microsoft / microsoft/vscode-dotnettools

[NETSDKE2E][Green] Error MSB4057 'The target "ResolveProjectReferences" does not exist in the project.' occurs after switching single TFM to multiple TFM.

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Description

REGRESSION INFO:
Also repro in C# DevKit public Prerelease 3.33.194

INSTALL STEP
OS: windows x64/Linux x64
Install the SDK 10.0.400, SDK 9.0.318
Install VS Code stable - 1.138.0
Install C# Dev Kit V3 Sept release 3.40.201, includes C# 2.151.28

REPRO STEPS

  1. Click the Create .NET Project button to create a Console app project (e.g. ConsoleApp1).
  2. Expand C# Project Details from the Explorer sidebar.
  3. Open csproj file, switch from single TFM to multiple TFM (e.g. net10.0;net9.0)
  4. Press "Ctrl+S" or build the project.

Expected
Error MSB4057 'The target "ResolveProjectReferences" does not exist in the project.' occurs in the "Problems" window.
Image

Actual
No error occurs.

Note:

  1. If you DON'T expand C# Project Details in step2, the bug is not repro.
  2. After close and re-open the VS Code, the error disappeared.

Log:
csdevkit-logs-2026-09-16T02-43-26.zip

Contributor guide

No contributing guide indexed for this repository

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Reproduce the issue through the Create .NET Project flow, expand C# Project Details, then change the csproj from one TargetFramework to multiple TargetFrameworks and build. Start by reviewing the attached csdevkit logs and the behavior around the C# Project Details view. Done means the multi-targeting change no longer produces the reported MSB4057 error, with the expected and actual behavior clarified.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
csharp, vscode
Domain
build-system, devtools
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
48/100

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