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
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
Source
When available
Windows Platform SDK
Always (reads from local SDK install)
WinAppSDK (latest)
Always (bundled as baseline in cache generator)
WinAppSDK Runtime
When installed on the system (detected via
Get-AppxPackage
)
Project NuGet packages
After
dotnet restore
or with
packages.config
Project-output
.winmd
After 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 says
Search 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
""
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:
Use web search to find the right API on Microsoft Learn, for example:
site:learn.microsoft.com/uwp/api
for
Windows.
APIs
site:learn.microsoft.com/windows/windows-app-sdk/api/winrt
for
Microsoft.
WinAppSDK APIs
Read the documentation pages to identify which type matches the user's requirement.
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 prefix
Documentation 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
(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:
Score
Match type
Example
100
Exact name
Button
→
Button
80
Starts with
Navigation
→
NavigationView
60
Contains
Dialog
→
ContentDialog
50
PascalCase initials
ASB
→
AutoSuggestBox
40
Multi-keyword AND
navigation item
→
NavigationViewItem
20
Fuzzy character match
NavVw
→
NavigationView
Results are grouped by namespace. Higher-scored namespaces appear first.
Troubleshooting
Issue
Fix
"Cache not found"
Run
Update-WinMdCache.ps1
"Multiple projects cached"
Add
-Project
"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 update
Re-run
Update-WinMdCache.ps1
Cache in git history
Add
Generated Files/
to
.gitignore
References
Windows Platform SDK API reference
— documentation for
Windows.
namespaces
Windows App SDK API reference
— documentation for
Microsoft.
WinAppSDK namespaces