Cannot install prereleased tool package from dotnet-install-tool without specifying the exact version

To install a prerelease version of a CLI tool, users must know the exact version they want to install. This means they have to open a browser to nuget.org or myget.org to find the package.

For example, this is the console output for dotnet-watch

> dotnet install tool --global dotnet-watch --source https://dotnet.myget.org/F/aspnetcore-dev/api/v3/index.json
Install failed. Failed to download package:
NuGet returned:

Failed to restore package.
WorkingDirectory:
Arguments: restore C:\Users\namc\AppData\Local\Temp\0rc552nv.kmy\wjh4elju.lgh.csproj --source https://dotnet.myget.org/F/aspnetcore-dev/api/v3/index.json --runtime win10-x64 /p:BaseIntermediateOutputPath=\"C:\Users\namc\.dotnet\tools\dotnet-watch\gx5ifack.dyr\"
Output:   Restoring packages for C:\Users\namc\AppData\Local\Temp\0rc552nv.kmy\wjh4elju.lgh.csproj...
C:\Users\namc\AppData\Local\Temp\0rc552nv.kmy\wjh4elju.lgh.csproj : error NU1103: Unable to find a stable package dotnet-watch with version

C:\Users\namc\AppData\Local\Temp\0rc552nv.kmy\wjh4elju.lgh.csproj : error NU1103:   - Found 124 version(s) in https://dotnet.myget.org/F/aspnetcore-dev/api/v3/index.json [ Nearest version: 2.1.0-preview1-27934 ]
C:\Users\namc\AppData\Local\Temp\0rc552nv.kmy\wjh4elju.lgh.csproj : error NU1103:   - Found 1 version(s) in C:\Users\namc\.dotnet\x64\sdk\NuGetFallbackFolder [ Nearest version: 2.1.0-preview1-28124 ]
  Restore failed in 680.98 ms for C:\Users\namc\AppData\Local\Temp\0rc552nv.kmy\wjh4elju.lgh.csproj.

Usage: dotnet install tool [options] <PACKAGE_ID>

Arguments:
  <PACKAGE_ID>   NuGet Package Id of the tool to install.

Options:
  -g, --global        Install user wide.
  --version           Version of the tool package in NuGet.
  --configfile        The NuGet configuration file to use.
  --source <SOURCE>   Specifies a NuGet package source to use during installation.
  -f, --framework     The target framework to install the tool for.
  -h, --help          Show help information.

This is the console output when trying to specify --version 2.1.0-*

> dotnet install tool --global dotnet-watch --version 2.1.0-* --source https://dotnet.myget.org/F/aspnetcore-dev/api/v3/index.json
System.ArgumentException: Illegal characters in path.
Parameter name: path
   at System.IO.Path.GetFullPath(String path)
   at System.IO.Directory.CreateDirectory(String path)
   at Microsoft.DotNet.ToolPackage.ToolPackageObtainer.EnsureDirectoryExists(DirectoryPath path)
   at Microsoft.DotNet.ToolPackage.ToolPackageObtainer.CreateIndividualToolVersionDirectory(String packageId, PackageVersion packageVersion)

   at Microsoft.DotNet.ToolPackage.ToolPackageObtainer.ObtainAndReturnExecutablePath(String packageId, String packageVersion, Nullable`1 nugetconfig, String targetframework, String source)
   at Microsoft.DotNet.Tools.Install.Tool.InstallToolCommand.ObtainPackage(DirectoryPath executablePackagePath, DirectoryPath offlineFeedPath)
   at Microsoft.DotNet.Tools.Install.Tool.InstallToolCommand.Execute()
   at Microsoft.DotNet.Cli.DotNetTopLevelCommandBase.RunCommand(String[] args)
   at Microsoft.DotNet.Tools.Install.InstallCommand.Run(String[] args)
   at Microsoft.DotNet.Cli.Program.ProcessArgs(String[] args, ITelemetry telemetryClient)
   at Microsoft.DotNet.Cli.Program.Main(String[] args)

Ideas

• Support wildcards --version 2.1.0-*
• Support a --prerelease flag

cc @KathleenDollard

[yufeih]

What is the status of this issue? Installing latest pre-release tool is a badly needed scenario.

[nkolev92]

That was bad formatting on my side.

The value is *-*.

And will mean: Give me the latest version & and I’m ok if that latest version is prerelease. So it would select 2.0.0.