dotnet/efcore · error · OperationException

The wildcard '*' can only be used with commands that run for

Error message

The wildcard '*' can only be used with commands that run for all contexts found. Specify a context name for this command.

What it means

AddMigration explicitly rejects the '*' wildcard because adding a migration requires a single concrete context (a migration is tied to one DbContext type). The '*' wildcard is only valid for read/loop commands that iterate all contexts (GetMigrations, ScriptMigration, UpdateDatabase).

Source

Thrown at src/EFCore.Design/Design/Internal/MigrationsOperations.cs:78

        _servicesBuilder = new DesignTimeServicesBuilder(assembly, startupAssembly, reporter, args);
    }

    /// <summary>
    ///     This is an internal API that supports the Entity Framework Core infrastructure and not subject to
    ///     the same compatibility standards as public APIs. It may be changed or removed without notice in
    ///     any release. You should only use it directly in your code with extreme caution and knowing that
    ///     doing so can result in application failures when updating to a new Entity Framework Core release.
    /// </summary>
    public virtual MigrationFiles AddMigration(
        string name,
        string? outputDir,
        string? contextType,
        string? @namespace,
        bool dryRun)
    {
        if (contextType == "*")
        {
            throw new OperationException(DesignStrings.WildcardNotSupported);
        }

        using var context = _contextOperations.CreateContext(contextType);
        var services = PrepareForMigration(name, context);

        using var scope = services.CreateScope();
        var (_, files) =
            CreateScaffoldedMigration(name, outputDir, @namespace, dryRun, scope.ServiceProvider);
        return files;
    }

    /// <summary>
    ///     Creates and saves a scaffolded migration using the provided services.
    /// </summary>
    public virtual (ScaffoldedMigration Migration, MigrationFiles Files)
        CreateScaffoldedMigration(
            string name,
            string? outputDir,

View on GitHub (pinned to dbf9771522)

Solutions

1. Omit --context entirely (EF picks the single context if there is exactly one).
2. Pass the specific context name: --context MyDbContext.
3. If you genuinely need migrations for several contexts, run add-migration once per context.

Example fix

// before
dotnet ef migrations add Init --context *
// after
dotnet ef migrations add Init --context SalesDbContext

if (contextType == "*") throw new ArgumentException("AddMigration requires a specific context name; '*' is not allowed.");

When it happens

Trigger: Running 'dotnet ef migrations add Init --context *'. The guard at line 76 (contextType == "*") throws before any context is created.

Common situations: Developer assumed '*' means 'use the only/default context'; copy-pasted a wildcard from a script-generation command into an add-migration call.

Related errors

• No DbContext named '{name}' was found.
• No DbContext was found in assembly '{assembly}'. Ensure that
• More than one DbContext named '{name}' was found. Specify wh
• More than one DbContext named '{name}' was found. Specify wh
• Changes have been made to the model since the last migration

AI-assisted analysis of dotnet/efcore@dbf9771522 (2026-08-06). Data as JSON: /api/errors/791c0df6ead6b4e9. Report an issue: GitHub.