winapp-setup

When to use

Use this skill when:

• Adding Windows platform support to an existing project (Electron, .NET, C++, Rust, Flutter, Tauri, etc.)
• Cloning a repo that already uses winapp and need to restore SDK packages
• Updating SDK versions to get the latest Windows SDK or Windows App SDK

Prerequisites

Install the winapp CLI before running any commands:

# Via winget (recommended for non-Node projects)
winget install Microsoft.WinAppCli --source winget

# Via npm (recommended for Electron/Node projects — includes Node.js SDK)
npm install --save-dev @microsoft/winappcli

You need an existing app project — winapp init does not create new projects, it adds Windows platform files to your existing codebase.

Already have a Package.appxmanifest? .NET projects that already have a packaging manifest (e.g., WinUI 3 apps or projects with an existing MSIX packaging setup) likely don't need winapp init. Ensure your .csproj references the Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK NuGet package and has the right properties for packaged builds (e.g., <WindowsPackageType>MSIX</WindowsPackageType>). WinUI 3 apps created from Visual Studio templates are typically already fully configured — you can go straight to building and using winapp run or winapp package.

Key concepts

appxmanifest.xml is the most important file winapp creates — it declares your app's identity, capabilities, and visual assets. Most winapp commands require it (package, run, cert generate --manifest).

winapp.yaml is only needed for SDK version management via restore/update. Projects that already reference Windows SDK packages (e.g., via NuGet in a .csproj) can use winapp commands without it.

.winapp/ is the local folder where SDK packages and generated projections (e.g., CppWinRT headers) are stored. This folder is .gitignored — team members recreate it via winapp restore.

Usage

Initialize a new winapp project

# Interactive — prompts for app name, publisher, SDK channel, etc.
winapp init .

# Non-interactive — accepts all defaults (stable SDKs, current folder name as app name)
winapp init --use-defaults

# Skip SDK installation (just manifest + config)
winapp init --use-defaults --setup-sdks none

# Install preview SDKs instead of stable
winapp init --use-defaults --setup-sdks preview

After init, your project will contain:

• appxmanifest.xml — package identity and capabilities
• Assets/ — default app icons (Square44x44Logo, Square150x150Logo, etc.)
• winapp.yaml — SDK version pinning for restore/update
• .winapp/ — downloaded SDK packages and generated projections
• .gitignore update — excludes .winapp/ and devcert.pfx

Restore after cloning

# Reinstall SDK packages from existing winapp.yaml (does not change versions)
winapp restore

# Restore into a specific directory
winapp restore ./my-project

Use restore when you clone a repo that already has winapp.yaml but no .winapp/ folder.

Update SDK versions

# Check for and install latest stable SDK versions
winapp update

# Switch to preview channel
winapp update --setup-sdks preview

This updates winapp.yaml with the latest versions and reinstalls packages.

Run and debug with identity

# Register debug identity and launch app from build output
winapp run ./bin/Debug

# Launch with custom manifest and pass arguments to the app
winapp run ./dist --manifest ./out/AppxManifest.xml --args "--my-flag value"

# Register identity without launching (useful for attaching a debugger manually)
winapp run ./bin/Debug --no-launch

# Launch and capture OutputDebugString messages and crash diagnostics
# Note: prevents other debuggers (VS, VS Code) from attaching — use --no-launch if you need those instead
winapp run ./bin/Debug --debug-output

Use winapp run during iterative development — it creates a loose layout package, registers a debug identity, and launches the app in one step. For identity-only registration without loose layout, use winapp create-debug-identity instead.

Choosing between run and create-debug-identity

	winapp run	create-debug-identity
Registers	Full loose layout package (entire folder)	Sparse package (single exe)
App launch	Winapp launches via AUMID or alias	You launch the exe yourself
Simulates MSIX	Yes — closest to production	No — identity only
Files	Copied to AppX layout dir	Exe stays in place
Best for	Most frameworks (.NET, C++, Rust, Flutter, Tauri)	Electron, or F5 startup debugging

Default to winapp run. Use create-debug-identity when you need your IDE to launch and debug the exe directly (startup debugging), or when the exe is separate from your source (Electron).

For console apps, add --with-alias to preserve stdin/stdout in the current terminal.

--debug-output caveat: Captures OutputDebugString and crash diagnostics (minidump + automatic analysis for both managed and native crashes) but attaches winapp as the debugger — you cannot also attach VS Code or WinDbg. Use --no-launch if you need your own debugger. Add --symbols to download PDB symbols for richer native crash analysis.

For full debugging scenarios and IDE setup, see the Debugging Guide.

Recommended workflow

1. Initialize — winapp init --use-defaults in your existing project
2. Configure — edit appxmanifest.xml to add capabilities your app needs (e.g., runFullTrust, internetClient)
3. Build — build your app as usual (dotnet build, cmake, npm run build, etc.)
4. Run with identity — winapp run ./bin/Debug to register identity and launch for debugging
5. Package — winapp package ./bin/Release --cert ./devcert.pfx to create MSIX

Tips

• Use --use-defaults (alias: --no-prompt) in CI/CD pipelines and scripts to avoid interactive prompts
• If you only need appxmanifest.xml without SDK setup, use winapp manifest generate instead of init
• winapp init is idempotent for the config file — re-running it won't overwrite an existing winapp.yaml unless you use --config-only
• For Electron projects, prefer npm install --save-dev @microsoft/winappcli and use npx winapp init instead of the standalone CLI

Related skills

• After setup, see winapp-manifest to customize your appxmanifest.xml
• Ready to package? See winapp-package to create an MSIX installer
• Need a certificate? See winapp-signing for certificate generation
• Not sure which command to use? See winapp-troubleshoot for a command selection flowchart

Troubleshooting

Error	Cause	Solution
"winapp.yaml not found"	Running restore/update without config	Run winapp init first, or ensure you're in the right directory
"Directory not found"	Target directory doesn't exist	Create the directory first or check the path
SDK download fails	Network issue or firewall	Ensure internet access; check proxy settings
init prompts unexpectedly in CI	Missing --use-defaults flag	Add --use-defaults to skip all prompts

Command Reference

winapp init

Start here for initializing a Windows app with required setup. Sets up everything needed for Windows app development: creates Package.appxmanifest with default assets, creates winapp.yaml for version management, and downloads Windows SDK and Windows App SDK packages and generates projections. Interactive by default (use --use-defaults to skip prompts). Use 'restore' instead if you cloned a repo that already has winapp.yaml. Use 'manifest generate' if you only need a manifest, or 'cert generate' if you need a development certificate for code signing.

Arguments

Argument	Required	Description
<base-directory>	No	Base/root directory for the winapp workspace, for consumption or installation.

Options

Option	Description	Default
--config-dir	Directory to read/store configuration (default: current directory)	(none)
--config-only	Only handle configuration file operations (create if missing, validate if exists). Skip package installation and other workspace setup steps.	(none)
--ignore-config	Don't use configuration file for version management	(none)
--no-gitignore	Don't update .gitignore file	(none)
--setup-sdks	SDK installation mode: 'stable' (default), 'preview', 'experimental', or 'none' (skip SDK installation)	(none)
--use-defaults	Do not prompt, and use default of all prompts	(none)

winapp restore

Use after cloning a repo or when .winapp/ folder is missing. Reinstalls SDK packages from existing winapp.yaml without changing versions. Requires winapp.yaml (created by 'init'). To check for newer SDK versions, use 'update' instead.

Arguments

Argument	Required	Description
<base-directory>	No	Base/root directory for the winapp workspace

Options

Option	Description	Default
--config-dir	Directory to read configuration from (default: current directory)	(none)

winapp update

Check for and install newer SDK versions. Updates winapp.yaml with latest versions and reinstalls packages. Requires existing winapp.yaml (created by 'init'). Use --setup-sdks preview for preview SDKs. To reinstall current versions without updating, use 'restore' instead.

Options

Option	Description	Default
--setup-sdks	SDK installation mode: 'stable' (default), 'preview', 'experimental', or 'none' (skip SDK installation)	(none)

winapp run

Creates packaged layout, registers the Application, and launches the packaged application.

Arguments

Argument	Required	Description
<input-folder>	Yes	Input folder containing the app to run

Options

Option	Description	Default
--args	Command-line arguments to pass to the application	(none)
--clean	Remove the existing package's application data (LocalState, settings, etc.) before re-deploying. By default, application data is preserved across re-deployments.	(none)
--debug-output	Capture OutputDebugString messages and first-chance exceptions from the launched application. Only one debugger can attach to a process at a time, so other debuggers (Visual Studio, VS Code) cannot be used simultaneously. Use --no-launch instead if you need to attach a different debugger. Cannot be combined with --no-launch or --json.	(none)
--detach	Launch the application and return immediately without waiting for it to exit. Useful for CI/automation where you need to interact with the app after launch. Prints the PID to stdout (or in JSON with --json).	(none)
--json	Format output as JSON	(none)
--manifest	Path to the Package.appxmanifest (default: auto-detect from input folder or current directory)	(none)
--no-launch	Only create the debug identity and register the package without launching the application	(none)
--output-appx-directory	Output directory for the loose layout package. If not specified, a directory named AppX inside the input-folder directory will be used.	(none)
--symbols	Download symbols from Microsoft Symbol Server for richer native crash analysis. Only used with --debug-output. First run downloads symbols and caches them locally; subsequent runs use the cache.	(none)
--unregister-on-exit	Unregister the development package after the application exits. Only removes packages registered in development mode.	(none)
--with-alias	Launch the app using its execution alias instead of AUMID activation. The app runs in the current terminal with inherited stdin/stdout/stderr. Requires a uap5:ExecutionAlias in the manifest. Use "winapp manifest add-alias" to add an execution alias to the manifest.	(none)