dotNetTips.Spargine.Dev.Tool
2026.10.6.73
See the version list below for details.
dotnet tool install --global dotNetTips.Spargine.Dev.Tool --version 2026.10.6.73
dotnet new tool-manifest
dotnet tool install --local dotNetTips.Spargine.Dev.Tool --version 2026.10.6.73
#tool dotnet:?package=dotNetTips.Spargine.Dev.Tool&version=2026.10.6.73
nuke :add-package dotNetTips.Spargine.Dev.Tool --version 2026.10.6.73
Spargine Dev Tool
Spargine Dev Tool is a Windows .NET 10 global command-line utility designed to help developers keep their machines clean and their source code backed up. It provides two primary operations:
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
backup |
Backs up Visual Studio solution folders to a configurable destination (OneDrive or local). |
clean |
Deletes temporary and cached files generated by Visual Studio, .NET SDK, SQL Server, NuGet, Azure tooling, JetBrains tools, and Windows. |
For the full reference, see OVERVIEW.md.
Installation
Install as a .NET global tool:
dotnet tool install --global DotNetTips.Spargine.Dev.Tool
Update to the latest version:
dotnet tool update --global DotNetTips.Spargine.Dev.Tool
Commands
backup — Back Up Source Code
Scans fixed drives for Visual Studio solution roots and copies them to a backup destination. The backup destination is resolved automatically in the following priority order:
- OneDrive for Business folder (if present) →
<OneDrive>\Backup - Personal OneDrive folder (if present) →
<OneDrive>\Backup - Local fallback →
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Spargine\Backup
Backup folders are organized as:
<BackupRoot>\<MACHINENAME>\<USERNAME>\<MODE>\<TIMESTAMP>\
Options
| Option | Alias | Description |
|---|---|---|
--turbo |
Only backs up files with the Archive attribute set (changed since last backup). Clears the Archive attribute after copying. | |
--rescan |
Forces a re-scan of all fixed drives for new solution roots. | |
--af <PATH> |
--addfolder |
Adds a folder path to the backup configuration. |
--rf <PATH> |
--removefolder |
Removes a folder path from the backup configuration. |
--cleanprojects |
After backing up, deletes obj, bin, and appbin subdirectories from solution roots. |
|
--ecp |
--enablecleanprojects |
Marks newly added folders as project roots for --cleanprojects. |
--verbosity <LEVEL> |
Controls console output: quiet, minimal, normal, detailed, diagnostic. |
Examples
# Standard full backup
spargine backup
# Turbo backup — changed files only
spargine backup --turbo
# Add a new folder to the backup list
spargine backup --addfolder "D:\MyProject"
# Back up and clean build artifact directories
spargine backup --cleanprojects
# Force a drive re-scan for new solution roots
spargine backup --rescan
clean — Clean Temp and Cache Files
Deletes temporary and cached files from a configurable list of folders.
Options
| Option | Alias | Description |
|---|---|---|
--nuget |
Also clears the local NuGet global package cache (dotnet nuget locals all -c). |
|
--turbobackup |
Runs a turbo backup after cleaning. | |
--af <PATH> |
--addfolder |
Adds a folder to the clean list. |
--rf <PATH> |
--removefolder |
Removes a folder from the clean list. |
--verbosity <LEVEL> |
Controls console output level. |
Examples
# Standard clean
spargine clean
# Clean and also clear the NuGet cache
spargine clean --nuget
# Add a folder to the clean list
spargine clean --addfolder "C:\Temp\MyCache"
# Back up changed files then clean
spargine clean --turbobackup
What Gets Cleaned
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Windows OS | INetCache, WebCache, WER, Explorer thumbnail cache, %windir%\Temp |
| Visual Studio | ComponentModelCache, Designer\ShadowCache, DiagnosticsHub, VS backup files |
| .NET SDK / MSBuild / NuGet | toolResolverCache, NuGetScratch, NuGetTemp, MSBuildTemp, NuGet\v3-cache |
| SQL Server | SSMS backup files, RSTempFiles |
| Azure tooling | Azure CLI logs, Azure Data Studio logs and cache, Azure Storage Emulator logs |
| JetBrains | ReSharper / Rider SolutionCaches and log folders |
| Test / Coverage | Microsoft\CodeCoverage, *.coverage temp files |
| Crash dumps | %LOCALAPPDATA%\CrashDumps |
The cleaner automatically skips guarded folders when Visual Studio (
devenv) or Azure Data Studio (azuredatastudio) are detected as running processes.
License
Copyright © McCarter Consulting — dotNetTips.com. All rights reserved.
For feature suggestions or bug reports, contact: dotnetdave@live.com
| Product | Versions Compatible and additional computed target framework versions. |
|---|---|
| .NET | net10.0 is compatible. net10.0-android was computed. net10.0-browser was computed. net10.0-ios was computed. net10.0-maccatalyst was computed. net10.0-macos was computed. net10.0-tvos was computed. net10.0-windows was computed. |
This package has no dependencies.
| Version | Downloads | Last Updated |
|---|---|---|
| 2026.10.7.25 | 101 | 7/11/2026 |
| 2026.10.7.11 | 104 | 7/5/2026 |
| 2026.10.7.1 | 128 | 6/30/2026 |
| 2026.10.6.73 | 111 | 6/20/2026 |
| 2026.10.6.61 | 122 | 6/12/2026 |
| 2026.10.6.21 | 117 | 6/6/2026 |
| 2026.10.6.2 | 113 | 6/2/2026 |
| 2026.10.5.132 | 120 | 5/18/2026 |
| 2026.10.5.110 | 125 | 5/10/2026 |
| 2026.10.5.107 | 128 | 5/10/2026 |
| 2026.10.2.16 | 168 | 2/18/2026 |
| 2026.8.1.1 | 164 | 1/1/2026 |
| 2025.8.8.31 | 305 | 9/1/2025 |
| 2025.8.8.7 | 343 | 8/7/2025 |
| 2025.8.7.1 | 296 | 7/7/2025 |
| 2025.8.5.11 | 304 | 5/11/2025 |
| 2025.8.5.1 | 279 | 4/30/2025 |
| 2025.8.4.1 | 327 | 4/2/2025 |
| 2025.8.3.18 | 292 | 3/18/2025 |
| 2025.8.3.14 | 258 | 3/14/2025 |
FEB 20 2023: Initial release.
MAY 2023: Added logging. Added languages Spanish, Danish and Hindi.
JUNE 2023: Minor fixes. Works now from Visual Studio!
AUG 2023: Code cleanup.
NOV 2023: Fixed globalization issues. Code cleanup.
MAR 2024: Update to use .NET 8 to improve speed.
MAY 2024: Speed improvements.
AUG 2024: Added new mode that does turbo backup with clean. Performance improvements.
NOV 2024: Speed improvements.
FEB 2025: Speed improvements. Added deleting obj and bin folders for backup.
MAY 2025: Performance improvements. Code cleanup.
AUG 2025: Added more code for Applican Insights telemetry.
FEB 2026: Updated to .NET 10. Performance improvements.
APR 2026: Performance improvements. Added new folders to clean. Now backs up *.md files from user folder.
MAY 2026: Added health check feature. Performance improvements.
JUN 2026: Added environment and NuGet features.