Build Modes

The main compiler/build commands are:

tsonic generate
tsonic build
tsonic run
tsonic test
tsonic pack

`generate`

Emits the generated C# project without compiling it.

Use this when you want to inspect generated output or integrate with custom build steps.

Typical uses:

inspect generated .cs files
inspect tsonic.csproj
hand the generated project to another tool
debug package graph ownership

`build`

Compiles the project into the configured output shape.

Supported output shapes include:

NativeAOT executable
managed executable
managed library
NativeAOT shared or static library

Current defaults from project resolution:

executable projects default to nativeAot: true
library projects default to nativeAot: false

`run`

Builds and runs the project in one step.

Use this for local application execution, not for inspecting generated output.

`test`

Runs the project’s tests through the Tsonic toolchain.

tsonic test generates a non-NativeAOT test assembly and runs dotnet test.

`pack`

Packages library projects for distribution.

That requires:

output.type = "library"
output.packable = true

Important build switches

--project <name> — build a specific project
--rid <rid> — choose runtime identifier for native outputs
--no-aot — force managed output
--no-generate — build from an existing generated directory
--keep-temp — keep artifacts for inspection

Local package ownership and build mode

The current build model also supports local first-party package references with two ownership modes:

source — compile the referenced package into the generated source closure
dll — build the referenced package separately and consume its DLL boundary

That choice matters most for larger workspaces with multiple sibling projects.

Generated layout

The generated project is a deterministic view of the Tsonic package graph. That is why source-package manifests, surface selection, and runtime package metadata all matter at build time.