Now liveThe Skillselion MCP - thousands of ranked skills, loaded into your agent mid-task. No install.Get it →
github avatar

Winmd Api Search

  • 5.6k installs
  • 37.1k repo stars
  • Updated July 28, 2026
  • github/awesome-copilot

winmd-api-search is an agent skill for Find and explore Windows desktop APIs. Use when building features that need platform capabilities — camera, file access, notifications, UI controls, AI/ML, sensors, networking, etc

About

Find and explore Windows desktop APIs Use when building features that need platform capabilities camera file access notifications UI controls AI ML sensors networking etc Discovers the right API for a task and retrieves full type details methods properties events enumeration values name winmd-api-search description Find and explore Windows desktop APIs Use when building features that need platform capabilities camera file access notifications UI controls AI ML sensors networking etc Discovers the right API for a task and retrieves full type details methods properties events enumeration values license Complete terms in LICENSE txt WinMD API Search This skill helps you find the right Windows API for any capability and get its full details It searches a local cache of all WinMD metadata from Windows Platform SDK all Windows WinRT APIs always available no restore needed WinAppSDK WinUI bundled as a baseline in the cache generator always available no restore needed NuGet packages any additional packages in restored projects that contain winmd files Project-output WinMD class libraries C WinRT C that

  • **Windows Platform SDK** - all `Windows.*` WinRT APIs (always available, no restore needed)
  • **WinAppSDK / WinUI** - bundled as a baseline in the cache generator (always available, no restore needed)
  • **NuGet packages** - any additional packages in restored projects that contain `.winmd` files
  • **Project-output WinMD** - class libraries (C++/WinRT, C#) that produce `.winmd` as build output
  • User wants to build a feature and you need to find which API provides that capability

Winmd Api Search by the numbers

  • 5,644 all-time installs (skills.sh)
  • +22 installs in the week ending Jul 28, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
  • Ranked #126 of 1,881 Marketing & SEO skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
  • Security screen: MEDIUM risk (skills.sh audit)
  • Data as of Jul 28, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
At a glance

winmd-api-search capabilities & compatibility

Capabilities
**windows platform sdk** — all `windows.*` winrt · **winappsdk / winui** — bundled as a baseline in · **nuget packages** — any additional packages in · **project output winmd** — class libraries (c++/ · user wants to build a feature and you need to fi
Use cases
documentation
From the docs

What winmd-api-search says it does

--- name: winmd-api-search description: 'Find and explore Windows desktop APIs.
SKILL.md
Use when building features that need platform capabilities — camera, file access, notifications, UI controls, AI/ML, sensors, networking, etc.
SKILL.md
Install from [dotnet.microsoft.com](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download) if not available.
SKILL.md
npx skills add https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot --skill winmd-api-search

Add your badge

Show developers this skill is listed on Skillselion. Paste this into your README.

Listed on Skillselion
Installs5.6k
repo stars37.1k
Security audit2 / 3 scanners passed
Last updatedJuly 28, 2026
Repositorygithub/awesome-copilot

When should developers use winmd-api-search and what problem does it solve?

Find and explore Windows desktop APIs. Use when building features that need platform capabilities - camera, file access, notifications, UI controls, AI/ML, sensors, networking, etc. Discovers the r.

Who is it for?

Developers working with winmd-api-search patterns described in the skill documentation.

Skip if: Skip when cached docs are empty or the task is outside the skill's documented scope.

When should I use this skill?

Find and explore Windows desktop APIs. Use when building features that need platform capabilities — camera, file access, notifications, UI controls, AI/ML, sensors, networking, etc. Discovers the righ

What you get

Grounded guidance and workflows from SKILL.md for winmd-api-search.

  • API name matches
  • full WinRT type signatures

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

WinMD API Search

This skill helps you find the right Windows API for any capability and get its full details. It searches a local cache of all WinMD metadata from:

  • Windows Platform SDK — all Windows.* WinRT APIs (always available, no restore needed)
  • WinAppSDK / WinUI — bundled as a baseline in the cache generator (always available, no restore needed)
  • NuGet packages — any additional packages in restored projects that contain .winmd files
  • Project-output WinMD — class libraries (C++/WinRT, C#) that produce .winmd as build output

Even on a fresh clone with no restore or build, you still get full Platform SDK + WinAppSDK coverage.

When to Use This Skill

  • User wants to build a feature and you need to find which API provides that capability
  • User asks "how do I do X?" where X involves a platform feature (camera, files, notifications, sensors, AI, etc.)
  • You need the exact methods, properties, events, or enumeration values of a type before writing code
  • You're unsure which control, class, or interface to use for a UI or system task

Prerequisites

  • .NET SDK 8.0 or later — required to build the cache generator. Install from dotnet.microsoft.com if not available.

Cache Setup (Required Before First Use)

All query and search commands read from a local JSON cache. You must generate the cache before running any queries.

# All projects in the repo (recommended for first run)
.\.github\skills\winmd-api-search\scripts\Update-WinMdCache.ps1

# Single project
.\.github\skills\winmd-api-search\scripts\Update-WinMdCache.ps1 -ProjectDir <project-folder>

No project restore or build is needed for baseline coverage (Platform SDK + WinAppSDK). For additional NuGet packages, the project needs dotnet restore (which generates project.assets.json) or a packages.config file.

Cache is stored at Generated Files\winmd-cache\, deduplicated per-package+version.

What gets indexed

SourceWhen available
Windows Platform SDKAlways (reads from local SDK install)
WinAppSDK (latest)Always (bundled as baseline in cache generator)
WinAppSDK RuntimeWhen installed on the system (detected via Get-AppxPackage)
Project NuGet packagesAfter dotnet restore or with packages.config
Project-output .winmdAfter project build (class libraries that produce WinMD)
Note: This cache directory should be in .gitignore — it's generated, not source.

How to Use

Pick the path that matches the situation:

---

Discover — "I don't know which API to use"

The user describes a capability in their own words. You need to find the right API.

0. Ensure the cache exists

If the cache hasn't been generated yet, run Update-WinMdCache.ps1 first — see Cache Setup above.

1. Translate user language → search keywords

Map the user's daily language to programming terms. Try multiple variations:

User saysSearch keywords to try (in order)
"take a picture"camera, capture, photo, MediaCapture
"load from disk"file open, picker, FileOpen, StorageFile
"describe what's in it"image description, Vision, Recognition
"show a popup"dialog, flyout, popup, ContentDialog
"drag and drop"drag, drop, DragDrop
"save settings"settings, ApplicationData, LocalSettings

Start with simple everyday words. If results are weak or irrelevant, try the more technical variation.

2. Run searches

.\.github\skills\winmd-api-search\scripts\Invoke-WinMdQuery.ps1 -Action search -Query "<keyword>"

This returns ranked namespaces with top matching types and the JSON file path.

If results have low scores (below 60) or are irrelevant, fall back to searching online documentation:

1. Use web search to find the right API on Microsoft Learn, for example:

  • site:learn.microsoft.com/uwp/api <capability keywords> for Windows.* APIs
  • site:learn.microsoft.com/windows/windows-app-sdk/api/winrt <capability keywords> for Microsoft.* WinAppSDK APIs

2. Read the documentation pages to identify which type matches the user's requirement. 3. Once you know the type name, come back and use -Action members or -Action enums to get the exact local signatures.

3. Read the JSON to choose the right API

Read the file at the path(s) from the top results. The JSON has all types in that namespace — full members, signatures, parameters, return types, enumeration values.

Read and decide which types and members fit the user's requirement.

4. Look up official documentation for context

The cache contains only signatures — no descriptions or usage guidance. For explanations, examples, and remarks, look up the type on Microsoft Learn:

Namespace prefixDocumentation base URL
Windows.*https://learn.microsoft.com/uwp/api/{fully.qualified.typename}
Microsoft.* (WinAppSDK)https://learn.microsoft.com/windows/windows-app-sdk/api/winrt/{fully.qualified.typename}

For example, Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls.NavigationView maps to: https://learn.microsoft.com/windows/windows-app-sdk/api/winrt/microsoft.ui.xaml.controls.navigationview

5. Use the API knowledge to answer or write code

---

Lookup — "I know the API, show me the details"

You already know (or suspect) the type or namespace name. Go direct:

# Get all members of a known type
.\.github\skills\winmd-api-search\scripts\Invoke-WinMdQuery.ps1 -Action members -TypeName "Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls.NavigationView"

# Get enum values
.\.github\skills\winmd-api-search\scripts\Invoke-WinMdQuery.ps1 -Action enums -TypeName "Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Visibility"

# List all types in a namespace
.\.github\skills\winmd-api-search\scripts\Invoke-WinMdQuery.ps1 -Action types -Namespace "Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls"

# Browse namespaces
.\.github\skills\winmd-api-search\scripts\Invoke-WinMdQuery.ps1 -Action namespaces -Filter "Microsoft.UI"

If you need full detail beyond what -Action members shows, use -Action search to get the JSON file path, then read the JSON file directly.

---

Other Commands

# List cached projects
.\.github\skills\winmd-api-search\scripts\Invoke-WinMdQuery.ps1 -Action projects

# List packages for a project
.\.github\skills\winmd-api-search\scripts\Invoke-WinMdQuery.ps1 -Action packages

# Show stats
.\.github\skills\winmd-api-search\scripts\Invoke-WinMdQuery.ps1 -Action stats
If only one project is cached, -Project is auto-selected.
If multiple projects exist, add -Project <name> (use -Action projects to see available names).
In scan mode, manifest names include a short hash suffix to avoid collisions; you can pass the base project name without the suffix if it's unambiguous.

Search Scoring

The search ranks type names and member names against your query:

ScoreMatch typeExample
100Exact nameButtonButton
80Starts withNavigationNavigationView
60ContainsDialogContentDialog
50PascalCase initialsASBAutoSuggestBox
40Multi-keyword ANDnavigation itemNavigationViewItem
20Fuzzy character matchNavVwNavigationView

Results are grouped by namespace. Higher-scored namespaces appear first.

Troubleshooting

IssueFix
"Cache not found"Run Update-WinMdCache.ps1
"Multiple projects cached"Add -Project <name>
"Namespace not found"Use -Action namespaces to list available ones
"Type not found"Use fully qualified name (e.g., Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls.Button)
Stale after NuGet updateRe-run Update-WinMdCache.ps1
Cache in git historyAdd Generated Files/ to .gitignore

References

Related skills

How it compares

Use winmd-api-search for offline WinMD discovery; use Microsoft Learn when you need narrative docs and samples beyond raw type signatures.

FAQ

What does winmd-api-search do?

Find and explore Windows desktop APIs. Use when building features that need platform capabilities — camera, file access, notifications, UI controls, AI/ML, sensors, networking, etc. Discovers the right API for a task and

When should I invoke winmd-api-search?

Find and explore Windows desktop APIs. Use when building features that need platform capabilities — camera, file access, notifications, UI controls, AI/ML, sensors, networking, etc. Discovers the right API for a task and

Where is the source documentation?

Ground claims in SKILL.md excerpts and linked reference files from the cached docs.

Is Winmd Api Search safe to install?

skills.sh reports 2 of 3 security scanners passed. Review the Security Audits panel on this page before installing in production.

Marketing & SEOseocontent

This week in AI coding

Five minutes, every Monday - the tools, releases and tactics for developers.

unsubscribe anytime.