Assets file project.assets.json not found. Run a NuGet package restore
To fix this error from Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Package Manager Console simply run:
dotnet restore
The error occurs because the dotnet cli does not create the all of the required files initially. Doing dotnet restore adds the required files.
In my case the error was the GIT repository. It had spaces in the name, making my project unable to restore
If this is your issue, just rename the GIT repository when you clone
git clone http://Your%20Project%20With%20Spaces newprojectname
In case when 'dotnet restore' not works, following steps may help:
- Visual Studio >> Tools >> Options >> Nuget Manager >> Package Sources
- Unchecked any third party package sources.
- Rebuild solution.
Closing and re-opening Visual Studio solved this issue for me, once I had made sure the NuGet packages had been restored as per other answers posted here.
Edit: Sometimes just trying to build again fixes the problem.
To those with the same issue as me in Azure DevOps / VSTS environment encountering a similar message:
C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk\2.2.104\Sdks\Microsoft.NET.Sdk\targets\Microsoft.PackageDependencyResolution.targets(208,5): Error NETSDK1004: Assets file '...\obj\project.assets.json' not found. Run a NuGet package restore to generate this file
Add /t:Restore to your MSBuild Arguments in Build Solution.