Example of .NET console app (that could be made into a cmd line tool) that uses MSBuild to extract project version

GetProjectVersion.targets

<!-- Put this in sub-directory of the project named 'assets' -->
<Project>
  <Target Name="_ExtractVersionMetadata">
    <WriteLinesToFile File="$(_ProjectVersionMetadataFile)" Lines="$(Version)" />
  </Target>
</Project>

GetProjectVersionViaMsBuild.csproj

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">

  <PropertyGroup>
    <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
    <TargetFramework>net7.0</TargetFramework>
    <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
    <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
    <VersionPrefix>1.2.0</VersionPrefix>
  </PropertyGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <None Update="assets\GetProjectVersion.targets">
      <CopyToOutputDirectory>Always</CopyToOutputDirectory>
    </None>
  </ItemGroup>

</Project>

Program.cs

using System.Diagnostics;

string? projectFilePath = null;

if (args.Length > 0)
{
    projectFilePath = args[0];
    if (!File.Exists(projectFilePath))
    {
        WriteError($"The specified project file '{projectFilePath}' was not found.");
        Environment.Exit(1);
    }
}
else
{
    var projectFiles = Directory.GetFiles(Directory.GetCurrentDirectory(), "*.csproj");
    if (projectFiles.Length == 1)
    {
        projectFilePath = projectFiles[0];
    }
    else if (projectFiles.Length > 1)
    {
        WriteError("More than one .csproj file found. Please specify a project file, e.g.: dotnet version MyProjectFile.csproj");
        Environment.Exit(1);
    }
    else
    {
        WriteError("No project file found. Please run this command in the project directory or specify a project file, e.g.: dotnet version MyProjectFile.csproj");
        Environment.Exit(1);
    }
}

var configuration = "Debug";
var targetsFile = FindTargetsFile();
if (targetsFile is null)
{
    Environment.Exit(1);
}

var outputFile = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), Path.GetRandomFileName());

try
{
    var psi = new ProcessStartInfo
    {
        FileName = "dotnet.exe",
        RedirectStandardOutput = true,
        RedirectStandardError = true,
        UseShellExecute = false,
        ArgumentList =
                    {
                        "msbuild",
                        projectFilePath,
                        "/nologo",
                        "/t:_ExtractVersionMetadata", // defined in GetProjectVersion.targets
                        "/p:_ProjectVersionMetadataFile=" + outputFile,
                        "/p:Configuration=" + configuration,
                        "/p:CustomAfterMicrosoftCommonTargets=" + targetsFile,
                        "/p:CustomAfterMicrosoftCommonCrossTargetingTargets=" + targetsFile,
                        "-verbosity:detailed",
        }
    };

    using var process = new Process()
    {
        StartInfo = psi,
    };
    process.Start();
    process.BeginOutputReadLine();
    process.BeginErrorReadLine();
    process.WaitForExit();

    if (process.ExitCode != 0)
    {
        WriteError($"Exit code: {process.ExitCode}");
    }

    if (!File.Exists(outputFile))
    {
        WriteError("Output file not found");
        Environment.Exit(1);
    }

    var version = File.ReadAllText(outputFile)?.Trim();
    if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(version))
    {
        WriteError("Output file was empty");
    }

    Console.WriteLine($"Project version: {version}");
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    WriteError(ex.ToString());
    Environment.Exit(1);
}

void WriteError(string value)
{
    WriteLine(value, ConsoleColor.Red);
}

void WriteLine(string value, ConsoleColor color)
{
    Write(value, color);
    Console.WriteLine();
}

void Write(string value, ConsoleColor color)
{
    var originalForegroundColor = Console.ForegroundColor;
    Console.ForegroundColor = color;
    Console.Write(value);
    Console.ForegroundColor = originalForegroundColor;
}

string? FindTargetsFile()
{
    var assemblyDir = Path.GetDirectoryName(typeof(Program).Assembly.Location);
    var searchPaths = new[]
    {
        Path.Combine(AppContext.BaseDirectory, "assets"),
        Path.Combine(assemblyDir, "assets"),
        AppContext.BaseDirectory,
        assemblyDir,
    };

    var targetPath = searchPaths.Select(p => Path.Combine(p, "GetProjectVersion.targets")).FirstOrDefault(File.Exists);
    if (targetPath == null)
    {
        WriteError("Fatal error: could not find GetProjectVersion.targets");
        return null;
    }
    return targetPath;
}