Publishes to package managers. Homebrew, apt/deb, winget, Scoop, Chocolatey manifests.
Multi-platform packaging for .NET CLI tools: Homebrew formula authoring (binary tap and cask), apt/deb packaging with dpkg-deb, winget manifest YAML schema and PR submission to winget-pkgs, Scoop manifest JSON, Chocolatey package creation, dotnet tool global/local packaging, and NuGet distribution.
Version assumptions: .NET 8.0+ baseline. Package manager formats are stable across .NET versions.
Cross-references: [skill:dotnet-cli-distribution] for distribution strategy and RID matrix, [skill:dotnet-cli-release-pipeline] for automated package publishing, [skill:dotnet-native-aot] for AOT binary production, [skill:dotnet-containers] for container-based distribution, [skill:dotnet-tool-management] for consumer-side tool installation and manifest management.
Homebrew is the primary package manager for macOS and widely used on Linux. Two distribution formats exist for CLI tools.
A formula downloads pre-built binaries per platform. This is the recommended approach for Native AOT CLI tools.
# Formula/mytool.rb
class Mytool < Formula
desc "A CLI tool for managing widgets"
homepage "https://github.com/myorg/mytool"
version "1.2.3"
license "MIT"
on_macos do
on_arm do
url "https://github.com/myorg/mytool/releases/download/v1.2.3/mytool-1.2.3-osx-arm64.tar.gz"
sha256 "abc123..."
end
# Optional: remove on_intel block if not targeting Intel Macs
on_intel do
url "https://github.com/myorg/mytool/releases/download/v1.2.3/mytool-1.2.3-osx-x64.tar.gz"
sha256 "def456..."
end
end
on_linux do
on_arm do
url "https://github.com/myorg/mytool/releases/download/v1.2.3/mytool-1.2.3-linux-arm64.tar.gz"
sha256 "ghi789..."
end
on_intel do
url "https://github.com/myorg/mytool/releases/download/v1.2.3/mytool-1.2.3-linux-x64.tar.gz"
sha256 "jkl012..."
end
end
def install
bin.install "mytool"
end
test do
assert_match version.to_s, shell_output("#{bin}/mytool --version")
end
end
A tap is a Git repository containing formulae. Create a repo named homebrew-tap:
myorg/homebrew-tap/
Formula/
mytool.rb
Users install with:
brew tap myorg/tap
brew install mytool
Casks are for GUI applications or tools with an installer. For pure CLI tools, prefer formulae over casks.
# Casks/mytool.rb -- only if the tool has a GUI component
cask "mytool" do
version "1.2.3"
sha256 "abc123..."
url "https://github.com/myorg/mytool/releases/download/v#{version}/mytool-#{version}-osx-arm64.tar.gz"
name "MyTool"
homepage "https://github.com/myorg/mytool"
binary "mytool"
end
Create the package directory structure:
mytool_1.2.3_amd64/
DEBIAN/
control
usr/
bin/
mytool
Control file:
Package: mytool
Version: 1.2.3
Section: utils
Priority: optional
Architecture: amd64
Maintainer: My Org <[email protected]>
Description: A CLI tool for managing widgets
MyTool provides fast widget management from the command line.
Built with .NET Native AOT for zero-dependency execution.
Homepage: https://github.com/myorg/mytool
Build the package:
#!/bin/bash
set -euo pipefail
VERSION="${1:?Usage: build-deb.sh <version>}"
ARCH="amd64" # or arm64
PKG_DIR="mytool_${VERSION}_${ARCH}"
mkdir -p "$PKG_DIR/DEBIAN"
mkdir -p "$PKG_DIR/usr/bin"
# Copy the published binary
cp "artifacts/linux-x64/mytool" "$PKG_DIR/usr/bin/mytool"
chmod 755 "$PKG_DIR/usr/bin/mytool"
# Write control file
cat > "$PKG_DIR/DEBIAN/control" << EOF
Package: mytool
Version: ${VERSION}
Section: utils
Priority: optional
Architecture: ${ARCH}
Maintainer: My Org <[email protected]>
Description: A CLI tool for managing widgets
Homepage: https://github.com/myorg/mytool
EOF
# Build the .deb
dpkg-deb --build --root-owner-group "$PKG_DIR"
echo "Built: ${PKG_DIR}.deb"
RID to Debian architecture mapping:
| .NET RID | Debian Architecture |
|---|---|
linux-x64 | amd64 |
linux-arm64 | arm64 |
sudo dpkg -i mytool_1.2.3_amd64.deb
winget manifests consist of multiple YAML files in a versioned directory structure within the microsoft/winget-pkgs repository.
Directory structure:
manifests/
m/
MyOrg/
MyTool/
1.2.3/
MyOrg.MyTool.yaml # Version manifest
MyOrg.MyTool.installer.yaml # Installer manifest
MyOrg.MyTool.locale.en-US.yaml # Locale manifest
Version manifest (MyOrg.MyTool.yaml):
PackageIdentifier: MyOrg.MyTool
PackageVersion: 1.2.3
DefaultLocale: en-US
ManifestType: version
ManifestVersion: 1.9.0
Installer manifest (MyOrg.MyTool.installer.yaml):
PackageIdentifier: MyOrg.MyTool
PackageVersion: 1.2.3
InstallerType: zip
NestedInstallerType: portable
NestedInstallerFiles:
- RelativeFilePath: mytool.exe
PortableCommandAlias: mytool
Installers:
- Architecture: x64
InstallerUrl: https://github.com/myorg/mytool/releases/download/v1.2.3/mytool-1.2.3-win-x64.zip
InstallerSha256: ABC123...
- Architecture: arm64
InstallerUrl: https://github.com/myorg/mytool/releases/download/v1.2.3/mytool-1.2.3-win-arm64.zip
InstallerSha256: DEF456...
ManifestType: installer
ManifestVersion: 1.9.0
Locale manifest (MyOrg.MyTool.locale.en-US.yaml):
PackageIdentifier: MyOrg.MyTool
PackageVersion: 1.2.3
PackageLocale: en-US
PackageName: MyTool
Publisher: My Org
ShortDescription: A CLI tool for managing widgets
License: MIT
PackageUrl: https://github.com/myorg/mytool
ManifestType: defaultLocale
ManifestVersion: 1.9.0
microsoft/winget-pkgs on GitHubwinget validate --manifest <path>See [skill:dotnet-cli-release-pipeline] for automating winget PR creation.
Scoop is popular among Windows power users. Manifests are JSON files in a bucket repository.
{
"version": "1.2.3",
"description": "A CLI tool for managing widgets",
"homepage": "https://github.com/myorg/mytool",
"license": "MIT",
"architecture": {
"64bit": {
"url": "https://github.com/myorg/mytool/releases/download/v1.2.3/mytool-1.2.3-win-x64.zip",
"hash": "abc123..."
},
"arm64": {
"url": "https://github.com/myorg/mytool/releases/download/v1.2.3/mytool-1.2.3-win-arm64.zip",
"hash": "def456..."
}
},
"bin": "mytool.exe",
"checkver": {
"github": "https://github.com/myorg/mytool"
},
"autoupdate": {
"architecture": {
"64bit": {
"url": "https://github.com/myorg/mytool/releases/download/v$version/mytool-$version-win-x64.zip"
},
"arm64": {
"url": "https://github.com/myorg/mytool/releases/download/v$version/mytool-$version-win-arm64.zip"
}
}
}
}
Create a GitHub repo named scoop-mytool (or scoop-bucket):
myorg/scoop-mytool/
bucket/
mytool.json
Users install with:
scoop bucket add myorg https://github.com/myorg/scoop-mytool
scoop install mytool
Chocolatey is Windows' most established package manager for binary distribution.
mytool/
mytool.nuspec
tools/
chocolateyInstall.ps1
LICENSE.txt
mytool.nuspec:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<package xmlns="http://schemas.xmldata.org/2004/07/nuspec">
<metadata>
<id>mytool</id>
<version>1.2.3</version>
<title>MyTool</title>
<authors>My Org</authors>
<projectUrl>https://github.com/myorg/mytool</projectUrl>
<license type="expression">MIT</license>
<description>A CLI tool for managing widgets.</description>
<tags>cli dotnet tools</tags>
</metadata>
</package>
tools/chocolateyInstall.ps1:
$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
$packageArgs = @{
packageName = 'mytool'
url64bit = 'https://github.com/myorg/mytool/releases/download/v1.2.3/mytool-1.2.3-win-x64.zip'
checksum64 = 'ABC123...'
checksumType64 = 'sha256'
unzipLocation = "$(Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition)"
}
Install-ChocolateyZipPackage @packageArgs
# Pack the .nupkg
choco pack mytool.nuspec
# Test locally
choco install mytool --source="." --force
# Push to Chocolatey Community Repository
choco push mytool.1.2.3.nupkg --source https://push.chocolatey.org/ --api-key $env:CHOCO_API_KEY
dotnet tool is the simplest distribution for .NET developers. Tools are distributed as NuGet packages.
<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
<PropertyGroup>
<OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
<TargetFramework>net8.0</TargetFramework>
<!-- Tool packaging properties -->
<PackAsTool>true</PackAsTool>
<ToolCommandName>mytool</ToolCommandName>
<PackageId>MyOrg.MyTool</PackageId>
<Version>1.2.3</Version>
<Description>A CLI tool for managing widgets</Description>
<Authors>My Org</Authors>
<PackageLicenseExpression>MIT</PackageLicenseExpression>
<PackageProjectUrl>https://github.com/myorg/mytool</PackageProjectUrl>
<PackageReadmeFile>README.md</PackageReadmeFile>
</PropertyGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<None Include="../../README.md" Pack="true" PackagePath="/" />
</ItemGroup>
</Project>
# Pack the tool
dotnet pack -c Release
# Publish to NuGet.org
dotnet nuget push bin/Release/MyOrg.MyTool.1.2.3.nupkg \
--source https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json \
--api-key "$NUGET_API_KEY"
# Global tool (available system-wide)
dotnet tool install -g MyOrg.MyTool
# Local tool (per-project, tracked in .config/dotnet-tools.json)
dotnet new tool-manifest # first time only
dotnet tool install MyOrg.MyTool
# Update
dotnet tool update -g MyOrg.MyTool
# Run local tool
dotnet tool run mytool
# or just:
dotnet mytool
| Aspect | Global Tool | Local Tool |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | System-wide (per user) | Per-project directory |
| Install location | ~/.dotnet/tools | .config/dotnet-tools.json |
| Version management | Manual update | Tracked in source control |
| CI/CD | Must install before use | dotnet tool restore restores all |
| Best for | Personal productivity tools | Project-specific build tools |
For tools distributed as NuGet packages (either as dotnet tool or standalone):
<PropertyGroup>
<PackageId>MyOrg.MyTool</PackageId>
<Version>1.2.3</Version>
<Description>A CLI tool for managing widgets</Description>
<Authors>My Org</Authors>
<PackageLicenseExpression>MIT</PackageLicenseExpression>
<PackageProjectUrl>https://github.com/myorg/mytool</PackageProjectUrl>
<PackageReadmeFile>README.md</PackageReadmeFile>
<PackageTags>cli;tools;widgets</PackageTags>
<RepositoryUrl>https://github.com/myorg/mytool</RepositoryUrl>
<RepositoryType>git</RepositoryType>
</PropertyGroup>
# Pack
dotnet pack -c Release -o ./nupkgs
# Push (use env var for API key -- never hardcode)
dotnet nuget push ./nupkgs/MyOrg.MyTool.1.2.3.nupkg \
--source https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json \
--api-key "$NUGET_API_KEY"
# Push to a private feed (Azure Artifacts, GitHub Packages, etc.)
dotnet nuget push ./nupkgs/MyOrg.MyTool.1.2.3.nupkg \
--source https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/myorg/_packaging/myfeed/nuget/v3/index.json \
--api-key "$AZURE_ARTIFACTS_PAT"
| Format | Platform | Requires .NET | Auto-Update | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homebrew formula | macOS, Linux | No (binary tap) | brew upgrade | Medium |
| apt/deb | Debian/Ubuntu | No (AOT binary) | Via apt repo | Medium |
| winget | Windows 10+ | No (portable) | winget upgrade | Medium |
| Scoop | Windows | No (portable) | scoop update | Low |
| Chocolatey | Windows | No | choco upgrade | Medium |
| dotnet tool | Cross-platform | Yes (SDK) | dotnet tool update | Low |
| NuGet (library) | Cross-platform | Yes (SDK) | NuGet restore | Low |
InstallerType: exe for portable CLI tools in winget. Use InstallerType: zip with NestedInstallerType: portable for standalone executables. The exe type implies an installer with silent flags.PackAsTool for dotnet tool projects. Without <PackAsTool>true</PackAsTool>, dotnet pack produces a library package, not an installable tool.$NUGET_API_KEY, $env:CHOCO_API_KEY) with a comment noting CI secret configuration.test block in Homebrew formulae. Homebrew CI runs formula tests. A missing test block causes review rejection. At minimum, test --version output.