.NET 6 CLI Issues - dotnet new --list or dotnet new JSON error / VS project templates

[jonmikeli]

Describe the bug

.NET CLI not working:

• dotnet new --list
• dotnet new (no way to create new projects)

Additional issues: missing project templates under Visual Studio 2022.

In the end, no way to create a new project, list the templates, etc, which is quite annoying/blocking.

I have tried to reinstall, repair, uninstall/install the .NET SDK. Always the same issue. The same with Visual Studio.

Error

dotnet new --list Error reading JObject from JsonReader. Path '', line 0, position 0. at Newtonsoft.Json.Linq.JObject.Load(JsonReader reader, JsonLoadSettings settings) at Newtonsoft.Json.Linq.JObject.Load(JsonReader reader) at Microsoft.TemplateEngine.JExtensions.ReadObject(IPhysicalFileSystem fileSystem, String path) at Microsoft.TemplateEngine.Edge.BuiltInManagedProvider.GlobalSettings.GetInstalledTemplatePackagesAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken) at Microsoft.TemplateEngine.Edge.BuiltInManagedProvider.GlobalSettingsTemplatePackageProvider.GetAllTemplatePackagesAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken) at Microsoft.TemplateEngine.Edge.Settings.TemplatePackageManager.GetTemplatePackagesAsync(Boolean force, CancellationToken cancellationToken) at Microsoft.TemplateEngine.Edge.Settings.TemplatePackageManager.UpdateTemplateCacheAsync(Boolean needsRebuild, CancellationToken cancellationToken) at Microsoft.TemplateEngine.Edge.Settings.TemplatePackageManager.GetTemplatesAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken) at Microsoft.TemplateEngine.Cli.TemplateResolution.BaseTemplateResolver.GetTemplateGroupsAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken) at Microsoft.TemplateEngine.Cli.TemplateResolution.ListTemplateResolver.ResolveTemplatesAsync(INewCommandInput commandInput, String defaultLanguage, CancellationToken cancellationToken) at Microsoft.TemplateEngine.Cli.HelpAndUsage.TemplateInformationCoordinator.DisplayTemplateGroupListAsync(INewCommandInput commandInput, CancellationToken cancellationToken) at Microsoft.TemplateEngine.Cli.New3Command.EnterMaintenanceFlowAsync(INewCommandInput commandInput) at Microsoft.TemplateEngine.Cli.New3Command.ExecuteAsync(INewCommandInput commandInput) at Microsoft.TemplateEngine.Cli.New3Command.ActualRun(String commandName, ITemplateEngineHost host, ITelemetryLogger telemetryLogger, New3Callbacks callbacks, String[] args, String hivePath)

To Reproduce

dotnet new --list or dotnet new [templatename]

I started having the issue after installing .NET 6. I installed VS 2022 at the same time. I don't know which of them is the source of the issue.

Exceptions (if any)

NA

Further technical details

OS: Windows 10 Pro x64

SDKs: dotnet --list-sdks 3.0.100 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk] 3.1.100 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk] 3.1.416 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk] 5.0.302 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk] 5.0.400 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk] 5.0.404 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk] 6.0.100 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk] 6.0.101 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk]

Runtimes: dotnet --list-runtimes Microsoft.AspNetCore.All 2.1.2 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.All] Microsoft.AspNetCore.All 2.1.13 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.All] Microsoft.AspNetCore.All 2.1.24 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.All] Microsoft.AspNetCore.All 2.1.25 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.All] Microsoft.AspNetCore.All 2.1.27 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.All] Microsoft.AspNetCore.All 2.1.28 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.All] Microsoft.AspNetCore.All 2.1.30 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.All] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 2.1.2 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 2.1.13 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 2.1.24 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 2.1.25 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 2.1.27 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 2.1.28 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 2.1.30 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 3.0.0 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 3.1.0 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 3.1.11 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 3.1.12 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 3.1.13 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 3.1.14 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 3.1.15 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 3.1.17 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 3.1.19 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 3.1.20 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 3.1.22 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 5.0.9 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 5.0.10 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 5.0.13 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 6.0.0 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 6.0.1 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 2.1.13 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 2.1.24 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 2.1.25 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 2.1.26 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 2.1.27 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 2.1.28 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 2.1.30 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 3.0.0 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 3.1.0 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 3.1.11 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 3.1.12 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 3.1.13 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 3.1.14 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 3.1.15 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 3.1.17 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 3.1.19 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 3.1.20 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 3.1.22 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 5.0.9 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 5.0.10 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 5.0.13 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 6.0.0-rc.2.21480.5 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 6.0.0 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 6.0.1 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App] Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 3.0.0 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App] Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 3.1.0 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App] Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 3.1.11 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App] Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 3.1.12 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App] Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 3.1.13 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App] Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 3.1.14 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App] Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 3.1.15 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App] Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 3.1.17 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App] Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 3.1.19 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App] Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 3.1.20 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App] Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 3.1.22 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App] Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 5.0.9 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App] Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 5.0.10 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App] Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 5.0.13 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App] Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 6.0.0-rc.2.21501.6 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App] Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 6.0.0 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App] Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 6.0.1 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App]

[dotnet-issue-labeler[bot]]

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[vlada-shubina]

@jonmikeli could you please check if the <user folder>\.templateengine\packages.json file is created and is it a valid JSON? if it's empty or corrupted, please try to remove it and rerun dotnet new. It seems that packages.json was corrupted at some point.

[jonmikeli]

hi @vlada-shubina ,

Thank you for your answer.

Well seen ;). The packages.json file was corrupted. I suspected something like that but I didn't know where to start searching. May I ask how this file is created and/or updated by .NET and/or Visual Studio? What is it used for? Just curious about the process. One of these days I should read the code of the SDK :).

Thank you once more ;).

[vlada-shubina]

@jonmikeli

Only dotnet new can update the file at the moment, but Visual Studio reads from this file. packages.json contains list of template packages installed by user (using --install as example), therefore if the file is corrupted both are affected.

[jonmikeli]

Thank you @vlada-shubina :)

[pantonis]

Have exactly the same issue. <user folder>\.templateengine\packages.json is empty. How can it be re-created. tried uninstalling VS2022 and reinstall it but nothing changed. What I did was deleted the package.json run dotnet new list and issue went away