winapp-manifest

✓ Official★ 1,100

by microsoft · part of microsoft/winappcli

Create and edit Windows app manifest files (appxmanifest.xml) that define app identity, capabilities, and visual assets, or generate new assets from existing…

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🧰 Not standalone. This skill ships with microsoft/winappcli and only works together with that tool — install the tool first, then add this skill.

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name: winapp-manifest description: Create and edit Windows app manifest files (Package.appxmanifest or appxmanifest.xml) that define app identity, capabilities, and visual assets, or generate new assets from existing images. Use when creating a Windows app manifest for any app type (GUI, console, CLI tool, service), adding Windows capabilities, generating new app icons and assets, or adding execution aliases, file associations, protocol handlers, or other app extensions. version: 0.4.1

When to use

Use this skill when:

Creating Package.appxmanifest for a project that doesn't have one yet
Generating app icon assets from a single source image
Understanding manifest structure for package identity and capabilities

Key concepts

Package.appxmanifest is the key prerequisite for most winapp commands — it's more important than winapp.yaml. It declares:

Package identity — name, publisher, version
App entry point — which executable to launch
Capabilities — what the app can access (internet, file system, etc.)
Visual assets — icons for Start menu, taskbar, installers
Extensions — share target, startup tasks, file associations, etc.

Two manifest templates:

packaged (default) — for full MSIX distribution
sparse — for desktop apps that need package identity without full MSIX containment (uses AllowExternalContent)

winapp init also generates a manifest as part of full project setup. Use winapp manifest generate when you only need the manifest without SDK setup or winapp.yaml.

Manifest structure overview

A typical Package.appxmanifest looks like:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Package xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/appx/manifest/foundation/windows10"
         xmlns:uap="http://schemas.microsoft.com/appx/manifest/uap/windows10"
         xmlns:rescap="http://schemas.microsoft.com/appx/manifest/foundation/windows10/restrictedcapabilities">
  <Identity Name="MyApp" Publisher="CN=MyPublisher" Version="1.0.0.0" />
  <Properties>
    <DisplayName>My App</DisplayName>
    <PublisherDisplayName>My Publisher</PublisherDisplayName>
    <Logo>Assets\StoreLogo.png</Logo>
  </Properties>
  <Resources>
    <Resource Language="en-us" />
  </Resources>
  <Applications>
    <Application Id="App" Executable="myapp.exe" EntryPoint="Windows.FullTrustApplication">
      <uap:VisualElements DisplayName="My App" Description="My Application"
        Square150x150Logo="Assets\Square150x150Logo.png"
        Square44x44Logo="Assets\Square44x44Logo.png" BackgroundColor="transparent" />
    </Application>
  </Applications>
  <Capabilities>
    <rescap:Capability Name="runFullTrust" />
  </Capabilities>
</Package>

Key fields to edit:

Identity.Name — unique package name (no spaces)
Identity.Publisher — must match your certificate exactly
Application.Executable — your app's exe filename
Capabilities — add capabilities as needed (internetClient, broadFileSystemAccess, etc.)

Tips

Always ensure Identity.Publisher matches your signing certificate — use winapp cert generate --manifest to auto-match
The sparse template adds uap10:AllowExternalContent="true" for apps that need identity but run outside the MSIX container
You can manually edit Package.appxmanifest after generation — it's a standard XML file
Image assets must match the paths referenced in the manifest — update-assets handles this automatically
For logos, transparent PNGs or SVGs work best. SVG source images are rendered as vectors directly at each target size, producing pixel-perfect results. Use a square image for best results across all sizes.
$targetnametoken$ placeholder: When winapp manifest generate creates Package.appxmanifest, it sets Application.Executable to $targetnametoken$.exe by default. This is a valid placeholder that gets automatically resolved by winapp package --executable <name> at packaging time — you rarely need to override it during manifest generation. If --executable is provided to winapp manifest generate, winapp reads FileVersionInfo from the actual exe to auto-fill package name, description, publisher, and extract an icon, so the exe must already exist on disk.

Related skills

After generating a manifest, see winapp-signing for certificate setup and winapp-package to create the MSIX installer
Not sure which command to use? See winapp-troubleshoot for a command selection flowchart

Command Reference

`winapp manifest generate`

Create Package.appxmanifest without full project setup. Use when you only need a manifest and image assets (no SDKs, no certificate). For full setup, use 'init' instead. Templates: 'packaged' (full MSIX), 'sparse' (desktop app needing Windows APIs).