NugetUpdateBot 1.0.7

NuGet Update Bot

A simple tool that updates your .NET packages automatically.

What Does It Do?

Imagine you have a toy box with old toys. This tool checks if there are newer, better versions of your toys and helps you replace them!

For your .NET projects, it:

• Checks which packages (libraries) you're using
• Finds newer versions available
• Updates them for you
• Creates a backup first (so you can undo if needed)
• Works with both traditional projects and Central Package Management (CPM)

Installation

dotnet tool install --global NugetUpdateBot

Basic Usage

1. Check What Needs Updating (Scan)

Just like checking which toys are old:

nuget-update-bot scan MyProject.csproj

This shows you what packages can be updated, but doesn't change anything yet.

2. Update Everything (Update)

This actually updates your packages:

nuget-update-bot update MyProject.csproj

Don't worry! It creates a backup first.

3. See Before Changing (Dry Run)

Want to see what would happen without actually doing it?

nuget-update-bot update MyProject.csproj --dry-run

This is like pretending to clean your room - you see what needs to be done, but nothing actually changes!

4. Get a Report

Want a nice report file?

nuget-update-bot report MyProject.csproj --output report.json --format json

Simple Examples

Example 1: Just Check

# See what can be updated
nuget-update-bot scan MyProject.csproj

Output:

Package: Newtonsoft.Json
Current: 12.0.1
Latest: 13.0.3
Can update!

Example 2: Update Everything

# Update all packages
nuget-update-bot update MyProject.csproj

Output:

Updating Newtonsoft.Json from 12.0.1 to 13.0.3...
Done! Backup saved to MyProject.csproj.backup.20250113-143022

Example 3: Be Careful (Only Small Updates)

# Only update tiny changes (like 13.0.1 to 13.0.2)
nuget-update-bot update MyProject.csproj --config myconfig.json

With this config file (myconfig.json):

{
  "UpdatePolicy": "Patch",
  "IncludePrerelease": false,
  "ExcludePackages": []
}

Configuration File

Create a file called config.json:

{
  "UpdatePolicy": "Major",
  "IncludePrerelease": false,
  "ExcludePackages": ["MySpecialPackage"]
}

What Does Each Setting Mean?

Setting	What It Means	Example
"Major"	Update everything, even big changes	1.0.0 → 2.0.0 ✅
"Minor"	Update medium changes only	1.0.0 → 1.5.0 ✅
"Patch"	Update tiny changes only	1.0.0 → 1.0.1 ✅
IncludePrerelease	Include beta/test versions	true or false
ExcludePackages	Packages to never update	List of names

All Commands

Scan Command

nuget-update-bot scan <project-file> [options]

Options:

• --config <file> - Use a config file
• --include-prerelease - Include beta versions
• --no-cache - Don't use cached data (slower but fresh)
• --verbose - Show more details

Update Command

nuget-update-bot update <project-file> [options]

Options:

• --config <file> - Use a config file
• --dry-run - Just show what would happen
• --include-prerelease - Include beta versions
• --no-cache - Don't use cached data
• --verbose - Show more details

Report Command

nuget-update-bot report <project-file> [options]

Options:

• --output <file> - Where to save the report
• --format <type> - json or console
• --config <file> - Use a config file
• --include-prerelease - Include beta versions
• --no-cache - Don't use cached data
• --verbose - Show more details

Exit Codes

After running, the tool tells you how it went with a number:

Code	What It Means
0	Everything is perfect!
1	Found updates available
-1	Something went wrong

Safety Features

1. Automatic Backups

Every time you update, we save your old file:

MyProject.csproj.backup.20250113-143022

2. Validation

After updating, we check if the file is still valid. If not, we restore the backup automatically!

3. Dry Run

Always use --dry-run first if you're nervous:

nuget-update-bot update MyProject.csproj --dry-run

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Safe First-Time User

# Step 1: See what's available
nuget-update-bot scan MyProject.csproj --verbose

# Step 2: Test without changing
nuget-update-bot update MyProject.csproj --dry-run

# Step 3: Actually update
nuget-update-bot update MyProject.csproj

Example 2: Careful Updates

Create safe-config.json:

{
  "UpdatePolicy": "Patch",
  "IncludePrerelease": false,
  "ExcludePackages": ["Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore"]
}

Then run:

nuget-update-bot update MyProject.csproj --config safe-config.json

Example 3: Get a Report for Your Team

nuget-update-bot report MyProject.csproj \
  --output team-report.json \
  --format json

Share team-report.json with your team!

Tips and Tricks

Tip 1: Always Scan First

nuget-update-bot scan MyProject.csproj

Tip 2: Use Dry Run for Big Projects

nuget-update-bot update BigProject.csproj --dry-run

Tip 3: Exclude Breaking Packages

Some packages break things when updated. Exclude them:

{
  "ExcludePackages": ["PackageThatBreaksStuff"]
}

Tip 4: Check Your Backups

Backups are in the same folder as your project:

MyProject.csproj.backup.20250113-143022

Troubleshooting

Problem: "File not found"

Solution: Make sure you're in the right folder:

cd /path/to/your/project
nuget-update-bot scan MyProject.csproj

Problem: "Invalid XML"

Solution: Your project file might be broken. Check the backup:

MyProject.csproj.backup.20250113-143022

Problem: Updates broke my project

Solution: Restore from backup:

cp MyProject.csproj.backup.20250113-143022 MyProject.csproj

Problem: Too many updates at once

Solution: Use Patch policy for smaller updates:

{
  "UpdatePolicy": "Patch"
}

Central Package Management (CPM) Support

NugetUpdateBot fully supports Central Package Management! It automatically detects if your project uses CPM and updates the right files.

What is CPM?

Central Package Management keeps all package versions in one file (Directory.Packages.props) instead of in each project file.

Traditional project:

<PackageReference Include="Newtonsoft.Json" Version="13.0.1" />

CPM project:

Project file (MyApp.csproj):

<PackageReference Include="Newtonsoft.Json" />

Versions file (Directory.Packages.props):

<PackageVersion Include="Newtonsoft.Json" Version="13.0.1" />

How It Works

The tool automatically:

1. Detects if your project uses CPM
2. Finds your Directory.Packages.props file (searches up to 5 levels up)
3. Updates versions in the correct file
4. Creates backups of both files

Example with CPM

# Same commands work for both CPM and traditional projects!
nuget-update-bot scan MyApp.csproj
nuget-update-bot update MyApp.csproj

Output for CPM project:

Detected Central Package Management
Found Directory.Packages.props at ../Directory.Packages.props
Creating backups...
  - MyApp.csproj.backup.20250113-143022
  - Directory.Packages.backup.20250113-143022.props

Updating Newtonsoft.Json from 13.0.1 to 13.0.3...
Updated in Directory.Packages.props

Done!

CPM Detection

The tool detects CPM by checking:

1. <ManagePackageVersionsCentrally>true</ManagePackageVersionsCentrally> in project file
2. If 80%+ of PackageReference elements lack Version attributes

Safety with CPM

• Backs up both .csproj and Directory.Packages.props
• Validates both files after updates
• Searches parent directories to find Directory.Packages.props
• Works with nested project structures

Restoring CPM Backups

If something goes wrong:

# Restore both files
cp MyApp.csproj.backup.20250113-143022 MyApp.csproj
cp ../Directory.Packages.backup.20250113-143022.props ../Directory.Packages.props

The tool works seamlessly with CPM - you don't need to do anything special!

Need Help?

• Found a bug? Report it on GitHub
• Have a question? Check the docs folder
• Want a feature? Open an issue

License

MIT License - Use it freely!