Clarify RID-specific .NET tools packaging and add hybrid pattern guidance (#51297)

Copilot · richlander · gewarren · web-flow · commit 32658e4eaf26 · 2026-01-23T11:41:55.000-08:00
* Initial plan * Update RID-specific tools documentation with hybrid packaging pattern and clarifications Co-authored-by: richlander <2608468+richlander@users.noreply.github.com> * Apply suggestion from @richlander * Clarify that RID-specific packaging is transparent to users Co-authored-by: richlander <2608468+richlander@users.noreply.github.com> * Add PublishAot to ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers example Co-authored-by: richlander <2608468+richlander@users.noreply.github.com> * Remove redundant AOT tool example section Co-authored-by: richlander <2608468+richlander@users.noreply.github.com> * Add example output for dotnet10-hybrid-tool Co-authored-by: richlander <2608468+richlander@users.noreply.github.com> * Apply markdown writing style improvements per review feedback Co-authored-by: richlander <2608468+richlander@users.noreply.github.com> * Apply suggestion from @richlander * Apply suggestion from @richlander * Apply suggestion from @richlander * Apply suggestion from @richlander * Apply suggestions from code review Co-authored-by: Genevieve Warren <24882762+gewarren@users.noreply.github.com> * Apply suggestions from code review Co-authored-by: Andy (Steve) De George <67293991+adegeo@users.noreply.github.com> * Refine AOT tools packing instructions Updated the instructions for AOT tools to remove redundant commands and clarify RID-specific packing. * Clarify package structure, publishing order, and platform requirements for AOT Co-authored-by: richlander <2608468+richlander@users.noreply.github.com> * Add platform requirements and build options for Native AOT tools Co-authored-by: richlander <2608468+richlander@users.noreply.github.com> * Cleanup text --------- Co-authored-by: copilot-swe-agent[bot] <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: richlander <2608468+richlander@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: Genevieve Warren <24882762+gewarren@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: Andy (Steve) De George <67293991+adegeo@users.noreply.github.com>
diff --git a/docs/core/tools/rid-specific-tools.md b/docs/core/tools/rid-specific-tools.md
@@ -10,17 +10,17 @@ ai-usage: ai-assisted
 
 **This article applies to:** ✔️ .NET SDK 10 and later versions
 
-Package .NET tools for specific platforms and architectures so you can distribute native, fast, and trimmed applications. This capability makes it easier to distribute native, fast, trimmed .NET applications for command-line tools like MCP servers or other platform-specific utilities.
+Package .NET tools for specific platforms and architectures so you can distribute native, fast, and trimmed applications. This capability makes it easier to distribute optimized applications for command-line tools like MCP servers or other platform-specific utilities.
 
 ## Overview
 
-Starting with .NET SDK 10, you can create .NET tools that target specific Runtime Identifiers (RIDs). These tools can be:
+Starting with .NET SDK 10, you can create .NET tools that target specific operating system environments (represented by Runtime Identifiers (RIDs)). These tools can be:
 
 - **RID-specific**: Compiled for particular operating systems and architectures.
 - **Self-contained**: Include the .NET runtime and don't require a separate .NET installation.
 - **Native AOT**: Use Ahead-of-Time compilation for faster startup and smaller memory footprint.
 
-When users install a RID-specific tool, the .NET CLI automatically selects and installs the appropriate package for their platform.
+Users don't notice a difference when they install the tool. The .NET CLI automatically selects and installs the best package for their platform.
 
 ## Opt in to RID-specific packaging
 
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ Alternatively, use `ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers` for tool-specific RID configu
     <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
     <TargetFramework>net10.0</TargetFramework>
     <PackAsTool>true</PackAsTool>
+    <PublishAot>true</PublishAot>
     <ToolCommandName>mytool</ToolCommandName>
     <ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers>win-x64;linux-x64;osx-arm64</ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers>
   </PropertyGroup>
@@ -60,13 +61,36 @@ Alternatively, use `ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers` for tool-specific RID configu
 
 Use a semicolon-delimited list of RID values. For a list of Runtime Identifiers, see the [RID catalog](../rid-catalog.md).
 
+### When to use `RuntimeIdentifiers` vs `ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers`
+
+Both `RuntimeIdentifiers` and `ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers` opt your tool into RID-specific packaging, but they serve slightly different purposes:
+
+Use **`RuntimeIdentifiers`** when:
+
+- You want the project to **build and publish RID-specific apps in general** (not just as a tool).
+- You're primarily targeting **CoreCLR** (non-AOT) or you want the standard SDK behavior where a single `dotnet pack` produces multiple RID-specific packages.
+- You may conditionalize `PublishAot` for a subset of RIDs, but you still want a CoreCLR-based package for every RID in `RuntimeIdentifiers`.
+
+Use **`ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers`** when:
+
+- You want to define **RID-specific behavior only for the tool packaging**, without changing how the project builds for other deployment scenarios.
+- You're using **Native AOT** and plan to **manually build** AOT binaries per RID with `dotnet pack -r <RID>`.
+- You want a **hybrid model** where some RIDs get Native AOT and others fall back to a portable CoreCLR implementation.
+
+Notes:
+
+- The top-level pointer package specifies the available RID-specific packages. If you specify `ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers`, it determines the tool RIDs; otherwise, `RuntimeIdentifiers` is used.
+- `ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers` should be equal to or a subset of the RIDs in `RuntimeIdentifiers`
+- When `PublishAot=true`, RID-specific packages are generated only when you pack for a specific RID (for example, `dotnet pack -r linux-x64`).
+- Native AOT builds (`PublishAot=true`) is only supported when the build OS and target OS match.
+
 ## Package your tool
 
 The packaging process differs depending on whether you're using AOT compilation. To build a NuGet package, or *.nupkg* file from the project, run the [dotnet pack](dotnet-pack.md) command.
 
 ### RID-specific and self-contained tools
 
-For tools without AOT compilation, run `dotnet pack` once:
+Run `dotnet pack` once:
 
 ```dotnetcli
 dotnet pack
@@ -83,124 +107,189 @@ This command creates multiple NuGet packages:
 
 ### AOT tools
 
-For tools with AOT compilation (`<PublishAot>true</PublishAot>`), you must pack separately for each platform:
+For tools with AOT compilation (`<PublishAot>true</PublishAot>`), you must pack separately for each platform.
 
-- Pack the top-level package once (on any platform):
+#### Platform requirements for Native AOT
 
-   ```dotnetcli
-   dotnet pack
+Native AOT compilation requires the operating system (OS) part of the SDK RID to match the target RID's OS. The SDK can cross-compile for different architectures (for example, x64 to ARM64) but not across operating systems (for example, Windows to Linux).
+
+This means you have several options for building Native AOT packages:
+
+- **Build only for your development machine**: Support Native AOT only for the OS you're developing on.
+- **Use containers for Linux builds**: If you're on macOS or Windows, use containers to cross-compile for Linux. For example, use `mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:10.0-noble-aot` container images.
+- **Federate your build across machines**: Use CI/CD systems like GitHub Actions or Azure DevOps Pipelines to build on different operating systems.
+
+You don't need to build all RID-specific packages on the same machine or at the same time. You just need to build and publish them before you publish the top-level package.
+
+#### Packing Native AOT tools
+
+Pack the top-level package once (on any platform):
+
+```dotnetcli
+dotnet pack
+```
+
+Pack for each specific RID on the corresponding platform, for example:
+
+```dotnetcli
+dotnet pack -r linux-x64
+```
+
+You must run each RID-specific pack command on a platform where the OS matches the target RID's OS. For more information about the prerequisites for Native AOT compilation, see [Native AOT deployment](../deploying/native-aot/index.md).
+
+When you set `PublishAot` to `true`, the packing behavior changes:
+
+- `dotnet pack` produces the **top-level pointer package** (package type `DotnetTool`).
+- RID-specific AOT packages are produced only when you explicitly pass `-r <RID>`, for example, `dotnet pack -r linux-x64` or `dotnet pack -r osx-arm64`.
+
+### Hybrid AOT + CoreCLR packaging pattern (example)
+
+Some tools want the best of both worlds:
+
+- **Native AOT** for a subset of high-priority platforms (depending on the tool).
+- A **portable CoreCLR fallback** that works on platforms not targeted by the Native AOT builds.
+
+You can achieve this "hybrid" model with the following pattern:
+
+1. **Configure the tool for Native AOT and tool-specific RIDs.**
+
+   In your project file, use `ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers` and enable `PublishAot`.
+
+   For example:
+
+   ```xml
+   <ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers>osx-arm64;linux-arm64;linux-x64;any</ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers>
+   <PublishAot>true</PublishAot>
    ```
 
-- Pack for each specific RID on the corresponding platform:
+1. **Create the pointer package.**
+
+   Run `dotnet pack` once (on any platform) to build the top-level package that points to the RID-specific packages:
 
    ```dotnetcli
-   dotnet pack -r win-x64
-   dotnet pack -r linux-x64
-   dotnet pack -r osx-arm64
+   dotnet pack
    ```
 
-   You must run each RID-specific pack command on the matching platform because AOT compilation produces native binaries. For more information about the prerequisites for Native AOT compilation, see [Native AOT deployment](../deploying/native-aot/index.md).
+1. **Build Native AOT packages for selected RIDs.**
 
-## Package structure
+   Native AOT compilation requires building on the target platform. Build each AOT-enabled RID package on the matching platform using `dotnet pack -r <RID>`.
 
-### Package types
+  For example:
 
-RID-specific tool packages use two package types:
+  ```
+  dotnet pack -r linux-x64
+  ```
 
-- **DotnetTool**: The top-level package that contains metadata.
-- **DotnetToolRidPackage**: The RID-specific packages that contain the actual tool binaries.
+1. **Build a CoreCLR fallback package.**
 
-### Package metadata
+   To provide a universal fallback, pack the `any` RID without AOT:
 
-The top-level package includes metadata that signals it's a RID-specific tool and lists the RID-specific packages. When you run `dotnet tool install`, the CLI reads this metadata to determine which RID-specific package to install for the current platform.
+   ```dotnetcli
+   dotnet pack -r any -p:PublishAot=false
+   ```
 
-## Publish your tool
+   This produces a portable CoreCLR package (for example, `yourtool.any.<version>.nupkg`) that can run on platforms that don't have a dedicated AOT build.
+
+> [!NOTE]
+> You can also use the `.NET SDK 10.0-noble-aot` container images to build and package Linux Native AOT tools from any host that supports Linux containers. For example:
+>
+> - `mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:10.0-noble-aot`
+>
+> This is useful when your development machine isn't running Linux natively.
+
+In this hybrid setup:
+
+- The pointer package (`yourtool.<version>.nupkg`) references both:
+  - RID-specific Native AOT packages (for example, `yourtool.osx-arm64`, `yourtool.linux-x64`).
+  - The `any` CoreCLR package as a fallback.
+- The .NET CLI automatically picks the most appropriate package for the user's platform when they run `dotnet tool install` or `dnx`.
+
+#### Example: `dotnet10-hybrid-tool`
+
+The [`dotnet10-hybrid-tool` repository](https://github.com/richlander/dotnet10-hybrid-tool) demonstrates this hybrid packaging pattern with Native AOT packages for `osx-arm64`, `linux-arm64`, and `linux-x64`, plus a CoreCLR fallback package for the `any` RID (used, for example, on Windows when no AOT build is available).
 
-Publish all packages to NuGet.org or your package feed by using [dotnet nuget push](dotnet-nuget-push.md):
+You can install and try the tool yourself:
 
 ```dotnetcli
-dotnet nuget push path/to/package/root/*.nupkg
+dotnet tool install -g dotnet10-hybrid-tool
+dotnet10-hybrid-tool
 ```
 
-## Run a RID-specific tool
+The tool reports its runtime framework description, runtime identifier (RID), and compilation mode (Native AOT or CoreCLR).
 
-Users run RID-specific tools the same way as platform-agnostic tools:
+Example output on a platform with Native AOT:
 
-```dotnetcli
-dnx mytool
+```output
+Hi, I'm a 'DotNetCliTool v2' tool!
+Yes, I'm quite fancy.
+
+Version: .NET 10.0.2
+RID: osx-arm64
+Mode: Native AOT
 ```
 
-The CLI automatically:
+Example output on a platform using the CoreCLR fallback:
 
-1. Downloads the top-level package.
-1. Reads the RID-specific metadata.
-1. Identifies the most appropriate package for the current platform.
-1. Downloads and runs the RID-specific package.
+```output
+Hi, I'm a 'DotNetCliTool v2' tool!
+Yes, I'm quite fancy.
 
-## Example: Create an AOT tool
+Version: .NET 10.0.2
+RID: win-x64
+Mode: CoreCLR
+```
 
-Here's a complete example of creating an AOT-compiled RID-specific tool:
+This makes it a useful way to experiment with RID-specific, AOT-compiled tools and the CoreCLR fallback behavior.
 
-1. Create a new console application:
+## Publish your tool
 
-   ```dotnetcli
-   dotnet new console -n MyFastTool
-   cd MyFastTool
-   ```
+When publishing RID-specific tool packages, the .NET CLI uses the version number of the top-level package to select the matching RID-specific packages. This means:
 
-1. Update the project file to enable AOT and RID-specific packaging:
+- All RID-specific packages must have the exact same version as the top-level package.
+- All packages must be published to your feed before the top-level package becomes available.
 
-   ```xml
-   <Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
-     <PropertyGroup>
-       <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
-       <TargetFramework>net10.0</TargetFramework>
-       <PackAsTool>true</PackAsTool>
-       <ToolCommandName>myfasttool</ToolCommandName>
-       <RuntimeIdentifiers>win-x64;linux-x64;osx-arm64</RuntimeIdentifiers>
-       <PublishAot>true</PublishAot>
-       <PackageId>MyFastTool</PackageId>
-       <Version>1.0.0</Version>
-       <Authors>Your Name</Authors>
-       <Description>A fast AOT-compiled tool</Description>
-     </PropertyGroup>
-   </Project>
-   ```
+To ensure a smooth publishing process:
 
-1. Add your application code in `Program.cs`:
+1. Publish all RID-specific packages first:
 
-   ```csharp
-   Console.WriteLine("Hello from MyFastTool!");
-   Console.WriteLine($"Running on {Environment.OSVersion}");
+   ```dotnetcli
+   dotnet nuget push yourtool.win-x64.1.0.0.nupkg
+   dotnet nuget push yourtool.linux-x64.1.0.0.nupkg
+   dotnet nuget push yourtool.osx-arm64.1.0.0.nupkg
+   dotnet nuget push yourtool.any.1.0.0.nupkg
    ```
 
-1. Pack the top-level package:
+1. Publish the top-level package last:
 
    ```dotnetcli
-   dotnet pack
+   dotnet nuget push yourtool.1.0.0.nupkg
    ```
 
-1. Pack for each specific RID (on the corresponding platform):
+Publishing the top-level package last ensures that all referenced RID-specific packages are available when users install your tool. If a user installs your tool before all RID packages are published, the installation will fail.
 
-   On Windows:
+## Install and run tools
 
-   ```dotnetcli
-   dotnet pack -r win-x64
-   ```
+Whether a tool uses RID-specific packaging is an implementation detail that's transparent to users. You install and run tools the same way, regardless of whether the tool developer opted into RID-specific packaging.
 
-   On Linux:
+To install a tool globally:
 
-   ```dotnetcli
-   dotnet pack -r linux-x64
-   ```
+```dotnetcli
+dotnet tool install -g mytool
+```
 
-   On macOS:
+Once installed, you can invoke it directly:
 
-   ```dotnetcli
-   dotnet pack -r osx-arm64
-   ```
+```dotnetcli
+mytool
+```
+
+You can also use the `dnx` helper, which behaves similarly to `npx` in the Node.js ecosystem: it downloads and launches a tool in a single gesture if it isn't already present:
+
+```dotnetcli
+dnx mytool
+```
 
-1. Publish all packages to NuGet.org by using the [dotnet nuget push](dotnet-nuget-push.md) command.
+When a tool uses RID-specific packaging, the .NET CLI automatically selects the correct package for your platform. You don't need to specify a RID—the CLI infers it from your system and downloads the appropriate RID-specific package.
 
 ## See also
 
