<2-3 sentences summarising what the project addresses and solves, the target audience, and the benefit.> This project provides AI agents and skills as plugins for coding assistants (Copilot, Claude, Codex) to streamline the end-to-end development lifecycle of native Windows apps using WinUI 3 and the Windows App SDK. It targets developers seeking AI-powered automation for scaffolding, design, building, testing, packaging, and shipping, offering context-aware assistance grounded in Windows development specifics.

How It Works

The system comprises a winui-dev orchestrator agent and eight specialized skills, integrated as plugins for AI coding assistants. These skills leverage external tools like the winapp CLI and in-repo utilities (e.g., winmd.exe, winui-search.exe, Roslyn analyzers) to provide precise, context-aware guidance for WinUI 3 development. This approach ensures AI suggestions are tailored to the Windows App SDK's packaged execution model and specific APIs, unlike generic AI assistants.

Quick Start & Requirements

Installation is typically via the AI assistant's plugin marketplace (e.g., copilot plugin marketplace add microsoft/win-dev-skills). A comprehensive setup prompt for Copilot CLI automates plugin installation and prerequisite configuration.

• Prerequisites: GitHub Copilot CLI (or Claude Code/OpenAI Codex), Git, .NET SDK (>= 8.0), WinApp CLI (>= 0.3), WinUI 3 templates, and Developer Mode enabled. Visual Studio with the WinUI workload is optional but recommended.
• Commands: winget install GitHub.Copilot, winget install Git.Git, winget install Microsoft.DotNet.SDK.10, winget install Microsoft.WinAppCLI, dotnet new install Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK.WinUI.CSharp.Templates.
• Links: GitHub Copilot, Tags.

Highlighted Details

• End-to-End Automation: Covers the full development loop from scaffolding to shipping.
• Grounded AI Assistance: Utilizes custom tools like winmd.exe for metadata verification and winui-search.exe for WinUI Gallery/Toolkit sample lookup.
• WinApp CLI Dependency: Deep integration with winapp CLI for essential operations like running, testing, packaging, and signing WinUI 3 apps.
• XAML Compiler Workaround: Includes a BuildAndRun.ps1 script to mitigate a known XAML compiler diagnostic issue.

Maintenance & Community

This project is in preview (v0.x), with breaking changes expected and no SemVer commitment until v1.0. Contributions are welcome via PRs to the staging branch, requiring a CLA. Feedback is actively solicited via the winui-session-report skill and GitHub issues to shape future development.

Licensing & Compatibility

The project is licensed under the MIT License. Compatibility notes for commercial use are not explicitly detailed beyond standard MIT terms. Third-party components are listed in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.

Limitations & Caveats

As a preview release, the project is subject to frequent changes. Some development tools are distributed unsigned directly from the repository. A workaround exists for a specific XAML compiler diagnostic issue. Initial support is focused on GitHub Copilot CLI, with plans for broader AI host integration.