diff --git a/src/Cli/dotnet/Commands/CommandFactory.cs b/src/Cli/dotnet/Commands/CommandFactory.cs
index 317770bf1f10..143de4cd4137 100644
--- a/src/Cli/dotnet/Commands/CommandFactory.cs
+++ b/src/Cli/dotnet/Commands/CommandFactory.cs
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@ internal static CommandBase CreateVirtualOrPhysicalCommand(
         Func<MSBuildArgs, string?, CommandBase> createPhysicalCommand,
         IEnumerable<Option> optionsToUseWhenParsingMSBuildFlags,
         ParseResult parseResult,
-        string? msbuildPath = null)
+        string? msbuildPath = null,
+        Func<MSBuildArgs, MSBuildArgs>? transformer = null)
     {
         var args = parseResult.GetValue(catchAllUserInputArgument) ?? [];
         LoggerUtility.SeparateBinLogArguments(args, out var binLogArgs, out var nonBinLogArgs);
@@ -32,11 +33,13 @@ internal static CommandBase CreateVirtualOrPhysicalCommand(
                 CommonOptions.GetTargetResultOption,
                 CommonOptions.GetResultOutputFileOption,
             ]);
+            msbuildArgs = transformer?.Invoke(msbuildArgs) ?? msbuildArgs;
             return configureVirtualCommand(msbuildArgs, Path.GetFullPath(arg));
         }
         else
         {
             var msbuildArgs = MSBuildArgs.AnalyzeMSBuildArguments([.. forwardedArgs, .. args], [.. optionsToUseWhenParsingMSBuildFlags]);
+            msbuildArgs = transformer?.Invoke(msbuildArgs) ?? msbuildArgs;
             return createPhysicalCommand(msbuildArgs, msbuildPath);
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/Cli/dotnet/Commands/Pack/PackCommand.cs b/src/Cli/dotnet/Commands/Pack/PackCommand.cs
index 59d007661836..1e88f22688f5 100644
--- a/src/Cli/dotnet/Commands/Pack/PackCommand.cs
+++ b/src/Cli/dotnet/Commands/Pack/PackCommand.cs
@@ -49,19 +49,10 @@ public static CommandBase FromParseResult(ParseResult parseResult, string? msbui
                 NoRestore = noRestore,
                 NoCache = true,
             },
-            (msbuildArgs, msbuildPath) =>
-            {
-                ReleasePropertyProjectLocator projectLocator = new(parseResult, MSBuildPropertyNames.PACK_RELEASE,
-                    new ReleasePropertyProjectLocator.DependentCommandOptions(
-                            nonBinLogArgs,
-                            parseResult.HasOption(PackCommandParser.ConfigurationOption) ? parseResult.GetValue(PackCommandParser.ConfigurationOption) : null
-                        )
-                );
-                return new PackCommand(
-                    msbuildArgs.CloneWithAdditionalProperties(projectLocator.GetCustomDefaultConfigurationValueIfSpecified()),
-                    noRestore,
-                    msbuildPath);
-            },
+            (msbuildArgs, msbuildPath) => new PackCommand(
+                msbuildArgs,
+                noRestore,
+                msbuildPath),
             optionsToUseWhenParsingMSBuildFlags:
             [
                 CommonOptions.PropertiesOption,
@@ -70,7 +61,17 @@ public static CommandBase FromParseResult(ParseResult parseResult, string? msbui
                 PackCommandParser.VerbosityOption,
             ],
             parseResult,
-            msbuildPath);
+            msbuildPath,
+            (msbuildArgs) =>
+            {
+                ReleasePropertyProjectLocator projectLocator = new(parseResult, MSBuildPropertyNames.PACK_RELEASE,
+                    new ReleasePropertyProjectLocator.DependentCommandOptions(
+                            nonBinLogArgs,
+                            parseResult.HasOption(PackCommandParser.ConfigurationOption) ? parseResult.GetValue(PackCommandParser.ConfigurationOption) : null
+                        )
+                );
+                return msbuildArgs.CloneWithAdditionalProperties(projectLocator.GetCustomDefaultConfigurationValueIfSpecified());
+            });
     }
 
     private static LogLevel MappingVerbosityToNugetLogLevel(VerbosityOptions? verbosity)
diff --git a/src/Cli/dotnet/Commands/Publish/PublishCommand.cs b/src/Cli/dotnet/Commands/Publish/PublishCommand.cs
index d7e844915401..45dc32c84300 100644
--- a/src/Cli/dotnet/Commands/Publish/PublishCommand.cs
+++ b/src/Cli/dotnet/Commands/Publish/PublishCommand.cs
@@ -52,7 +52,16 @@ public static CommandBase FromParseResult(ParseResult parseResult, string? msbui
                 NoRestore = noRestore,
                 NoCache = true,
             },
-            (msbuildArgs, msbuildPath) => {
+            (msbuildArgs, msbuildPath) => new PublishCommand(
+                msbuildArgs: msbuildArgs,
+                noRestore: noRestore,
+                msbuildPath: msbuildPath
+            ),
+            [CommonOptions.PropertiesOption, CommonOptions.RestorePropertiesOption, PublishCommandParser.TargetOption, PublishCommandParser.VerbosityOption],
+            parseResult,
+            msbuildPath,
+            (msbuildArgs) =>
+            {
                 var options = new ReleasePropertyProjectLocator.DependentCommandOptions(
                         nonBinLogArgs,
                         parseResult.HasOption(PublishCommandParser.ConfigurationOption) ? parseResult.GetValue(PublishCommandParser.ConfigurationOption) : null,
@@ -60,15 +69,8 @@ public static CommandBase FromParseResult(ParseResult parseResult, string? msbui
                     );
                 var projectLocator = new ReleasePropertyProjectLocator(parseResult, MSBuildPropertyNames.PUBLISH_RELEASE, options);
                 var releaseModeProperties = projectLocator.GetCustomDefaultConfigurationValueIfSpecified();
-                return new PublishCommand(
-                    msbuildArgs: msbuildArgs.CloneWithAdditionalProperties(releaseModeProperties),
-                    noRestore: noRestore,
-                    msbuildPath: msbuildPath
-                );
-            },
-            [CommonOptions.PropertiesOption, CommonOptions.RestorePropertiesOption, PublishCommandParser.TargetOption, PublishCommandParser.VerbosityOption],
-            parseResult,
-            msbuildPath
+                return msbuildArgs.CloneWithAdditionalProperties(releaseModeProperties);
+            }
         );
     }
 
diff --git a/src/Cli/dotnet/ReleasePropertyProjectLocator.cs b/src/Cli/dotnet/ReleasePropertyProjectLocator.cs
index ee9ce79b1593..e85fb9878d4c 100644
--- a/src/Cli/dotnet/ReleasePropertyProjectLocator.cs
+++ b/src/Cli/dotnet/ReleasePropertyProjectLocator.cs
@@ -4,7 +4,9 @@
 using System.Collections.ObjectModel;
 using System.CommandLine;
 using System.Diagnostics;
+using Microsoft.Build.Evaluation;
 using Microsoft.Build.Execution;
+using Microsoft.DotNet.Cli.Commands.Run;
 using Microsoft.DotNet.Cli.Utils;
 using Microsoft.NET.Build.Tasks;
 using Microsoft.VisualStudio.SolutionPersistence.Model;
@@ -108,7 +110,12 @@ DependentCommandOptions commandOptions
     {
         foreach (string arg in _slnOrProjectArgs.Append(Directory.GetCurrentDirectory()))
         {
-            if (IsValidProjectFilePath(arg))
+            if (VirtualProjectBuildingCommand.IsValidEntryPointPath(arg))
+            {
+                return new VirtualProjectBuildingCommand(Path.GetFullPath(arg), MSBuildArgs.FromProperties(globalProps))
+                    .CreateProjectInstance(ProjectCollection.GlobalProjectCollection);
+            }
+            else if (IsValidProjectFilePath(arg))
             {
                 return TryGetProjectInstance(arg, globalProps);
             }
diff --git a/test/dotnet.Tests/CommandTests/Run/RunFileTests.cs b/test/dotnet.Tests/CommandTests/Run/RunFileTests.cs
index 7900ab25b063..2c87e8cc7469 100644
--- a/test/dotnet.Tests/CommandTests/Run/RunFileTests.cs
+++ b/test/dotnet.Tests/CommandTests/Run/RunFileTests.cs
@@ -1504,6 +1504,14 @@ public void Publish()
         new DirectoryInfo(publishDir).Sub("Program")
             .Should().Exist()
             .And.NotHaveFilesMatching("*.deps.json", SearchOption.TopDirectoryOnly); // no deps.json file for AOT-published app
+
+        new RunExeCommand(Log, Path.Join(publishDir, "Program", $"Program{Constants.ExeSuffix}"))
+            .Execute()
+            .Should().Pass()
+            .And.HaveStdOut("""
+                Hello from Program
+                Release config
+                """);
     }
 
     [Fact]
@@ -1689,6 +1697,9 @@ public void Pack()
         File.WriteAllText(programFile, """
             #:property PackAsTool=true
             Console.WriteLine($"Hello; EntryPointFilePath set? {AppContext.GetData("EntryPointFilePath") is string}");
+            #if !DEBUG
+            Console.WriteLine("Release config");
+            #endif
             """);
 
         // Run unpacked.
@@ -1719,7 +1730,10 @@ public void Pack()
             .WithWorkingDirectory(testInstance.Path)
             .Execute()
             .Should().Pass()
-            .And.HaveStdOutContaining("Hello; EntryPointFilePath set? False");
+            .And.HaveStdOutContaining("""
+                Hello; EntryPointFilePath set? False
+                Release config
+                """);
     }
 
     [Fact]