`msbuild` command not found, but `msbuild.exe` works fine

bash msysgit msys
Colonel Panic picture Colonel Panic · Dec 11, 2012 · Viewed 21k times · Source

I run MSys/Bash as distributed in Git for Windows. I added the folder C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319 to my path, so I could run msbuild but it doesn't work

$ msbuild
C:\Program Files (x86)\Git\bin\sh.exe: msbuild: command not found

Yet msbuild.exe does:

$ msbuild.exe
Microsoft (R) Build Engine version 4.0.30319.17929

Yet the command explorer resolves fine. What's going on?

Answer

Colonel Panic picture Colonel Panic · Dec 11, 2012

It's a bug in MSys where the same name is shared by a folder and a file (minus the extension). In this case:

  • File C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\MSBuild.exe
  • Folder C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\MSBuild

You'll have to workaround by writing msbuild.exe

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