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:

bash

cargo add crate_name

With features:

bash

cargo add crate_name --features "feature1,feature2"

Dev dependencies:

bash

cargo add crate_name --dev

Build dependencies:

bash

cargo add crate_name --build

With version constraint (only when necessary):

bash

cargo add crate_name --version "^1.0.0"

Removing Dependencies

Use cargo remove instead of manually deleting from Cargo.toml:

bash

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):

bash

cargo upgrade crate_name
cargo upgrade --all
cargo upgrade --dry-run

Checking Dependency Status

bash

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cargo outdated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