Inspect resolved metadata
Print package and dependency metadata as JSON.
bashANYcargometadataworkspace
bash
cargo metadata --format-version 1Notes
Useful when diagnosing workspace membership, package names, targets, and dependency resolution.
Rust CLI Troubleshooting: Manifest, Packages, and Workspaces
Commands and examples for debugging Cargo.toml issues, package selection mistakes, and workspace confusion in Rust CLI repos.
Export
Copy the compact sheet, download it, or print it.
Download
`D` dense toggle · `C` copy all
Manifest and metadata checks
Inspect package metadata and validate how Cargo sees the workspace.
bash
cargo locate-projectNotes
Helpful when commands are being run from nested directories and the active manifest is unclear.
bash
cargo locate-project --workspaceNotes
Useful when troubleshooting commands that behave differently in a workspace root versus a package directory.
Build one workspace member
Select a specific package inside a workspace.
bashANYcargoworkspacepackage
bash
cargo build -p my-cliNotes
Avoids accidentally building the wrong package or the whole workspace when only one member matters.
Run one package and one binary
Disambiguate package and binary target in a multi-package repo.
bashANYcargorunworkspacebin
bash
cargo run -p my-cli --bin my-cliNotes
Useful when multiple binaries or packages share similar names.
Clean one package target directory
Remove build artifacts for a package or target selection context.
bashANYcargocleanworkspace
bash
cargo clean -p my-cliNotes
Sometimes stale artifacts or profile mismatches make a local clean rebuild useful.
Manifest repair snippets
Examples for frequent Cargo.toml issues in CLI projects.
toml
[workspace]
members = ["crates/my-cli", "crates/common"]
resolver = "2"Notes
When a package is missing from workspace commands, verify that it is listed under `members` or matched by a glob you intended.
toml
[[bin]]
name = "my-cli"
path = "src/main.rs"Notes
Useful if Cargo cannot find the binary target you expect or if the project contains multiple executables.
Declare optional dependencies with features
Avoid feature-resolution confusion.
tomlANYcargofeaturesmanifest
toml
[dependencies]
clap = { version = "4", features = ["derive"] }
serde_json = { version = "1", optional = true }
[features]
default = []
json = ["dep:serde_json"]Notes
Feature wiring mistakes in `Cargo.toml` are a common source of build confusion in CLI apps.
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Cargo configuration, environment variables, docs generation, and troubleshooting commands for Rust CLI development.