aspire-configuration
Configure Aspire AppHost to emit explicit app config via environment variables; keep app code free of Aspire clients and service discovery.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill aspire-configuration- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads aspire-configuration automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Aspire Configuration
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when:
- Wiring AppHost resources to application configuration in Aspire-based repos
- Ensuring production configuration is transparent and portable outside of Aspire
- Avoiding Aspire client/service-discovery packages inside application code
- Designing feature toggles for dev/test without changing app code paths
Core Principles
-
AppHost owns Aspire infrastructure packages
- Aspire Hosting packages belong in AppHost only.
- App projects should not reference Aspire client/service-discovery packages.
-
Explicit configuration only
- AppHost must translate resource outputs into explicit config keys (env vars).
- App code binds to
IOptions<T>orConfigurationonly.
-
Production parity and transparency
- Every value injected by AppHost must be representable in production as env vars or config files without Aspire.
- Avoid opaque service discovery and implicit configuration.
Configuration Flow
AppHost resource -> WithEnvironment(...) -> app config keys -> IOptions<T> in app
The AppHost is responsible for turning Aspire resources into explicit app settings. The application never consumes Aspire clients or service discovery directly.
AppHost Patterns (Explicit Mapping)
Example: Database + Blob Storage
// AppHost/Program.cs
var builder = DistributedApplication.CreateBuilder(args);
var postgres = builder.AddPostgres("postgres");
var db = postgres.AddDatabase("appdb");
var minio = builder.AddContainer("minio", "minio/minio")
.WithArgs("server", "/data")
.WithHttpEndpoint(targetPort: 9000, name: "http")
.WithHttpEndpoint(targetPort: 9001, name: "console")
.WithEnvironment("MINIO_ROOT_USER", "minioadmin")
.WithEnvironment("MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD", "minioadmin");
var api = builder.AddProject<Projects.MyApp_Api>("api")
.WithReference(db, "Postgres")
.WithEnvironment("BlobStorage__Enabled", "true")
.WithEnvironment("BlobStorage__ServiceUrl", minio.GetEndpoint("http"))
.WithEnvironment("BlobStorage__AccessKey", "minioadmin")
.WithEnvironment("BlobStorage__SecretKey", "minioadmin")
.WithEnvironment("BlobStorage__Bucket", "attachments")
.WithEnvironment("BlobStorage__ForcePathStyle", "true");
builder.Build().Run();
Key points
WithReference(db, "Postgres")setsConnectionStrings__Postgresexplicitly.- Every external dependency is represented via explicit config keys.
- The API project only reads
Configurationvalues.
App Code Pattern (No Aspire Clients)
Application code binds to options and initializes SDKs directly. It never depends on Aspire client packages or service discovery.
// Api/Program.cs
builder.Services
.AddOptions<BlobStorageOptions>()
.BindConfiguration("BlobStorage")
.ValidateDataAnnotations()
.ValidateOnStart();
builder.Services.AddSingleton<IBlobStorageService>(sp =>
{
var options = sp.GetRequiredService<IOptions<BlobStorageOptions>>().Value;
return new S3BlobStorageService(options); // uses explicit options only
});
Do not add Aspire client packages (or AddServiceDiscovery) to the app.
Those are orchestration concerns and should stay in AppHost.
Feature Toggles and Test Overrides
Keep toggles in config and drive them through AppHost and test fixtures. This maintains parity between dev/test and production configuration.
// AppHost: disable persistence in tests via config overrides
var config = builder.Configuration.GetSection("App")
.Get<AppHostConfiguration>() ?? new AppHostConfiguration();
if (!config.UseVolumes)
{
postgres.WithDataVolume(false);
}
api.WithEnvironment("BlobStorage__Enabled", config.EnableBlobStorage.ToString());
See skills/aspire/integration-testing/SKILL.md for patterns on passing
configuration overrides into DistributedApplicationTestingBuilder.
Do / Don’t Checklist
Do
- Map every Aspire resource output to explicit configuration keys
- Use
IOptions<T>with validation for all infrastructure settings - Keep AppHost as the only place that references Aspire hosting packages
- Ensure any AppHost-injected value can be set in production env vars
Don’t
- Reference Aspire client/service-discovery packages in application projects
- Rely on opaque service discovery that cannot be mirrored in production
- Hide configuration behind Aspire-only abstractions
Related Skills
skills/aspire/service-defaults/SKILL.mdskills/aspire/integration-testing/SKILL.mdskills/akka/aspire-configuration/SKILL.md
Resources
- Aspire AppHost environment configuration: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/aspire/fundamentals/app-host
- Configuration in .NET: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/extensions/configuration
FAQ
What does the aspire-configuration skill do?
Configure Aspire AppHost to emit explicit app config via environment variables; keep app code free of Aspire clients and service discovery.
How do I install aspire-configuration?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill aspire-configuration in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/aspire-configuration/ (personal) or .claude/skills/aspire-configuration/ (project).
Which AI agents can use aspire-configuration?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is aspire-configuration safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains aspire-configuration?
It is published by aaronontheweb in aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills. It has 471 recorded installs.
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