Configuration

Configuration uses TOML. msvc-kit config prints human-readable text, not importable JSON.

File location

Windows: %APPDATA%\loonghao\msvc-kit\config\config.toml

Linux: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/msvc-kit/config.toml (default ~/.config/msvc-kit/config.toml).

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/com.loonghao.msvc-kit/config.toml.

Portable mode: config.toml next to msvc-kit.exe. See Portable mode.

msvc-kit config prints the file it resolved, including the reason:

Config file: C:\Users\me\AppData\Roaming\loonghao\msvc-kit\config\config.toml (per-user configuration directory)

View and update

msvc-kit config
msvc-kit config --set-dir 'D:\msvc-kit'
msvc-kit config --set-msvc 14.44 --set-sdk 10.0.26100.0
msvc-kit config --reset

Portable mode

Portable mode stores config.toml next to the msvc-kit executable, which keeps the settings with the binary when it is moved or copied to another machine.

msvc-kit config --portable                       # move to the executable directory
msvc-kit config --portable --set-dir 'D:\kit'    # enable and set a value in one go
msvc-kit config --no-portable                    # back to the per-user directory

Enabling it creates a msvc-kit.portable marker file next to the executable and copies the current settings into <executable directory>\config.toml. Every later command reads and writes that file. Disabling it only removes the marker: the portable config.toml and the per-user configuration are left untouched. Creating the marker by hand has the same effect, so a portable directory can be zipped and shipped:

msvc-kit.exe
msvc-kit.portable
config.toml

Only the configuration file moves. install_dir and cache_dir keep their platform defaults until they are set, so a self-contained setup needs --set-dir (and, if wanted, a cache_dir in the TOML).

Choosing a configuration file

--config points a single run at any file or directory; it works with every subcommand:

msvc-kit --config 'D:\portable\my.toml' config --set-dir 'D:\kit'
msvc-kit --config 'D:\portable' config        # directory: uses D:\portable\config.toml

MSVC_KIT_CONFIG does the same for a whole session:

$env:MSVC_KIT_CONFIG = 'D:\portable\my.toml'
msvc-kit config
Remove-Item Env:MSVC_KIT_CONFIG

Precedence for the configuration file: --config > MSVC_KIT_CONFIG > portable mode > per-user configuration directory. An empty value is ignored. --config cannot be combined with --portable or --no-portable.

TOML

install_dir = 'D:\msvc-kit'
default_msvc_version = "14.44"
default_sdk_version = "10.0.26100.0"
default_vs_channel = "2022"
default_arch = "x64"
verify_hashes = true
parallel_downloads = 4
cache_dir = 'D:\msvc-kit\cache'

Optional version, channel and cache fields may be omitted. There is no default_host_arch configuration field. To share settings, copy the actual TOML file and adjust machine-specific paths.

Setting cache_dir moves the VS manifest cache: manifests are stored in <cache_dir>/manifests/.

default_vs_channel accepts a major version (17), a release year (2022) or auto. msvc-kit config --set-vs-channel 2022 validates the value before writing it. See Visual Studio Versions & Channels.

Environment and precedence

Directory precedence: explicit command --target / --dir > nonempty MSVC_KIT_DIR > saved install_dir > platform default. MSVC_KIT_DIR does not relocate the configuration file and is not persisted by configuration update commands. Empty values are ignored.

Cache directory precedence: explicit cache_dir from the TOML file > <install_dir>/cache when the installation directory is not the platform default (so both MSVC_KIT_DIR and config --set-dir relocate the cache) > platform default cache root. Default cache roots: %LOCALAPPDATA%\loonghao\msvc-kit\cache (Windows), $XDG_CACHE_HOME/msvc-kit (Linux, default ~/.cache/msvc-kit), ~/Library/Caches/com.loonghao.msvc-kit (macOS). msvc-kit config prints the cache directory in use.

Configuration file precedence: --config > nonempty MSVC_KIT_CONFIG > portable mode > per-user configuration directory. Empty values are ignored.

MSVC_KIT_PORTABLE: 1, true, yes or on enables portable mode for a single run without creating the marker file.

$env:MSVC_KIT_DIR = 'D:\msvc-kit'
msvc-kit download
Remove-Item Env:MSVC_KIT_DIR

MSVC_KIT_INNER_PROGRESS: show detailed extraction progress (1, true, yes or on).

MSVC_KIT_VS_CHANNEL: pins the Visual Studio channel with the same precedence as --vs-channel (flag > variable > default_vs_channel > auto). See Visual Studio Versions & Channels.