How to Build OfficeCLI from Source Using the .NET 10 SDK

Build OfficeCLI by cloning the repository and running dotnet publish with the Release configuration and your target runtime identifier to produce a single-file, self-contained executable.

OfficeCLI is a cross-platform command-line tool for automating Microsoft Office documents. Because the project targets .NET 10 (net10.0) and publishes as a trimmed, single-file binary, you can compile it from source on any platform that supports the .NET 10 SDK. This guide walks through the exact build steps derived from the project's configuration in officecli.csproj.

Prerequisites

Before building, ensure you have the .NET 10 SDK installed. The SDK includes the dotnet CLI tool used for compilation and publishing.

• Windows: Download the installer from the .NET website or use winget install Microsoft.DotNet.SDK.10
• macOS: Use Homebrew (brew install dotnet) or download the PKG installer
• Linux: Follow the distribution-specific instructions from Microsoft (e.g., apt install dotnet-sdk-10.0 on Ubuntu)

Verify your installation:

dotnet --version

Understanding the Build Configuration

The build behavior is controlled by properties defined in src/officecli/officecli.csproj. Key settings include:

• <TargetFramework>net10.0</TargetFramework> – Compiles against .NET 10 APIs
• <PublishSingleFile>true</PublishSingleFile> – Bundles the application into one executable
• <SelfContained>true</SelfContained> – Includes the .NET runtime in the output
• <PublishTrimmed>true</PublishTrimmed> – Removes unused assemblies to reduce file size
• <CETCompat>false</CETCompat> – Disables Control-flow Enforcement Technology for single-file compatibility

The project references two critical NuGet packages declared in the same file:

• DocumentFormat.OpenXml for OOXML manipulation
• System.CommandLine for parsing CLI arguments (used in [Program.cs](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/blob/main/src/officecli/Program.cs))

Step-by-Step Build Instructions

1. Clone the Repository

Download the source code to your local machine:

git clone https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI.git
cd OfficeCLI

2. Restore NuGet Packages

While dotnet publish handles restoration automatically, you can explicitly restore dependencies first:

dotnet restore src/officecli/officecli.csproj

3. Publish the Binary

Run the publish command with your target runtime identifier (RID). Common RIDs include win-x64, linux-x64, or osx-arm64.

dotnet publish src/officecli/officecli.csproj \
    -c Release \
    -r win-x64 \
    --self-contained true \
    -p:PublishSingleFile=true \
    -p:PublishTrimmed=true \
    -o ./publish

Parameters explained:

• -c Release – Optimizes the build for production
• -r win-x64 – Specifies the target platform (adjust for your OS)
• --self-contained true – Bundles the .NET runtime
• -p:PublishSingleFile=true – Creates a single executable file
• -p:PublishTrimmed=true – Strips unused code
• -o ./publish – Places output in the publish directory

After completion, find your executable at:

• Windows: ./publish/officecli.exe
• Linux/macOS: ./publish/officecli

4. Verify the Build

Test the compiled binary by checking the help output:

./publish/officecli --help

You should see the command list defined in the CommandBuilder classes (see [CommandBuilder.Help.cs](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/blob/main/src/officecli/CommandBuilder.Help.cs)).

Optional System-Wide Installation

To install OfficeCLI globally, copy the built binary to a directory in your system PATH. The repository includes [install.sh](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/blob/main/install.sh) as a reference implementation:

sudo cp ./publish/officecli /usr/local/bin/

On Windows, add the publish directory to your system environment variables or move officecli.exe to a location already in your PATH.

Key Source Files Reference

Understanding these files helps when modifying or debugging the build:

File	Purpose	Link
src/officecli/officecli.csproj	MSBuild project file with target framework and publish settings	View source
src/officecli/Program.cs	Application entry point and command routing	View source
src/officecli/CommandBuilder.cs	Defines CLI verbs and argument parsing	View source
src/officecli/BlankDocCreator.cs	Handles the create command implementation	View source
src/officecli/Core/SkillInstaller.cs	Manages embedded skill installation	View source
src/officecli/Core/Watch/WatchServer.cs	Implements the resident file-watching server	View source
install.sh	Bash script for system-wide binary installation	View source

Summary

• OfficeCLI targets .NET 10 (net10.0) and requires the corresponding SDK
• The project is pre-configured for single-file, self-contained, trimmed publishing via officecli.csproj
• Use dotnet publish -c Release -r <RID> --self-contained true to build platform-specific executables
• The output is a standalone binary that requires no external .NET runtime installation
• Reference [install.sh](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/blob/main/install.sh) for deployment automation

Frequently Asked Questions

What version of the .NET SDK do I need to build OfficeCLI?

You need the .NET 10 SDK or later. The project file explicitly specifies <TargetFramework>net10.0</TargetFramework>, which requires a SDK that supports .NET 10. You can check your installed version by running dotnet --version in your terminal.

Can I build OfficeCLI as a framework-dependent deployment instead of self-contained?

Yes. While the default configuration sets <SelfContained>true</SelfContained>, you can override this by passing --self-contained false to the dotnet publish command. This produces a smaller binary that requires the .NET 10 runtime to be pre-installed on the target machine.

Why does the build produce a single file?

The officecli.csproj file sets <PublishSingleFile>true</PublishSingleFile> to simplify distribution. This bundles all dependencies, including the DocumentFormat.OpenXml and System.CommandLine libraries, into one executable without external DLLs.

Where is the application entry point located?

The entry point is in [src/officecli/Program.cs](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/blob/main/src/officecli/Program.cs). This file configures global settings like UTF-8 encoding and culture, initializes the RootCommand via CommandBuilder, and dispatches execution to the appropriate handlers such as BlankDocCreator or SkillInstaller.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}