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Local NuGet Development

A guide for testing package changes without publishing to nuget.org, and switching cleanly between local and published packages.

Testing Options

Option 1: Local Folder Feed

Pack the project and point NuGet at a local directory:

# Build and pack the package
dotnet pack -c Release -o C:\local-nuget

# In the consuming project, add the local feed
dotnet nuget add source C:\local-nuget --name local

Or add it to nuget.config in the consuming project:

<configuration>
  <packageSources>
    <add key="local" value="C:\local-nuget" />
  </packageSources>
</configuration>

Then reference it normally in the .csproj:

<PackageReference Include="YourPackage" Version="1.0.0" />

Option 2: Direct Project Reference (fastest iteration)

Skip packaging entirely during development:

<ItemGroup>
  <ProjectReference Include="..\YourLibrary\YourLibrary.csproj" />
</ItemGroup>

Switch back to PackageReference once the package is stable. This is the fastest feedback loop but does not test the actual package behavior (assembly loading, transitive dependencies, etc.).

Option 3: NuGet Package Explorer

Install NuGet Package Explorer to inspect .nupkg file contents before consuming the package anywhere.

Option 4: Prerelease Versions

Publish a prerelease version to a private feed (GitHub Packages, Azure Artifacts, or MyGet) instead of nuget.org:

<Version>1.2.3-beta.1</Version>

Switching Back to nuget.org

Update the version in your .csproj to a version that exists on nuget.org. NuGet checks all configured sources and pulls from whichever one satisfies the version.

To remove the local source:

dotnet nuget remove source local

Or delete the entry from nuget.config manually.

Gotcha: Cached Packages

NuGet caches packages in %USERPROFILE%\.nuget\packages. If your local test package and the real release share the same version number, NuGet may use the cached local copy. Force a clean resolution with:

dotnet nuget locals all --clear
dotnet restore

Use a higher or prerelease version for local test packages (e.g. 1.0.1-local) to avoid this ambiguity entirely, making the switch back to nuget.org as simple as changing the version number.