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dotnet tool install

This article applies to: ✔️ .NET Core 3.1 SDK and later versions

Name

dotnet tool install - Installs the specified .NET tool on your machine.

Synopsis

dotnet tool install <PACKAGE_NAME> -g|--global
    [--allow-downgrade] [--allow-roll-forward] [-a|--arch <ARCHITECTURE>]
    [--add-source <SOURCE>] [--configfile <FILE>] [--disable-parallel]
    [--framework <FRAMEWORK>] [--ignore-failed-sources] [--interactive]
    [--no-cache] [--prerelease]
    [--tool-manifest <PATH>] [-v|--verbosity <LEVEL>]
    [--version <VERSION_NUMBER>]

dotnet tool install <PACKAGE_NAME> --tool-path <PATH>
    [--allow-downgrade] [--allow-roll-forward] [-a|--arch <ARCHITECTURE>]
    [--add-source <SOURCE>] [--configfile <FILE>] [--disable-parallel]
    [--framework <FRAMEWORK>] [--ignore-failed-sources] [--interactive]
    [--no-cache] [--prerelease]
    [--tool-manifest <PATH>] [-v|--verbosity <LEVEL>]
    [--version <VERSION_NUMBER>]

dotnet tool install <PACKAGE_NAME> [--local]
    [--allow-downgrade] [--allow-roll-forward] [-a|--arch <ARCHITECTURE>]
    [--add-source <SOURCE>] [--configfile <FILE>]
    [--create-manifest-if-needed] [--disable-parallel]
    [--framework <FRAMEWORK>] [--ignore-failed-sources] [--interactive]
    [--no-cache] [--prerelease]
    [--tool-manifest <PATH>] [-v|--verbosity <LEVEL>]
    [--version <VERSION_NUMBER>]

dotnet tool install -h|--help

Description

The dotnet tool install command provides a way for you to install .NET tools on your machine. To use the command, you specify one of the following installation options:

  • To install a global tool in the default location, use the --global option.
  • To install a global tool in a custom location, use the --tool-path option.
  • To install a local tool, omit the --global and --tool-path options.

Warning

Make sure the directory you specify with the --tool-path option is secure. Tools installed in this location can be executed directly, so using an untrusted or shared path might introduce security risks.

Installation locations

Global tools

Global tools are installed in the following directories by default when you specify the -g or --global option:

OS Path
Linux/macOS $HOME/.dotnet/tools
Windows %USERPROFILE%\.dotnet\tools

Executables are generated in these folders for each globally installed tool, although the actual tool binaries are nested deep into the sibling .store directory.

Note

On Linux after installing a command-line tool with dotnet tool, the tool can be executed only from the $HOME/.dotnet/tools path. To make the tool executable from any directory, update the PATH environment variable. To make the updated PATH environment variable permanent in your shell, update your shell settings. For Bash, this is the $HOME/.bashrc file.

--tool-path tools

Tools with explicit tool paths are stored wherever you specified the --tool-path parameter to point to. They're stored in the same way as global tools: an executable binary with the actual binaries in a sibling .store directory.

Local tools

Local tools are stored in the NuGet global directory, whatever you've set that to be. There are shim files in $HOME/.dotnet/toolResolverCache for each local tool that point to where the tools are within that location.

References to local tools are added to a dotnet-tools.json file in a .config directory under the current directory. Starting in .NET 10, if a manifest file doesn't exist yet, one is created automatically. You can also create one manually by running the following command:

dotnet new tool-manifest

For more information, see Install a local tool.

Arguments

  • PACKAGE_NAME

    Name/ID of the NuGet package that contains the .NET tool to install.

Options

  • --allow-downgrade

    Allow package downgrade when installing or updating a .NET tool package. Suppresses the warning, "The requested version x.x.x is lower than existing version x.x.x."

  • --allow-roll-forward

    Available starting with .NET 9.0 SDK. Allow tool to use a newer version of the .NET runtime if the runtime it targets isn't installed.

  • -a|--arch <ARCHITECTURE>

    Specifies the target architecture. This is a shorthand syntax for setting the Runtime Identifier (RID), where the provided value is combined with the default RID. For example, on a win-x64 machine, specifying --arch x86 sets the RID to win-x86.

  • --add-source <SOURCE>

    Adds an additional NuGet package source to use during installation. Feeds are accessed in parallel, not sequentially in some order of precedence. If the same package and version is in multiple feeds, the fastest feed wins. For more information, see What happens when a NuGet package is installed?.

  • --configfile <FILE>

    The NuGet configuration file (nuget.config) to use. If specified, only the settings from this file will be used. If not specified, the hierarchy of configuration files from the current directory will be used. For more information, see Common NuGet Configurations.

  • --create-manifest-if-needed

    Available starting in .NET 8 SDK.

    Applies to local tools. To find a manifest, the search algorithm searches up the directory tree for dotnet-tools.json or a .config folder that contains a dotnet-tools.json file.

    If a tool-manifest can't be found and the --create-manifest-if-needed option is set to false, the CannotFindAManifestFile error occurs.

    If a tool-manifest can't be found and the --create-manifest-if-needed option is set to true (or, in .NET 10 and later versions, when not specified), the tool creates a manifest automatically. It chooses a folder for the manifest as follows:

    • Walk up the directory tree searching for a directory that has a .git subfolder. If one is found, create the manifest in that directory.
    • If the previous step doesn't find a directory, walk up the directory tree searching for a directory that has a .sln or .git file. If one is found, create the manifest in that directory.
    • If neither of the previous two steps finds a directory, create the manifest in the current working directory.

    For more information on how manifests are located, see Install a local tool.

    Starting in .NET 10, a manifest is created automatically if no tools manifest is found. This change can be a breaking change. You can opt out by passing --create-manifest-if-needed=false.

    Warning

    Don't run tool commands from the Downloads folder or any shared location. The CLI walks up the directory tree to find a tool manifest, which might cause it to use a manifest you don't expect. Always run tool commands from a trusted, project-specific directory.

  • --disable-parallel

    Prevent restoring multiple projects in parallel.

  • --framework <FRAMEWORK>

    Specifies the target framework to install the tool for. By default, the .NET SDK tries to choose the most appropriate target framework.

  • -g|--global

    Specifies that the installation is user wide. Can't be combined with the --tool-path option. Omitting both --global and --tool-path specifies a local tool installation.

  • --source <SOURCE>

    Specifies the source for NuGet packages. This source replaces all NuGet package sources.

  • -?|-h|--help

    Prints out a description of how to use the command.

  • --ignore-failed-sources

    Treat package source failures as warnings.

  • --interactive

    Allows the command to stop and wait for user input or action. For example, to complete authentication.

  • --local

    Update the tool and the local tool manifest. Can't be combined with the --global option or the --tool-path option.

  • --no-cache or --no-http-cache

    Don't cache packages and HTTP requests.

  • --prerelease

    Include prerelease packages.

  • --tool-manifest <PATH>

    Path to the manifest file.

  • --tool-path <PATH>

    Specifies the location to install the Global Tool. PATH can be absolute or relative. If PATH doesn't exist, the command tries to create it. Omitting both --global and --tool-path specifies a local tool installation.

  • -v|--verbosity <LEVEL>

    Sets the verbosity level of the command. Allowed values are q[uiet], m[inimal], n[ormal], d[etailed], and diag[nostic]. For more information, see LoggerVerbosity.

  • --version <VERSION_NUMBER>

    The version of the tool to install. By default, the latest stable package version is installed. Use this option to install preview or older versions of the tool.

    Starting with .NET 8, --version Major.Minor.Patch refers to a specific major/minor/patch version, including unlisted versions. To get the latest version of a certain major/minor version instead, use --version Major.Minor.*.

Examples

  • dotnet tool install -g dotnetsay

    Installs dotnetsay as a global tool in the default location.

  • dotnet tool install dotnetsay --tool-path c:\global-tools

    Installs dotnetsay as a global tool in a specific Windows directory.

  • dotnet tool install dotnetsay --tool-path ~/bin

    Installs dotnetsay as a global tool in a specific Linux/macOS directory.

  • dotnet tool install -g dotnetsay --version 2.0.0

    Installs version 2.0.0 of dotnetsay as a global tool.

  • dotnet tool install dotnetsay

    Installs dotnetsay as a local tool for the current directory.

  • dotnet tool install -g dotnetsay --verbosity minimal

    Installs dotnetsay as a global tool with the verbosity of minimal. The default verbosity for global tool is quiet.

  • dotnet tool install -g dotnetsay --allow-roll-forward

    Installs dotnetsay as a global tool and allows it to run on newer .NET versions if the target runtime isn't available.

See also