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agent-tooling/.agents/skills/aspire-orchestration/references/detection.md 5,214 bytes · Updated Oct 23, 2026 10:44 AM EDT

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Detection — Recognizing Aspire Projects

Purpose: How to identify that a project uses Aspire, and which project is the AppHost.

Detection Signals

1. C# AppHost (Definitive — Strongest Signal)

Look for .csproj files containing the Aspire AppHost SDK reference:

xml

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <Sdk Name="Aspire.AppHost.Sdk" Version="10.0.0" />
  <!-- ... -->
</Project>

Detection method: Search for Aspire.AppHost.Sdk in .csproj files:

bash

grep -rl "Aspire.AppHost.Sdk" --include="*.csproj" .

This is the definitive signal — if a .csproj contains this SDK reference, it is an Aspire AppHost project. All Aspire CLI commands should target this project's directory.

1b. File-Based C# AppHost (Definitive)

Single-file C# AppHosts use apphost.cs (or similar .cs files) with SDK directives instead of a .csproj:

#:sdk Aspire.AppHost.Sdk
#:property IsAspireHost=true

var builder = DistributedApplication.CreateBuilder(args);
// ...

Detection method: Search for apphost.cs or .cs files containing #:sdk Aspire.AppHost.Sdk:

bash

find . -name "apphost.cs" -not -path "*/node_modules/*"
grep -rl "#:sdk Aspire.AppHost.Sdk" --include="*.cs" .

File-based AppHosts are run the same way: aspire start (never dotnet apphost.cs directly).

2. TypeScript AppHost (Definitive)

Look for an apphost.ts file in the project:

bash

find . -name "apphost.ts" -not -path "*/node_modules/*"

A TypeScript AppHost uses the @aspire/apphost package and defines resources programmatically in TypeScript instead of C#.

3. `.aspire/modules/` Directory (High Confidence)

Aspire generates a .aspire/modules/ directory for TypeScript AppHost support files. Its presence strongly indicates an Aspire project:

bash

[ -d ".aspire/modules" ] && echo "Aspire project detected"

4. `aspire.config.json` Configuration (High Confidence)

Aspire 13.2+ uses a rooted aspire.config.json file (replaces legacy aspire.json):

bash

[ -f "aspire.config.json" ] && echo "Aspire configuration found"
# Legacy fallback:
[ -f "aspire.json" ] && echo "Legacy Aspire config found (pre-13.2)"

5. `.aspire/` Directory (High Confidence)

The .aspire/ directory stores Aspire settings and secrets:

bash

[ -d ".aspire" ] && echo "Aspire settings directory found"

6. Service Defaults References (Medium Confidence)

Projects that reference Aspire.ServiceDefaults are Aspire service projects (not the AppHost, but part of an Aspire solution):

bash

grep -rl "Aspire.ServiceDefaults" --include="*.csproj" .

This indicates the project is part of an Aspire solution, but these are the service projects, not the AppHost. Look for the AppHost SDK reference separately.

Detection Priority

When scanning a repository, check signals in this order:

Priority	Signal	What It Means
1	`Aspire.AppHost.Sdk` in `.csproj`	This IS the AppHost — target for `aspire start`
1b	`apphost.cs` or `#:sdk Aspire.AppHost.Sdk` in `.cs`	File-based C# AppHost — target for `aspire start`
2	`apphost.ts` file	TypeScript AppHost — target for `aspire start`
3	`.aspire/modules/` directory	Aspire project — look for the AppHost
4	`aspire.config.json` or `.aspire/`	Aspire project — look for the AppHost
5	`Aspire.ServiceDefaults` references	Part of Aspire solution — AppHost is elsewhere

Finding the AppHost Directory

The Aspire CLI commands must be run from the correct context. After detecting an Aspire project:

bash

# Find the AppHost project directory
APPHOST_DIR=$(dirname $(grep -rl "Aspire.AppHost.Sdk" --include="*.csproj" .))

# Or for file-based C# AppHost
APPHOST_FILE=$(find . -name "apphost.cs" -not -path "*/node_modules/*" | head -1)

# Or for TypeScript
APPHOST_DIR=$(dirname $(find . -name "apphost.ts" -not -path "*/node_modules/*" | head -1))

Common Project Structures

Typical C# Aspire Solution

MyApp/
├── MyApp.AppHost/              ← AppHost (has Aspire.AppHost.Sdk)
│   ├── MyApp.AppHost.csproj
│   └── Program.cs
├── MyApp.ApiService/           ← Service project
│   └── MyApp.ApiService.csproj
├── MyApp.Web/                  ← Frontend project
│   └── MyApp.Web.csproj
├── MyApp.ServiceDefaults/      ← Shared defaults
│   └── MyApp.ServiceDefaults.csproj
├── .aspire/
│   └── modules/                ← Aspire-generated
├── aspire.config.json
└── MyApp.sln

Typical TypeScript Aspire Project

MyApp/
├── apphost.ts                  ← TypeScript AppHost
├── package.json
├── src/
│   ├── api/                    ← Service project
│   └── web/                    ← Frontend project
├── .aspire/
│   └── modules/
└── aspire.config.json

Non-Aspire Projects

If none of the detection signals are found, this is not an Aspire project. Do not apply Aspire-specific rules. Standard .NET commands (dotnet run, dotnet build) are appropriate for non-Aspire projects.

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Agent Tooling (71)

Detection — Recognizing Aspire Projects

Detection Signals

1. C# AppHost (Definitive — Strongest Signal)

1b. File-Based C# AppHost (Definitive)

2. TypeScript AppHost (Definitive)

3. .aspire/modules/ Directory (High Confidence)

4. aspire.config.json Configuration (High Confidence)

5. .aspire/ Directory (High Confidence)

6. Service Defaults References (Medium Confidence)

Detection Priority

Finding the AppHost Directory

Common Project Structures

Typical C# Aspire Solution

Typical TypeScript Aspire Project

Non-Aspire Projects

3. `.aspire/modules/` Directory (High Confidence)

4. `aspire.config.json` Configuration (High Confidence)

5. `.aspire/` Directory (High Confidence)