dotnet-tool-search(1)

📦
version 11.0.0~rc3 · 6 versions
, in alpine 3.24, centos-stream 10, centos-stream 9, fedora 43, fedora 44, nixpkgs unstable, ubuntu noble, ubuntu questing, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

💖 dotnet-tool-search — the manual page, bestie edition 💖

okay so you found the dotnet-tool-search(1) page in the .NET Documentation and you want the tea ☕ well buckle up, because this little command is a whole vibe. This article applies to: ✔️ .NET 6 SDK and later versions. no cap.

✨ NAME ✨

dotnet-tool-search — Searches all .NET tools that are published to NuGet.

like, it goes shopping for tools for you. obsessed.

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

dotnet tool search [--detail]  [--prerelease]
    [--skip <NUMBER>] [--take <NUMBER>] <SEARCH TERM>

dotnet tool search -h|--help

that's it. that's the whole spell. 🪄

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

so the dotnet tool search command is literally your way to search NuGet for tools you can use as .NET global tools, tool-path tools, or local tools. it digs through tool names AND metadata — think titles, descriptions, tags — so it's giving full detective energy 🔍

and the way it does it? it uses the NuGet Search API. and it filters on packageType=dotnettool so it only pulls up actual .NET tool packages, no random impostors allowed 💅

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

  • --detail — Shows detailed results from the query. the full lore, not just the teaser ✨
  • --prerelease — Includes pre-release packages. yes bestie, the unfinished ones, the beta babies 🍼
  • --skip <NUMBER> — Specifies the number of query results to skip. Used for pagination. (pagination = scrolling through pages of results, iykyk)
  • --take <NUMBER> — Specifies the number of query results to show. Used for pagination. the "how many do I actually want to see" knob 🎚️
  • -?|-h|--help — Prints out a description of how to use the command. your little emergency help button 🆘

🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

  1. Search NuGet.org for .NET tools that have "format" in their package name or description:
dotnet tool search format

The output looks like the following example:

Package ID                              Latest Version      Authors                                                                     Downloads      Verified
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
dotnet-format                           4.1.131201          Microsoft                                                                   496746
bsoa.generator                          1.0.0               Microsoft                                                                   533
  1. Search NuGet.org for .NET tools that have "format" in their package name or metadata, show only the first result, and show a detailed view.
dotnet tool search format --take 1 --detail

The output looks like the following example:

----------------
dotnet-format
Latest Version: 4.1.131201
Authors: Microsoft
Tags:
Downloads: 496746
Verified: False
Description: Command line tool for formatting C# and Visual Basic code files based on .editorconfig settings.
Versions:
        3.0.2 Downloads: 1973
        3.0.4 Downloads: 9064
        3.1.37601 Downloads: 114730
        3.2.107702 Downloads: 13423
        3.3.111304 Downloads: 131195
        4.0.130203 Downloads: 78610
        4.1.131201 Downloads: 145927

see how --take 1 --detail gave us ONE package but with its whole backstory? that's the power move 🫶

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

  • .NET tools
  • Tutorial: Install and use a .NET global tool using the .NET CLI
  • Tutorial: Install and use a .NET local tool using the .NET CLI

and that's the whole page, bestie. you're now officially fluent in dotnet-tool-search 🧚‍♀️ go forth and find tools, slay, and remember: packageType=dotnettool is the filter that keeps it iconic. periodt. 💅

sending you off with love from the dotnet-tool-search(1) page in the .NET Documentation, dated 2025-10-30 — mwah 💖

📦 where this page comes from