dotnet ef "No project was found" / EF Core tools not installed in CI

By Kaveh Alemi·Latchkey

dotnet ef needs the EF Core CLI tool installed and a project to operate on. In CI it fails either because dotnet-ef was never installed (the tool is not a default), or because the command ran in a directory with no project for it to target.

What this error means

The step fails with "Could not execute because the specified command or file was not found (dotnet-ef)" or "No project was found in the current working directory." It reproduces every run.

Could not execute because the specified command or file was not found (dotnet-ef).
# or
No project was found. Change the current working directory or use the --project option.

Common causes

EF Core tools are not installed on the runner

The dotnet-ef global or local tool was never installed, so the CLI cannot find the command.

The command ran without a target project

dotnet ef ran in a folder with no project and no --project/--startup-project arguments.

How to fix it

Install the tool and point it at the project

1. Install EF tools (a local tool manifest is most reproducible).
2. Pass --project and --startup-project explicitly.
3. Re-run the EF command.

dotnet tool install dotnet-ef --version 9.0.0
dotnet ef migrations script --project src/Data --startup-project src/Api

How to prevent it

• Pin EF tools in a committed .config/dotnet-tools.json and run dotnet tool restore in CI.
• Always pass explicit project/startup-project paths in CI.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• .NET documentation
• GitHub Actions documentation