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awesome-copilot/skills/dotnet-mcp-builder/references/packages.md
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Adrien Clerbois 2c275f2ef9 feat(skills): add dotnet-mcp-builder, deprecate csharp-mcp-server-gen… (#1645)
* feat(skills): add dotnet-mcp-builder, deprecate csharp-mcp-server-generator

Adds a comprehensive skill for building MCP (Model Context Protocol)
servers in C#/.NET against the official ModelContextProtocol 1.x NuGet
packages. Covers both transports (STDIO, Streamable HTTP — SSE is
deprecated) and every primitive in the current MCP spec (2025-11-25):
tools, prompts, resources, elicitation (form + URL mode), sampling,
roots, completions, logging, and MCP Apps. Includes a thin .NET MCP
client reference and testing guidance (MCP Inspector + in-memory
transport for unit tests).

Steers the model toward the current stable 1.x packages instead of the
0.x previews it tends to pin by default, and enforces the STDIO
stdout/stderr trap.

Also deprecates the existing csharp-mcp-server-generator skill, which
predates ModelContextProtocol 1.0 and only covered a subset of the
current spec. Its SKILL.md now redirects users to dotnet-mcp-builder so
existing install URLs keep working without surprises.

* fix: address PR review from aaronpowell

- Delete csharp-mcp-server-generator skill (rather than deprecating it)
- Update mcp-apps.md pitfalls section to reference .NET Tool.Meta type
  instead of the serialized _meta JSON property names
- Rebuild docs/README.skills.md

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

* chore: remove C# MCP development plugin files

* chore: remove csharp-mcp-development plugin entry from marketplace

---------

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
2026-05-11 09:35:26 +10:00

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3.4 KiB
Markdown

# NuGet packages and target frameworks
## The three official packages
All packages live under the [`ModelContextProtocol` NuGet profile](https://www.nuget.org/profiles/ModelContextProtocol). The official C# SDK repo is [`modelcontextprotocol/csharp-sdk`](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/csharp-sdk), maintained jointly by the MCP project and Microsoft.
| Package | When to use it | Brings in |
|---|---|---|
| **`ModelContextProtocol`** | Default for STDIO servers and most projects | `Core` + `Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting` integration, attribute discovery (`AddMcpServer`, `WithToolsFromAssembly`, etc.) |
| **`ModelContextProtocol.AspNetCore`** | HTTP (Streamable) servers hosted in ASP.NET Core | The above + `WithHttpTransport` and `MapMcp` |
| **`ModelContextProtocol.Core`** | Pure clients, custom hosts, low-level scenarios where you don't want the `Microsoft.Extensions.*` dependencies | Just the protocol + transports + low-level `McpServer.Create` / `McpClient.CreateAsync` |
**Rule of thumb:**
- New STDIO server → `ModelContextProtocol` + `Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting`.
- New HTTP server → `ModelContextProtocol.AspNetCore` only (it transitively pulls in everything you need).
- Pure client app → `ModelContextProtocol.Core` (or `ModelContextProtocol` if you also want hosting/DI for the client).
## Versions
As of 2026, the stable line is **1.x** (`1.2.0` is current at time of writing). The `0.x` line was preview and has breaking differences — if you find docs or blog posts referencing `0.4`/`0.6`, treat them as out of date.
To check the latest:
```bash
dotnet search ModelContextProtocol --prerelease
```
## Target frameworks
The SDK targets **`.NET 8.0`** and **`netstandard2.0`**. That means it runs on:
- .NET 8 (LTS)
- .NET 9
- .NET 10 (current LTS — recommended for new projects)
- .NET Framework 4.6.2+ via netstandard2.0 (rare; only for legacy hosts)
For HTTP servers you specifically need a TFM that supports ASP.NET Core (so .NET 8/9/10).
## Project setup commands
### STDIO server
```bash
dotnet new console -n MyMcpServer -f net10.0
cd MyMcpServer
dotnet add package ModelContextProtocol
dotnet add package Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting
```
### HTTP (Streamable) server
```bash
dotnet new web -n MyMcpServer -f net10.0
cd MyMcpServer
dotnet add package ModelContextProtocol.AspNetCore
```
(`dotnet new web` gives you a minimal ASP.NET Core project — exactly what `MapMcp` needs.)
### Client
```bash
dotnet new console -n MyMcpClient -f net10.0
cd MyMcpClient
dotnet add package ModelContextProtocol.Core
```
## Optional but commonly useful
| Package | Why |
|---|---|
| `Microsoft.Extensions.AI` | Provides `IChatClient`, `ChatMessage`, `ChatRole`, `ChatOptions` — the abstractions used by `AsSamplingChatClient()` and by prompt return types. |
| `Microsoft.Extensions.AI.Abstractions` | Pulled in transitively but worth knowing about for types like `DataContent`, `TextContent`. |
| `OpenTelemetry.Extensions.Hosting` | The SDK emits OTel traces and metrics for tool calls — wire them up if the user has an observability story. |
## What about `dnx`?
Newer Microsoft examples sometimes show launching servers via `dnx PackageName --version 1.2.3`. That's a valid distribution model: publish your server as a NuGet package and let users run it without cloning. It's orthogonal to how the server itself is built — keep your code identical and just change the launch command.