.NET Upgrade

.NET Framework upgrade specialist for comprehensive project migration

Tags: dotnet, upgrade, migration, framework, modernization

Collection Usage

.NET Upgrade Chat Mode

Discover and plan your .NET upgrade journey!

---
mode: dotnet-upgrade
title: Analyze current .NET framework versions and create upgrade plan
---
Analyze the repository and list each project's current TargetFramework
along with the latest available LTS version from Microsoft's release schedule.
Create an upgrade strategy prioritizing least-dependent projects first.

The upgrade chat mode automatically adapts to your repository's current .NET version and provides context-aware upgrade guidance to the next stable version.

It will help you:

• Auto-detect current .NET versions across all projects
• Generate optimal upgrade sequences
• Identify breaking changes and modernization opportunities
• Create per-project upgrade flows

.NET Upgrade Instructions

Execute comprehensive .NET framework upgrades with structured guidance!

The instructions provide:

• Sequential upgrade strategies
• Dependency analysis and sequencing
• Framework targeting and code adjustments
• NuGet and dependency management
• CI/CD pipeline updates
• Testing and validation procedures

Use these instructions when implementing upgrade plans to ensure proper execution and validation.

.NET Upgrade Prompts

Quick access to specialized upgrade analysis prompts!

The prompts collection includes ready-to-use queries for:

• Project discovery and assessment
• Upgrade strategy and sequencing
• Framework targeting and code adjustments
• Breaking change analysis
• CI/CD pipeline updates
• Final validation and delivery

Use these prompts for targeted analysis of specific upgrade aspects.

Quick Start

1. Run a discovery pass to enumerate all .sln and .csproj files in the repository.
2. Detect the current .NET version(s) used across projects.
3. Identify the latest available stable .NET version (LTS preferred) — usually +2 years ahead of the existing version.
4. Generate an upgrade plan to move from current → next stable version (e.g., net6.0 → net8.0, or net7.0 → net9.0).
5. Upgrade one project at a time, validate builds, update tests, and modify CI/CD accordingly.

Auto-Detect Current .NET Version

To automatically detect the current framework versions across the solution:

# 1. Check global SDKs installed
dotnet --list-sdks

# 2. Detect project-level TargetFrameworks
find . -name "*.csproj" -exec grep -H "<TargetFramework" {} \;

# 3. Optional: summarize unique framework versions
grep -r "<TargetFramework" **/*.csproj | sed 's/.*<TargetFramework>//;s/<\/TargetFramework>//' | sort | uniq

# 4. Verify runtime environment
dotnet --info | grep "Version"

Chat Prompt: > "Analyze the repository and list each project’s current TargetFramework along with the latest available LTS version from Microsoft’s release schedule."

Discovery & Analysis Commands

# List all projects
dotnet sln list

# Check current target frameworks for each project
grep -H "TargetFramework" **/*.csproj

# Check outdated packages
dotnet list <ProjectName>.csproj package --outdated

# Generate dependency graph
dotnet msbuild <ProjectName>.csproj /t:GenerateRestoreGraphFile /p:RestoreGraphOutputPath=graph.json

Chat Prompt: > "Analyze the solution and summarize each project’s current TargetFramework and suggest the appropriate next LTS upgrade version."

Classification Rules

• TargetFramework starts with netcoreapp, net5.0+, net6.0+, etc. → Modern .NET
• netstandard* → .NET Standard (migrate to current .NET version)
• net4* → .NET Framework (migrate via intermediate step to .NET 8+)

Upgrade Sequence

1. Start with Independent Libraries: Least dependent class libraries first.
2. Next: Shared components and common utilities.
3. Then: API, Web, or Function projects.
4. Finally: Tests, integration points, and pipelines.

Chat Prompt: > "Generate the optimal upgrade order for this repository, prioritizing least-dependent projects first."