legacy-package-migrator

Legacy Package Migrator (packages.config -> PackageReference -> CPM)

Move a .NET Framework solution off packages.config and onto PackageReference, then lift all versions into a single Directory.Packages.props using Central Package Management (CPM). The goal is one source of truth for every NuGet version across every project -- including third-party extension projects -- so nobody ends up with two versions of the same package in one solution.

Input — point it at your code

You don't need pasted files. Work from whatever target the user gives:

• A solution / repo root — the .sln and every project under it
• A folder — scan for packages.config, *.csproj, app.config/web.config
• A single project — one .csproj + its packages.config
• A GitHub URL — clone first: git clone --depth 1 <url> /tmp/repo && cd /tmp/repo

Discover the packaging state yourself with Glob/Grep/Bash instead of asking for a paste:

grep -rl "packages.config" <target> | grep -vi "/obj/\|/bin/"
# version drift across the solution:
grep -rhn "id=\"Newtonsoft.Json\"" --include=packages.config <target>
grep -rn "<PackageReference" --include=*.csproj <target>

Tell the user which projects you scanned, and always show the drift inventory before writing Directory.Packages.props.

When this runs

The user has a packages.config-based solution (usually .NET Framework, often many projects) and wants to modernize package management, pin transitive versions, or stop version drift across modules and vendor extensions. They may point at a folder, paste a .csproj / packages.config, or just describe the mess.

If you don't have the files, ask for: the solution's project list, one representative .csproj + its packages.config, and whether third-party/vendor projects live in the same solution or reference the same packages.

Why this order matters

Do it in two stages, never one. Each stage is independently verifiable and revertible:

1. Stage 1 -- packages.config -> PackageReference (per project). Behavior-preserving; versions still live in each .csproj.
2. Stage 2 -- PackageReference -> Central Package Management. Hoist every version into one Directory.Packages.props; strip versions from projects.