Scaffold .NET 8 class library with GitHub Packages publish workflow

[Copilot]

Adds the minimal repository scaffolding needed to build, pack, and publish a private NuGet package to GitHub Packages via GitHub Actions.

Added files

• src/mdz-core/mdz-core.csproj — SDK-style .NET 8 class library placeholder. GeneratePackageOnBuild=false; version is injected at pack time via /p:Version=. Drop .cs source files into src/mdz-core/ and update Authors/Company metadata before first publish.

• .github/workflows/publish.yml — CI/CD pipeline that triggers on push to main or any vX.Y.Z tag.

Workflow steps

Step	Notes
Configure source	Registers GitHub Packages endpoint using GITHUB_TOKEN; no nuget.org involvement
Version	Strips v prefix from tag → semver; falls back to 1.0.0 on branch pushes
Build	Release config, /p:Version= override
Test	Skipped gracefully when no *Tests.csproj found under src/ or tests/
Pack	Outputs to out/
Publish	--skip-duplicate prevents re-publish failures on the same version

- name: Determine package version
  id: version
  run: |
    if [[ "${GITHUB_REF}" == refs/tags/v* ]]; then
      VERSION="${GITHUB_REF#refs/tags/v}"
    else
      VERSION="1.0.0"
    fi
    echo "VERSION=${VERSION}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"

Original prompt

You are assisting me in scaffolding a clean .NET class library repository that will publish a PRIVATE NuGet package to GitHub Packages. I already have the code for the DLL, so generate the scaffolding and workflows in a way that lets me drop my existing code into the right folders.

GOAL

Create a GitHub repository structure and a GitHub Actions workflow that:

1. Builds a .NET class library
2. Packs it into a .nupkg
3. Publishes it to GitHub Packages as a PRIVATE package
4. Uses GitHub Actions secrets for authentication
5. Supports semantic versioning or auto-incrementing versions
6. Does NOT require nuget.org publishing

REQUIREMENTS

• Use .NET 8 for the library.

• Create a folder structure like:

  /src/
  mdz-core/
  mdz-core.csproj <-- placeholder, I will replace with my real code

• Create a GitHub Actions workflow at:
  .github/workflows/publish.yml

• The workflow must:

  • Trigger on push to main AND on tags like v1.2.3
  • Restore, build, test (if tests exist), pack, and publish
  • Use GITHUB_TOKEN for publishing to GitHub Packages
  • Set the package source to: https://nuget.pkg.github.com/${{ github.repository_owner }}/index.json

• The workflow must include:

  • dotnet restore
  • dotnet build --configuration Release
  • dotnet pack --configuration Release -o out
  • dotnet nuget push out/*.nupkg --source "github" --api-key ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

• Generate a sample mdz-core.csproj that:

  • Uses SDK-style project format
  • Has placeholders for versioning
  • Has PackageId set to "mdz-core"
  • Has GeneratePackageOnBuild disabled (we will pack manually)

OUTPUT FORMAT

Provide:

1. The full repo folder structure
2. The mdz-core.csproj template
3. The complete publish.yml GitHub Actions workflow
4. A short note telling me where to paste my existing DLL code

Do NOT generate example code for the library itself — only scaffolding.

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