dotnet · danroth27 · Jun 29, 2026
@@ -0,0 +1,242 @@
+# .NET SDK in .NET 11 Preview 6 - Release Notes
+
+<!-- Verified against changes.json for 11.0 Preview 6; no ref-pack API diff applies to SDK -->
+
+.NET 11 Preview 6 includes significant SDK, CLI, and testing improvements:
+
+- [NativeAOT CLI serves the full command surface](#nativeaot-cli-serves-the-full-command-surface)
+- [`dotnet test` gains new options and improved output](#dotnet-test-gains-new-options-and-improved-output)
+- [Test templates support xUnit v3 and NUnit on Microsoft.Testing.Platform](#test-templates-support-xunit-v3-and-nunit-on-microsofttestingplatform)
+- [File-based apps support `#:include .dll` references](#file-based-apps-support-include-dll-references)
+- [Container publishing supports multi-arch builds with Podman](#container-publishing-supports-multi-arch-builds-with-podman)
+- [TypeScript outputs integrate with Static Web Assets](#typescript-outputs-integrate-with-static-web-assets)
+- [CLI honors MSBuild server and standard OpenTelemetry env vars](#cli-honors-msbuild-server-and-standard-opentelemetry-env-vars)
+- [Bug fixes](#bug-fixes)
+- [Community contributors](#community-contributors)
+
+.NET SDK updates in .NET 11:
+
+- [What's new in .NET 11](https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/core/whats-new/dotnet-11/sdk)
+
+## NativeAOT CLI serves the full command surface
+
+Preview 5 packaged the NativeAOT `dotnet-aot` library and gated it behind
+`DOTNET_CLI_ENABLEAOT=true`. Preview 6 unifies the managed and NativeAOT CLI
+parsers into a single shared implementation, so the AOT fast path now parses,
+validates, and renders `--help` for every command — not just the small subset it
+previously handled
+([dotnet/sdk #54653](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54653)).
+
+Commands that can run entirely without the managed runtime execute natively.
+Every other command transparently falls back to the managed CLI. In Preview 6
+the following commands are fully served from the AOT path:
+
+- `dotnet --version`, `dotnet --info`, `dotnet --help`
+- `dotnet <command> --help` for every built-in command
+- `dotnet --cli-schema`
+- `dotnet sln list`, `dotnet sln migrate`, `dotnet sln remove`
+  ([dotnet/sdk #54384](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54384))
+
+Tool and external-command invocations (global tools, PATH commands, app-base
+commands) now resolve and launch out-of-process from the AOT path as well,
+skipping the 600–700 ms managed CLI startup for commands like `dotnet ef` or
+`dotnet dev-certs`
+([dotnet/sdk #54810](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54810)).
+
+OpenTelemetry tracing spans are emitted from the AOT path with correct
+parent/child relationships to the managed CLI spans, enabling end-to-end
+distributed trace analysis across both hosts
+([dotnet/sdk #54544](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54544)).
+
+## `dotnet test` gains new options and improved output
+
+Preview 6 adds several capabilities to `dotnet test` when running through
+Microsoft.Testing.Platform (MTP):
+
+**`--no-dependencies`** skips building project-to-project references, matching
+the existing `dotnet build --no-dependencies` behavior
+([dotnet/sdk #54435](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54435)):
+
+```bash
+dotnet test --no-dependencies
+```
+
+**`DOTNET_TEST_RUNNER` environment variable** selects the test runner without
+requiring a `global.json` change. Set it to `VSTest` or
+`Microsoft.Testing.Platform` to override `global.json` for the current session
+([dotnet/sdk #54482](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54482)):
+
+```bash
+export DOTNET_TEST_RUNNER=Microsoft.Testing.Platform
+dotnet test
+```
+
+**`--use-current-runtime` / `--ucr`** targets the current runtime during restore
+and build, matching the option already available on `dotnet build` and
+`dotnet publish`
+([dotnet/sdk #54495](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54495)).
+
+**`--test-modules` exclusion patterns** — patterns starting with `!` are now
+treated as excludes, and whitespace between semicolons is trimmed, making
+YAML-folded CI expressions work correctly
+([dotnet/sdk #54432](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54432)):
+
+```bash
+dotnet test --test-modules "**/*.dll;!**/bin/Debug/**"
+```
+
+**Per-assembly test counts** appear in the summary line for multi-assembly runs
+([dotnet/sdk #54513](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54513)):
+
+```text
+MyTests.dll (net11.0|x64) passed [✓3/x0/↓1] (229ms)
+```
+
+**Terminal logger arguments** (`--tl`, `--terminallogger`, `--tlp`) are now
+forwarded to MSBuild instead of being passed as test application arguments
+([dotnet/sdk #54310](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54310)).
+
+**Protocol 1.1.0 output forwarding** — when the test host supports protocol
+1.1.0, stdout/stderr and `IOutputDevice` messages are streamed live through the
+terminal reporter instead of being shown only on failure
+([dotnet/sdk #54825](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54825)).
+
+**Two-stage Ctrl+C cancellation** — the first press stops scheduling new test
+apps and shows a hint; the second press force-kills all child test processes
+([dotnet/sdk #54615](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54615)).
+
+**`--device` for MAUI** — select a device per target framework when running
+tests for .NET MAUI projects
+([dotnet/sdk #54295](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54295)).
+
+## Test templates support xUnit v3 and NUnit on Microsoft.Testing.Platform
+
+The built-in `xunit` template adds a `--xunit-version` option. Use `v3` to
+generate an xUnit v3 project that defaults to Microsoft.Testing.Platform as the
+runner ([dotnet/sdk #54636](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54636)):
+
+```bash
+dotnet new xunit --xunit-version v3
+dotnet new xunit --xunit-version v3 --test-runner VSTest
+```
+
+The `nunit` template similarly adds a `--test-runner` option to opt in to
+Microsoft.Testing.Platform
+([dotnet/sdk #54638](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54638)):
+
+```bash
+dotnet new nunit --test-runner Microsoft.Testing.Platform
+```
+
+Both options are available for C#, F#, and VB templates.
+
+## File-based apps support `#:include .dll` references
+
+File-based apps can now include compiled DLL references using `#:include`
+without a feature flag. The default item-type mapping treats `.dll` files as
+`Reference` items, so you can reference prebuilt libraries directly
+([dotnet/sdk #54396](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54396)):
+
+```csharp
+#:include ./libs/MyLibrary.dll
+
+MyLibrary.Helper.DoWork();
+```
+
+Additionally, more `#:` directives are now allowed to appear as duplicates
+across included files when their values match (`#:sdk`, `#:property`,
+`#:package`), enabling self-contained library files that declare their own
+dependencies without conflicting when multiple entry points include them
+([dotnet/sdk #54206](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54206)).
+
+## Container publishing supports multi-arch builds with Podman
+
+The SDK's built-in container publishing now supports building multi-architecture
+container images when using Podman as the container engine
+([dotnet/sdk #54575](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54575)). Previously,
+multi-arch builds required Docker. This unblocks rootless multi-arch workflows
+on Linux distributions that ship Podman by default.
+
+## TypeScript outputs integrate with Static Web Assets
+
+Projects that use `Microsoft.TypeScript.MSBuild` in Razor Class Libraries now
+properly integrate TypeScript compilation outputs with ASP.NET Core Static Web
+Assets ([dotnet/sdk #52302](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/52302)). The new
+integration hooks TypeScript outputs into the Static Web Assets pipeline after
+compilation, enabling compression, fingerprinting, and correct rebuild behavior.
+Previously, rebuild operations could fail because TypeScript outputs were
+discovered before compilation or stale references persisted after clean.
+
+## CLI honors MSBuild server and standard OpenTelemetry env vars
+
+The `dotnet` CLI no longer suppresses the MSBuild build server when
+`DOTNET_CLI_USE_MSBUILD_SERVER` is unset. Previously the CLI unconditionally
+wrote `MSBUILDUSESERVER=0`, overriding any user-set value. Now, if
+`DOTNET_CLI_USE_MSBUILD_SERVER` is not set, the CLI leaves `MSBUILDUSESERVER`
+untouched so you can enable the MSBuild server directly
+([dotnet/sdk #54918](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54918)).
+
+The OTLP telemetry exporter is now also enabled when any standard OpenTelemetry
+`OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_*` environment variable is present (endpoint, protocol,
+headers, or timeout — including signal-specific `_TRACES_*` and `_METRICS_*`
+variants), in addition to the existing `DOTNET_CLI_TELEMETRY_ENABLE_EXPORTER`
+flag ([dotnet/sdk #54386](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54386)).
+
+<!-- Filtered: MSBuild IMultiThreadableTask migrations (20+ PRs), internal test suite MSTest migrations,
+     CI/CD pipeline restructuring, GenAPI formatting improvements, telemetry LLM detection expansion,
+     branding updates, dependency flow, merge commits, localization check-ins -->
+
+## Bug fixes
+
+- **`dotnet test`**
+  - `--environment` (`-e`) variables are now applied to the test process even
+    when no launch profile is present
+    ([dotnet/sdk #53306](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/53306)).
+  - `KeyNotFoundException` no longer occurs in `TerminalTestReporter` when an
+    assembly run completes
+    ([dotnet/sdk #51608](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/51608)).
+- **CLI**
+  - The CLI parser no longer crashes when `global.json` is empty or unreadable;
+    it falls back to the default VSTest runner
+    ([dotnet/sdk #54433](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54433)).
+  - `launchSettings.json` files with JSON comments or trailing commas are now
+    parsed correctly
+    ([dotnet/sdk #54820](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54820)).
+  - A new `NETSDK1241` error is emitted when `TargetFramework` is present but
+    empty, instead of a confusing "not recognized" message
+    ([dotnet/sdk #54335](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54335)).
+- **`dotnet watch`**
+  - A warning is now shown when project configuration disables Hot Reload
+    (`MetadataUpdaterSupport` for .NET 11+, `Optimize`/`DebugSymbols` for older
+    TFMs) ([dotnet/sdk #54264](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54264)).
+- **Publish**
+  - `AppendPublishRuntimeIdentifierToRuntimeIdentifiers` can be set to `false`
+    as an escape hatch for workloads that use `RuntimeIdentifiers` for
+    multi-RID builds
+    ([dotnet/sdk #54291](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54291)).
+- **Static Web Assets**
+  - Blazor WebAssembly `blazor.webassembly.js` 404 errors caused by stale
+    `AssetGroups` during framework asset materialization are fixed
+    ([dotnet/sdk #54649](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54649)).
+- **Telemetry**
+  - MAC address lookup failures no longer crash telemetry initialization when
+    network interfaces are unavailable
+    ([dotnet/sdk #54334](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54334)).
+  - Telemetry initialization in the NativeAOT muxer no longer crashes on macOS
+    ([dotnet/sdk #54699](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54699)).
+- **Templates**
+  - `dotnet new nunit-test -n <name>` no longer creates an unwanted `<name>/`
+    subfolder ([dotnet/sdk #54602](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54602)).
+- **Tools**
+  - Error messages for invalid `DotnetToolSettings.xml` now include the resolved
+    package version
+    ([dotnet/sdk #54822](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pull/54822)).
+
+## Community contributors
+
+Thank you contributors! ❤️
+
+- [@HotCakeX](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pulls?q=is%3Apr+is%3Amerged+author%3AHotCakeX)
+- [@sibber5](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pulls?q=is%3Apr+is%3Amerged+author%3Asibber5)
+- [@SolalPirelli](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pulls?q=is%3Apr+is%3Amerged+author%3ASolalPirelli)
+- [@WeihanLi](https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/pulls?q=is%3Apr+is%3Amerged+author%3AWeihanLi)