Dotnet techne inspect

.NET NuGet Package Inspector

Inspect public APIs of .NET NuGet packages without writing throwaway C# code. Lists types (classes, interfaces, enums) and decompiles full type definitions with method signatures, properties, and attributes.

Requirements

One of these .NET global tools must be installed:

• dotnet-inspect (preferred) — .NET 10+ SDK required

  dotnet tool install -g dotnet-inspect
  

• ilspycmd (fallback) — .NET 8+ SDK required

  dotnet tool install -g ilspycmd
  

The NuGet package you want to inspect must be restored locally (present in ~/.nuget/packages/). If not, run dotnet restore in a project that references it.

When to use this skill

Use when the user asks to:

• Inspect a NuGet package's public API
• List types/interfaces/classes in a .NET package
• View method signatures or properties of a NuGet type
• Understand what a .NET client library provides
• "What does IFooApi look like?" for a referenced NuGet

Workflow

Step 0: Detect available tool

Always run this first to determine which backend to use.

Bash (Linux/macOS):

./scripts/detect-tool.sh

PowerShell (Windows):

.\scripts\detect-tool.ps1

Output: dotnet-inspect or ilspycmd. If neither is found, the script prints install instructions and exits with error.

Step 1: List public types in a package

Bash:

./scripts/list-types.sh <package-name> <version> [tfm]
# Example:
./scripts/list-types.sh PrimeLabs.Service.Assets.Client 1.1.1
./scripts/list-types.sh Refit 8.0.0 net8.0

PowerShell:

.\scripts\list-types.ps1 -PackageName <name> -Version <ver> [-Tfm <tfm>]
# Example:
.\scripts\list-types.ps1 -PackageName PrimeLabs.Service.Assets.Client -Version 1.1.1

The tfm parameter (target framework moniker) defaults to auto-detection (picks the highest available). Specify it explicitly if the package supports multiple frameworks (e.g., net8.0, net6.0, netstandard2.0).

Step 2: Inspect a specific type

Bash:

./scripts/inspect-type.sh <full-type-name> <package-name> <version> [tfm]
# Example:
./scripts/inspect-type.sh PrimeLabs.Service.Assets.Client.IAssetsApi PrimeLabs.Service.Assets.Client 1.1.1
./scripts/inspect-type.sh Refit.HttpMethodAttribute Refit 8.0.0

PowerShell:

.\scripts\inspect-type.ps1 -TypeName <full-type-name> -PackageName <name> -Version <ver> [-Tfm <tfm>]
# Example:
.\scripts\inspect-type.ps1 -TypeName PrimeLabs.Service.Assets.Client.IAssetsApi -PackageName PrimeLabs.Service.Assets.Client -Version 1.1.1

Helper: Find DLL path (ilspycmd only)

If you need the raw DLL path for manual ilspycmd usage:

Bash:

./scripts/find-dll.sh <package-name> <version> [tfm]

PowerShell:

.\scripts\find-dll.ps1 -PackageName <name> -Version <ver> [-Tfm <tfm>]

Quick Reference

# === Full inspection workflow (Bash) ===
./scripts/detect-tool.sh                                    # 1. Which tool?
./scripts/list-types.sh MyPackage 2.0.0                     # 2. What types?
./scripts/inspect-type.sh MyNamespace.IMyApi MyPackage 2.0.0 # 3. Full API

# === Quick one-liner examples ===
./scripts/list-types.sh Refit 8.0.0
./scripts/inspect-type.sh Refit.IRequestBuilder Refit 8.0.0
./scripts/find-dll.sh Newtonsoft.Json 13.0.3 net6.0

# === Full inspection workflow (PowerShell) ===
.\scripts\detect-tool.ps1
.\scripts\list-types.ps1 -PackageName MyPackage -Version 2.0.0
.\scripts\inspect-type.ps1 -TypeName MyNamespace.IMyApi -PackageName MyPackage -Version 2.0.0

Notes

• dotnet-inspect works by package name directly — no DLL path resolution needed
• ilspycmd requires the DLL path; the scripts resolve it automatically from the NuGet cache (~/.nuget/packages/)
• If a package isn't in the local cache, run dotnet restore in a project that references it first
• The list-types output includes the type kind (Class, Interface, Struct, Enum) for easy filtering
• The inspect-type output is decompiled C# source — includes attributes, method signatures, properties, and inheritance