docs: Add dotnet-ef JSON config file feature (EF Core 11)

entity-framework/core/cli/dotnet.md

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 title: EF Core tools reference (.NET CLI) - EF Core
 description: Reference guide for the Entity Framework Core .NET CLI tools
 author: SamMonoRT
-ms.date: 11/08/2024
+ms.date: 04/22/2026
 uid: core/cli/dotnet
 ---
 
@@ -386,6 +386,60 @@ The following example creates a script for all migrations after the InitialCreat
 dotnet ef migrations script 20180904195021_InitialCreate
 ```
 
+## Configuration file
+
+> [!NOTE]
+> This feature was introduced in EF Core 11.
+
+Starting with EF Core 11, `dotnet ef` can load default option values from a JSON configuration file. This reduces the need to repeat the same command-line options across multiple invocations.
+
+### File location and discovery
+
+Place a file named `dotnet-ef.json` inside a `.config` directory:
+
+```text
+<repository root>/
+└── .config/
+    └── dotnet-ef.json
+```
+
+When `dotnet ef` runs, it walks up the directory tree from the current working directory and uses the first `.config/dotnet-ef.json` file it finds. This means you can place the file at the root of your repository and it will be used from any subdirectory.
+
+### Supported properties
+
+The configuration file is a JSON object with the following optional properties:
+
+```json
+{
+  "project": "src/App.Infrastructure",
+  "startupProject": "src/App.Api",
+  "framework": "net11.0",
+  "configuration": "Debug",
+  "context": "AppDbContext",
+  "runtime": "win-x64",
+  "verbose": true,
+  "noColor": false,
+  "prefixOutput": false
+}
+```
+
+| Property         | Type    | Description                                                                                                                                 |
+|:-----------------|:--------|:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
+| `project`        | string  | Relative or absolute path to the target project folder. Relative paths are resolved relative to the parent of the `.config` directory containing the file. |
+| `startupProject` | string  | Relative or absolute path to the startup project folder. Relative paths are resolved relative to the parent of the `.config` directory containing the file. |
+| `framework`      | string  | The [Target Framework Moniker](/dotnet/standard/frameworks#supported-target-framework-versions) for the target framework.                    |
+| `configuration`  | string  | The build configuration, for example: `Debug` or `Release`.                                                                                 |
+| `context`        | string  | The `DbContext` class to use. Class name only or fully qualified with namespaces.                                                           |
+| `runtime`        | string  | The identifier of the target runtime to restore packages for. For a list of Runtime Identifiers (RIDs), see the [RID catalog](/dotnet/core/rid-catalog). |
+| `verbose`        | boolean | Enable verbose output.                                                                                                                      |
+| `noColor`        | boolean | Disable colored console output.                                                                                                             |
+| `prefixOutput`   | boolean | Prefix output lines with their severity level.                                                                                              |
+
+All properties are optional. Only include the properties you need.
+
+> [!NOTE]
+> Explicit command-line options always take precedence over values from the configuration file.
+
 ## Additional resources
 
 * [Migrations](xref:core/managing-schemas/migrations/index)

entity-framework/core/what-is-new/ef-core-11.0/whatsnew.md

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 title: What's New in EF Core 11
 description: Overview of new features in EF Core 11
 author: roji
-ms.date: 02/02/2026
+ms.date: 04/22/2026
 uid: core/what-is-new/ef-core-11.0/whatsnew
 ---
 
@@ -631,6 +631,32 @@ Remove-Migration -Offline
 Drop-Database -Connection "Server=test;Database=MyDb;..." -Force
 ```
 
+<a name="dotnet-ef-config-file"></a>
+
+### Configuration file for dotnet ef
+
+The `dotnet ef` command-line tool now supports loading default option values from a `.config/dotnet-ef.json` configuration file. This eliminates the need to repeatedly specify the same options — such as `--project` and `--startup-project` — across every command invocation.
+
+When you run `dotnet ef`, the tool searches for a `.config/dotnet-ef.json` file by walking up the directory tree from the current working directory. The first file found is used. Here's an example configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "project": "src/App.Infrastructure",
+  "startupProject": "src/App.Api",
+  "framework": "net11.0",
+  "configuration": "Debug",
+  "context": "AppDbContext",
+  "runtime": "win-x64",
+  "verbose": true,
+  "noColor": false,
+  "prefixOutput": false
+}
+```
+
+Explicit command-line options always take precedence over configuration file values. Path values for `project` and `startupProject` are resolved relative to the parent of the `.config` directory containing the file.
+
+For more information, see [Configuration file](xref:core/cli/dotnet#configuration-file).
+
 ## Other improvements
 
 * The EF command-line tool now writes all logging and status messages to standard error, reserving standard output only for the command's actual expected output. For example, when generating a migration SQL script with `dotnet ef migrations script`, only the SQL is written to standard output.