Overview
This skill ensures dependencies are always added to Rust projects using cargo add CLI commands rather than manually editing Cargo.toml. This guarantees the latest compatible versions are used and maintains proper dependency resolution.
Usage
Adding Dependencies
NEVER manually edit Cargo.toml to add dependencies. Always use:
cargo add crate_name
With features:
cargo add crate_name --features "feature1,feature2"
Dev dependencies:
cargo add crate_name --dev
Build dependencies:
cargo add crate_name --build
With version constraint (only when necessary):
cargo add crate_name --version "^1.0.0"
Removing Dependencies
Use cargo remove instead of manually deleting from Cargo.toml:
cargo remove crate_name
cargo remove crate_name --dev
cargo remove crate_name --build
Upgrading Dependencies
Use cargo upgrade to update dependencies (requires cargo-edit package):
cargo upgrade crate_name
cargo upgrade --all
cargo upgrade --dry-run
Checking Dependency Status
cargo tree
cargo outdated
When to Use
Use this skill whenever you need to:
- Add a new dependency to a Rust project
- Remove a dependency
- Update or upgrade dependencies
- Modify dependency features
Best Practices
- Always use
cargo add - Never hardcode versions unless explicitly required
- Specify features - Always include required features with
--features flag
- Check dependency tree - Use
cargo tree after adding to verify transitive dependencies
- Test after changes - Run
cargo build and cargo test after dependency changes
- Use dry-run - When unsure, use
--dry-run flag to preview changes
