Please add `--source` to dotnet tool install

[richlander]

There should be a way to specify a registry. Currently, it seems impossible to avoid searching NuGet.org.

I did the following:

dotnet new console -o app
cd app
dotnet pack
dotnet tool install -g app --add-source bin/Debug

This tool was installed: https://www.nuget.org/packages/app/

That's not what I want. It is entirely reasonable to create local tools that overlap with nuget.org ones. This particular tool doesn't appear to be name squatting, but it is easy to do.

Instead, there should an option like:

dotnet tool install -g app --source bin/Debug

I remember having the conversations on this issue. I don't remember why we chose the approach we did. Perhaps @KathleenDollard or @wli3 remember.

Something to consider for .NET 6.0.200.

[wli3]

You can use --configfile to provide a nuget.config file that does not have nuget.org to unblock you for now.

The historical reason is: If we ever want to provide RID specific asset selection, we would need RID graph, and by the time the only option is to obtain it from nuget.org (now SDK always carries a copy of the RID graph). We don't want to fail when there is no nuget.org provided. Also it sounds like a good thing to do to expand the source instead of restricting the source. However, looks like more people prefer --source instead of --add-source from issues filed.

[richlander]

You can use --configfile to provide a nuget.config file that does not have nuget.org to unblock you for now.

That's a good workaround. Thanks for that tip.

As you are somewhat suggesting, it isn't a very palatable general answer. We need a model where the --source applies to just the tool and not for the RID graph as the default experience. I realize that's not the general model for --source. I'd rather someone use --configfile in the case that they were not happy with that behavior.