[NativeAOT] Referenced NuGet package build files are not evaluated when publishing NativeAOT ?

[ha-ves]

I'm doing some MSBuild & NuGet acrobatics by packaging native library binaries and build files to make the consuming project use those binaries.

Until the static-linking part in NativeAOT. My idea was to add to NativeLibrary in a target, because I have to get the path from $(Configuration), which only exists in-msbuild-process.

Excerpt:

<!--- Package.targets file, which should be imported via generated '*.nuget.g.targets' -->
...
<Target Name="NativeFilesToCopy"
		DependsOnTargets="PrepareNativeProps"
		BeforeTargets="BeforeBuild">
		
	<ItemGroup>
		<DirectPInvoke Include="package" />
		<NativeLibrary Include="$(NativeFilesPath)\package.lib" />
	</ItemGroup>
...

The linker doesn't see the NativeLibrary inclusion and It's not finding the library file to link.

It seems like the package's build files are not used, only the project file.
Or am I hooking into the wrong target?
I tried #108981 (comment) (hooking after Build target) except added in the Package.targets, but it didn't work.

[vst121]

What you’re running into is a common timing/target ordering issue in MSBuild with NativeLibrary items. The key points:

• NativeLibrary items are evaluated early by the SDK during the ResolveNativeAssets / Compile phase. Adding them in a BeforeBuild target is too late, so the linker never sees them.
• NuGet-generated .targets are imported after SDK evaluation, but only certain targets propagate items into ResolveNativeAssets correctly.

Suggestion: Moving NativeLibrary inclusion out of a Target and into a statically evaluated ItemGroup (or an earlier target) is what allows the linker to find your library.

[ha-ves]

It seems either Publish target and/or dotnet publish (which I know does -restore (not target)) will not evaluate currently restored packages for additional packages (will only restore from empty).