`ExcludeAssets="compile"` has no effect on `ProjectReference`.

[teo-tsirpanis]

Describe the bug

I have a project that depends on another project at runtime, but must not reference it at compile time. In order to achieve this, I tried adding an ExcludeAssets="compile" metadata to the ProjectReference, but it had no effect and the second project was visible to the compiler.

To Reproduce

Build this solution. It should fail with a compile error but it does not.

Exceptions (if any)

Further technical details

Using .NET SDK 9.0.200.

[baronfel]

This isn't a bug so much as it is a design difference - ExcludeAssets is a Nuget-only concept, and it controls what categories of assets from the NuGet package are referenced by the referencing project.

ProjectReference has none of those controls. The closest to what you want is probably ReferenceOutputAssembly="false" from https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/msbuild/common-msbuild-project-items?view=vs-2022#projectreference. It would be a good idea to have ProjectReference learn about asset categories, but that's a Large unit of work that is as of yet not done.

[Forgind]

This isn't a bug so much as it is a design difference - ExcludeAssets is a Nuget-only concept, and it controls what categories of assets from the NuGet package are referenced by the referencing project.

ProjectReference has none of those controls. The closest to what you want is probably ReferenceOutputAssembly="false" from https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/msbuild/common-msbuild-project-items?view=vs-2022#projectreference. It would be a good idea to have ProjectReference learn about asset categories, but that's a Large unit of work that is as of yet not done.

Is there an issue on NuGet to teach ProjectReference about ExcludeAssets? If not, perhaps we can make it.

[baronfel]

It would be on MSBuild, not NuGet, because MSBuild owns the ProjectReference Protocol. I'm sure I've read an issue about this over there (or written one myself) but can't find it now for some reason.