Csproj Analyzer & Cleaner

What this tool checks

Paste a .csproj file and this tool parses it with System.Xml.Linq (no external MSBuild or NuGet library) and flags four things: duplicate PackageReference entries (same package listed twice under the same condition — usually a copy-paste accident), properties that already match the SDK's own default (explicitly writing a value the SDK would apply anyway), legacy non-SDK-style elements left over from a pre-2017 project file, and malformed XML with the exact line and column.

Properties this tool considers redundant

Only checked inside unconditional <PropertyGroup> blocks — a property set inside a Condition="..." block is deliberately overriding something for that specific configuration or target framework, so it's never flagged even if its value happens to match the default: OutputType=Library, GenerateAssemblyInfo=true, ImplicitUsings=disable, Nullable=disable, IsPackable=true, GenerateDocumentationFile=false, Deterministic=true, LangVersion=latest. AssemblyName/RootNamespace matching the project file name are only checked if you fill in the optional file name field above — there's no way to know your actual file name from pasted text alone, so this tool doesn't guess it.

Duplicate detection and multi-targeting

A PackageReference is only flagged as a duplicate if another one with the same package ID and the same ItemGroup condition already exists. The same package listed once under Condition="'$(TargetFramework)'=='net8.0'" and again under a different target framework condition is a completely normal multi-targeting pattern, not a duplicate — this tool doesn't flag that.

Worked example

Pasting a .csproj with a duplicated Newtonsoft.Json reference and a redundant <OutputType>Library</OutputType>:

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <OutputType>Library</OutputType>
    <TargetFramework>net8.0</TargetFramework>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <PackageReference Include="Newtonsoft.Json" Version="13.0.3" />
    <PackageReference Include="Newtonsoft.Json" Version="13.0.3" />
  </ItemGroup>
</Project>

flags the duplicate reference and the redundant OutputType, and produces this cleaned output:

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <TargetFramework>net8.0</TargetFramework>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <PackageReference Include="Newtonsoft.Json" Version="13.0.3" />
  </ItemGroup>
</Project>

How to use this tool

1. Optionally enter your project's file name to enable the AssemblyName/RootNamespace check.
2. Paste your .csproj content.
3. Click Analyze (or Ctrl+Enter).
4. Review each flagged category, then copy the cleaned .csproj from the output panel.