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Installation

Blueprints is published to GitHub Packages. To install it, you will need a GitHub personal access token (PAT) with at least read:packages scope.

Install​

1. Create a Personal Access Token (PAT)​

Go to GitHub Settings → Developer Settings → Personal Access Tokens and create a token with the read:packages scope.

2. Store the Personal Access Token as an Environment Variable​

Store your PAT as an environment variable rather than entering it in plain text on the command line.

macOS/Linux

export GITHUB_PAT=your_pat_here

PowerShell

$env:GITHUB_PAT = "your_pat_here"

Windows (Command Prompt)

setx GITHUB_PAT "your_pat_here"

3. Add the NuGet Source​

The --name flag sets the key used to identify this source in your local NuGet configuration. It can be anything you like. The value below is just a suggestion. The URL must reference scottoffen as the GitHub username, as that is where the package is published.

macOS/Linux

dotnet nuget add source "https://nuget.pkg.github.com/scottoffen/index.json" \
  --name "scottoffen" \
  --username YOUR_GITHUB_USERNAME \
  --password $GITHUB_PAT

PowerShell

dotnet nuget add source "https://nuget.pkg.github.com/scottoffen/index.json" `
  --name "scottoffen" `
  --username YOUR_GITHUB_USERNAME `
  --password $env:GITHUB_PAT

Windows (Command Prompt)

dotnet nuget add source "https://nuget.pkg.github.com/scottoffen/index.json" ^
  --name "scottoffen" ^
  --username YOUR_GITHUB_USERNAME ^
  --password %GITHUB_PAT%

4. Install the Package​

dotnet new install ScottOffen.Blueprints

Update​

To update to the latest version:

dotnet new update ScottOffen.Blueprints

Uninstall​

To remove the templates:

dotnet new uninstall ScottOffen.Blueprints

Troubleshooting​

Personal Access Token (PAT) Expiration​

When creating your PAT, consider setting it to never expire. A read:packages token is limited in scope. It can only read packages, not write to repositories, access private data, or perform any other actions. The risk of a long-lived token with this scope is low, and it saves you from having to rotate it every time it expires and update your NuGet source configuration.

NuGet Source Already Exists​

If you have previously added the source under a different key name, or if the add command reports that the source already exists, you can either remove and re-add it:

dotnet nuget remove source "scottoffen"

Or update it in place:

macOS/Linux

dotnet nuget update source "scottoffen" \
  --username YOUR_GITHUB_USERNAME \
  --password $GITHUB_PAT

PowerShell

dotnet nuget update source "scottoffen" `
  --username YOUR_GITHUB_USERNAME `
  --password $env:GITHUB_PAT

Windows (Command Prompt)

dotnet nuget update source "scottoffen" ^
  --username YOUR_GITHUB_USERNAME ^
  --password %GITHUB_PAT%

Template Not Showing Up in dotnet new list​

If installation succeeds but the template does not appear in dotnet new list, the template engine cache may need to be refreshed. Run:

dotnet new update

If it still does not appear, uninstall and reinstall the package:

dotnet new uninstall ScottOffen.Blueprints
dotnet new install ScottOffen.Blueprints

Placeholders Not Being Replaced​

If the generated output contains literal placeholder values like $(GitHubOrg) or $(RepoName) instead of the values you provided, check the following:

  • Ensure you passed the parameter using the correct flag name (e.g. --org, --repo)
  • Ensure the placeholder in the template file exactly matches the replaces value defined in template.json
  • Run dotnet new <shortname> --help to see the full list of available parameters for that template

Source Not Trusted​

GitHub Packages requires authentication. If the source is not trusted or returns an authentication error on install, ensure that:

  • Your PAT has the read:packages scope
  • The --username value in the dotnet nuget add source command is your own GitHub username, not the package owner's username
  • Your PAT has not expired (see Personal Access Token Expiration above)

For further troubleshooting, refer to the following resources: