0 --breaking
dotnet-inspect depends Stream --markdown --mermaid
```
## Requirements
.NET 10.0 SDK or later.
## LLM integration
dotnet-inspect is [designed for LLM-driven development](docs/llm-design.md). The embedded skill (`dotnet-inspect skill`) is also distributed through the [dotnet/skills](https://github.com/dotnet/skills) marketplace.
## License
MIT