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buildcharts init scaffolds the files that BuildCharts needs to generate a Bake plan.

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What scaffolding means in BuildCharts

Scaffolding is the step where BuildCharts inspects a repository, infers a reasonable starting build model, and writes the metadata files for you. At a high level, the goal is:
  • find recognizable project files
  • infer which build stage types the repository needs
  • generate a starter build.yml
  • generate a matching charts/buildcharts/Chart.yaml
This is automatic stage wiring. Instead of starting from an empty config, BuildCharts inspects the repository shape and scaffolds the most likely target types for each project.

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How the current implementation works

The current implementation is file-type driven. It detects the repository type first, then applies language-specific scaffolding rules. Today, the only supported repository type is .NET:
  • a .sln or .slnx file identifies the repository as a supported .NET solution
  • .csproj files are inspected to infer additional target types
For .NET repositories, the generated stages are based on the buildcharts/dotnet chart set.

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What it creates

In a supported .NET repository, buildcharts init creates:
  • build.yml
  • charts/buildcharts/Chart.yaml
  • .github/workflows/buildcharts.yml when the repository remote points to GitHub

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What it detects

The current scaffolding flow is .NET-specific. It detects:
  • a .sln or .slnx file
  • test projects from common test package references such as Microsoft.NET.Test.Sdk, xunit, or nunit
  • NuGet package projects from package metadata such as <PackageId> or <GeneratePackageOnBuild>true</GeneratePackageOnBuild>
  • Docker targets when a project folder contains a local Dockerfile
  • the .NET SDK version from global.json or target frameworks

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What the generated metadata looks like

The scaffolded build.yml includes:
  • VERSION and COMMIT variables
  • one build target for the solution
  • additional test, nuget, or docker targets when matching projects are found
BuildCharts does more than detect that a repository is .NET. It also maps each discovered file to an appropriate stage type automatically.

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What the generated chart file looks like

The scaffolded Chart.yaml maps default aliases to OCI-hosted charts:
  • build
  • test
  • nuget
  • docker

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Typical flow

buildcharts init
buildcharts update
buildcharts generate
docker buildx bake --file .buildcharts/docker-bake.hcl
Last modified on March 15, 2026