dotnet package add

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

NAME

       dotnet-package-add - Adds or updates a package reference in a project file.

              If  you’re  using  .NET  9 SDK or earlier, use the “verb first” form (dotnet-add-package) instead.
              The “noun first” form was introduced in .NET 10.  For more information, see More  consistent  com‐
              mand order.

SYNOPSIS

              dotnet package add <PACKAGE_NAME>
                  [-f|--framework <FRAMEWORK>] [--interactive] [--project <PROJECT>]
                  [-n|--no-restore] [--package-directory <PACKAGE_DIRECTORY>]
                  [--prerelease] [-s|--source <SOURCE>] [-v|--version <VERSION>]

              dotnet package add -h|--help

DESCRIPTION

       The  dotnet  package  add  command provides a convenient option to add or update a package reference in a
       project file.  When you run the command, there’s a compatibility check to ensure the package is  compati‐
       ble  with  the  frameworks  in  the project.  If the check passes and the package isn’t referenced in the
       project file, a <PackageReference> element is added to the project file.  If the  check  passes  and  the
       package  is already referenced in the project file, the <PackageReference> element is updated to the lat‐
       est compatible version.  After the project file is updated, dotnet restore is run.

       For example, adding Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore to ToDo.csproj produces output similar to the following
       example:

                Determining projects to restore...
                Writing C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp\tmp24A8.tmp
              info : Adding PackageReference for package 'Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore' into project 'C:\ToDo\ToDo.csproj'.
              info :   CACHE https://api.nuget.org/v3/registration5-gz-semver2/microsoft.entityframeworkcore/index.json
              info :   GET https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/dnceng/9ee6d478-d288-47f7-aacc-f6e6d082ae6d/_packaging/516521bf-6417-457e-9a9c-0a4bdfde03e7/nuget/v3/registrations2-semver2/microsoft.entityframeworkcore/index.json
              info :   CACHE https://api.nuget.org/v3/registration5-gz-semver2/microsoft.entityframeworkcore/page/0.0.1-alpha/3.1.3.json
              info :   CACHE https://api.nuget.org/v3/registration5-gz-semver2/microsoft.entityframeworkcore/page/3.1.4/7.0.0-preview.2.22153.1.json
              info :   CACHE https://api.nuget.org/v3/registration5-gz-semver2/microsoft.entityframeworkcore/page/7.0.0-preview.3.22175.1/7.0.0-preview.3.22175.1.json
              info :   NotFound https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/dnceng/9ee6d478-d288-47f7-aacc-f6e6d082ae6d/_packaging/516521bf-6417-457e-9a9c-0a4bdfde03e7/nuget/v3/registrations2-semver2/microsoft.entityframeworkcore/index.json 257ms
              info : Restoring packages for C:\ToDo\ToDo.csproj...
              info : Package 'Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore' is compatible with all the specified frameworks in project 'C:\ToDo\ToDo.csproj'.
              info : PackageReference for package 'Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore' version '6.0.4' added to file 'C:\ToDo\ToDo.csproj'.
              info : Writing assets file to disk. Path: C:\ToDo\obj\project.assets.json
              log  : Restored C:\ToDo\ToDo.csproj (in 171 ms).

       The ToDo.csproj file now contains a <PackageReference> element for the referenced package.

              <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore" Version="6.0.4" />

       If  the  project   is   onboarded   onto   Central   Package   Management   (CPM)   (https://devblogs.mi‐
       crosoft.com/nuget/introducing-central-package-management/)  the  <PackageVersion> element in the Directo‐
       ry.Packages.props file is added/updated and the <PackageReference> element is added to the project file.

       The following scenarios are currently supported.  These examples assume that the latest  version  of  Mi‐
       crosoft.EntityFrameworkCore  is 6.0.4.  Additional scenarios related to CPM are documented in this design
       spec (https://github.com/NuGet/Home/pull/11915).

       Scenario 1: <PackageReference> does not exist in the project file, <PackageVersion> element does not  ex‐
       ist in the Directory.Packages.props file, and the version argument is not passed from the commandline.

       CLI command that is executed: dotnet package add Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore --project ToDo.csproj

       The <PackageVersion> element is added to the Directory.Packages.props file.

              <PackageVersion Include="Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore" Version="6.0.4" />

       The <PackageReference> element is added to the project file.

              <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore" />

       Scenario  2: <PackageReference> does not exist in the project file, <PackageVersion> element does not ex‐
       ist in the Directory.Packages.props file, and the version argument is passed from the commandline.

       CLI command that is executed: dotnet package add Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore --version 5.0.4  --project
       ToDo.csproj

       The <PackageVersion> element is added to the Directory.Packages.props file.

              <PackageVersion Include="Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore" Version="5.0.4" />

       The <PackageReference> element is added to the project file.

              <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore" />

       Scenario 3: <PackageReference> does not exist in the project file, <PackageVersion> element does exist in
       the Directory.Packages.props file, and the version argument is not passed from the commandline.

       CLI command that is executed: dotnet package add Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore --project ToDo.csproj

       The <PackageVersion> element is added to the Directory.Packages.props file.

              <PackageVersion Include="Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore" Version="6.0.4" />

       The <PackageReference> element is added to the project file.

              <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore" />

       Scenario 4: <PackageReference> does not exist in the project file, <PackageVersion> element does exist in
       the Directory.Packages.props file, and the version argument is passed from the commandline.

       CLI  command that is executed: dotnet package add Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore --version 5.0.4 --project
       ToDo.csproj

       The <PackageVersion> element is added to the Directory.Packages.props file.

              <PackageVersion Include="Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore" Version="5.0.4" />

       The <PackageReference> element is added to the project file.

              <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore" />

   Implicit restore
       You don’t have to run dotnet restore because it’s run implicitly by all commands that require  a  restore
       to occur, such as dotnet new, dotnet build, dotnet run, dotnet test, dotnet publish, and dotnet pack.  To
       disable implicit restore, use the --no-restore option.

       The  dotnet  restore command is still useful in certain scenarios where explicitly restoring makes sense,
       such as continuous integration builds in Azure DevOps Services or in build systems that need to explicit‐
       ly control when the restore occurs.

       For information about how to manage NuGet feeds, see the dotnet restore documentation.

ARGUMENTS

       • PROJECT

         Specifies the project file.  If not specified, the command searches the current directory for one.

       • PACKAGE_NAME

         The package reference to add.

OPTIONS

       • -f|--framework <FRAMEWORK>

         Adds a package reference only when targeting a specific framework.

       • -?|-h|--help

         Prints out a description of how to use the command.

       • --interactive

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

       • -n|--no-restore

         Adds a package reference without performing a restore preview and compatibility check.

       • --package-directory <PACKAGE_DIRECTORY>

         The directory where to restore the  packages.   The  default  package  restore  location  is  %userpro‐
         file%\.nuget\packages  on  Windows and ~/.nuget/packages on macOS and Linux.  For more information, see
         Managing the global packages, cache, and temp folders in NuGet.

       • --prerelease

         Allows prerelease packages to be installed.  Available since .NET Core 5 SDK

       • -s|--source <SOURCE>

         The URI of the NuGet package source to use during the restore operation.

       • -v|--version <VERSION>

         Version of the package.  See NuGet package versioning.

EXAMPLES

       • Add Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore NuGet package to a project:

                dotnet package add Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore

       • Add a specific version of a package to a project:

                dotnet package add Microsoft.Azure.DocumentDB.Core -v 1.0.0 --project ToDo.csproj

       • Add a package using a specific NuGet source:

                dotnet package add Microsoft.AspNetCore.StaticFiles -s https://dotnet.myget.org/F/dotnet-core/api/v3/index.json

SEE ALSO

       • Managing the global packages, cache, and temp folders in NuGet

       • NuGet package versioning

                                                   2025-06-13                              dotnet-package-add(1)