Codestin Search App

yeelam-gordon · 2026-03-03T02:43:31Z

What this adds

A new skill winmd-api-search that helps GitHub Copilot find and explore Windows desktop APIs (WinRT / WinAppSDK).

What it does

Searches a local WinMD metadata cache to discover APIs for platform capabilities (camera, file access, notifications, UI controls, AI/ML, sensors, networking, etc.)
Retrieves full type details: methods, properties, events, enumeration values
Works out-of-the-box for Windows Platform SDK and WinAppSDK no restore or build needed for baseline coverage
Supports additional NuGet packages after \dotnet restore\

Bundled assets

File	Purpose
\scripts/Update-WinMdCache.ps1\	Generates the JSON cache from SDK and NuGet packages
\scripts/Invoke-WinMdQuery.ps1\	Searches types, members, enums, and namespaces
\scripts/cache-generator/\	.NET tool that parses WinMD files into JSON

Prerequisites

.NET SDK 8.0 or later
Windows (reads from local SDK install)

Checklist

Skill folder created with
pm run skill:create\
SKILL.md has valid frontmatter (
ame, \description)
pm run skill:validate\ passes
pm run build\ ran to update README tables
Targets \staged\ branch

Add a skill that helps find and explore Windows desktop APIs (WinRT/WinAppSDK). It searches a local WinMD metadata cache to discover APIs for platform capabilities like camera, file access, notifications, UI controls, AI/ML, sensors, and networking. Includes bundled scripts: - Update-WinMdCache.ps1: generates the JSON cache from SDK and NuGet packages - Invoke-WinMdQuery.ps1: searches types, members, enums, and namespaces - cache-generator: .NET tool that parses WinMD files into JSON Co-authored-by: Copilot <[email protected]>

Copilot

Pull request overview

Adds a new winmd-api-search skill to the skills catalog, enabling GitHub Copilot to discover Windows desktop APIs (WinRT / Windows App SDK) by querying a locally generated WinMD-to-JSON cache.

Changes:

Introduces a standalone .NET cache generator to parse WinMD files from Windows SDK, NuGet packages, and project outputs into a deduplicated per-package JSON cache.
Adds PowerShell scripts to generate the cache and query it (projects/packages/stats/namespaces/types/members/enums/search).
Documents the skill usage in SKILL.md and registers it in docs/README.skills.md.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 10 out of 10 changed files in this pull request and generated 9 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
skills/winmd-api-search/scripts/cache-generator/Program.cs	Implements WinMD parsing, package discovery, and per-package+version JSON cache generation.
skills/winmd-api-search/scripts/cache-generator/CacheGenerator.csproj	Defines the standalone generator project and its NuGet dependencies.
skills/winmd-api-search/scripts/cache-generator/Directory.Build.props	Isolates the generator from repo-level build props.
skills/winmd-api-search/scripts/cache-generator/Directory.Build.targets	Isolates the generator from repo-level build targets.
skills/winmd-api-search/scripts/cache-generator/Directory.Packages.props	Isolates the generator from repo-level central package management.
skills/winmd-api-search/scripts/Update-WinMdCache.ps1	Builds/runs the generator to produce or refresh the WinMD JSON cache.
skills/winmd-api-search/scripts/Invoke-WinMdQuery.ps1	Provides CLI-style querying over the generated cache (search, members, enums, etc.).
skills/winmd-api-search/SKILL.md	Skill documentation and usage guidance for generating and querying the cache.
skills/winmd-api-search/LICENSE.txt	Adds license text for the skill’s bundled assets.
docs/README.skills.md	Registers the new skill and lists bundled assets.

Copilot · 2026-03-03T02:47:37Z

skills/winmd-api-search/scripts/Invoke-WinMdQuery.ps1

+        exit 1
+    }
+
+    $ns = $FullName.Substring(0, $FullName.LastIndexOf('.'))


Same issue as members action: this assumes the enum type name contains '.', and will throw if an unqualified name is provided. Add a guard and emit a friendly error prompting for a fully-qualified type name.

Suggested change

$ns = $FullName.Substring(0, $FullName.LastIndexOf('.'))

$lastDot = $FullName.LastIndexOf('.')

if ($lastDot -lt 0) {

Write-Error "Please provide a fully-qualified type name (e.g. 'Namespace.TypeName') for -TypeName when using the 'enums' action."

exit 1

}

$ns = $FullName.Substring(0, $lastDot)

Copilot · 2026-03-03T02:47:37Z

skills/winmd-api-search/scripts/cache-generator/Program.cs

+            }
+
+            foreach (var lib in libraries.EnumerateObject())
+            {


When parsing project.assets.json, the "libraries" section includes non-package entries (e.g., libraries where "type" is "project"). Add a check for the library "type" and only treat entries with type == "package" as NuGet packages to avoid unnecessary disk scans and misleading IDs/versions.

Suggested change

{

{

// Only treat libraries with type == "package" as NuGet packages.

if (!lib.Value.TryGetProperty("type", out var typeProp) ||

!string.Equals(typeProp.GetString(), "package", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))

{

continue;

}

Copilot · 2026-03-03T02:47:38Z

skills/winmd-api-search/scripts/cache-generator/Program.cs

+
+            try
+            {
+                var propSig = prop.DecodeSignature(typeProvider, null);
+                var propType = propSig.ReturnType;
+                var accessors = prop.GetAccessors();
+                var hasGetter = !accessors.Getter.IsNil;
+                var hasSetter = !accessors.Setter.IsNil;


Property parsing emits an entry even if both accessors are non-public. Consider checking the Getter/Setter method attributes and only including the property when at least one accessor method is public (consistent with method filtering).

Suggested change

try

{

var propSig = prop.DecodeSignature(typeProvider, null);

var propType = propSig.ReturnType;

var accessors = prop.GetAccessors();

var hasGetter = !accessors.Getter.IsNil;

var hasSetter = !accessors.Setter.IsNil;

var accessors = prop.GetAccessors();

var hasGetter = !accessors.Getter.IsNil;

var hasSetter = !accessors.Setter.IsNil;

// Align property visibility with method filtering:

// only include properties where at least one accessor is public.

var getterIsPublic = hasGetter &&

(reader.GetMethodDefinition(accessors.Getter).Attributes & MethodAttributes.Public) != 0;

var setterIsPublic = hasSetter &&

(reader.GetMethodDefinition(accessors.Setter).Attributes & MethodAttributes.Public) != 0;

if (!getterIsPublic && !setterIsPublic)

{

continue;

}

try

{

var propSig = prop.DecodeSignature(typeProvider, null);

var propType = propSig.ReturnType;

Copilot · 2026-03-03T02:47:38Z

skills/winmd-api-search/scripts/cache-generator/Program.cs

+    var projectsDir = Path.Combine(outputDir, "projects");
+    Directory.CreateDirectory(projectsDir);
+    File.WriteAllText(
+        Path.Combine(projectsDir, $"{projectName}.json"),
+        JsonSerializer.Serialize(manifest, jsonOptions));


Project manifests are written to "projects/.json" where projectName is just the file name without extension. In --scan mode, different projects with the same name in different directories will overwrite each other’s manifest. Consider including a unique suffix (e.g., relative path hash) in the manifest filename, while keeping ProjectName as a display field inside the JSON.

Copilot · 2026-03-03T02:47:38Z

skills/winmd-api-search/scripts/cache-generator/Program.cs

+            var evt = reader.GetEventDefinition(eventHandle);
+            var evtName = reader.GetString(evt.Name);
+            var evtType = GetHandleTypeName(reader, evt.Type);
+
+            members.Add(new WinMdMemberInfo


Event parsing doesn’t currently validate accessor visibility. Consider checking the add/remove (and optionally raise) methods’ attributes and only including the event when at least one relevant accessor is public.

Copilot · 2026-03-03T02:47:38Z

skills/winmd-api-search/scripts/Invoke-WinMdQuery.ps1

+                    $nsResults[$n] = @{ BestScore = 0; Types = @(); FilePath = $filePath }
+                }
+                $entry = $nsResults[$n]
+                if ($score -gt $entry.BestScore) { $entry.BestScore = $score }


Search groups results by namespace and stores a single FilePath for that namespace. If the same namespace appears in multiple packages, the stored FilePath may not contain the best-matching type(s) that contributed to the score. Consider tracking results per (package, namespace) or outputting multiple file paths with package id/version.

Suggested change

$nsResults[$n] = @{ BestScore = 0; Types = @(); FilePath = $filePath }

}

$entry = $nsResults[$n]

if ($score -gt $entry.BestScore) { $entry.BestScore = $score }

# Initialize with no file path; it will be set when we record the first best score.

$nsResults[$n] = @{ BestScore = 0; Types = @(); FilePath = $null }

}

$entry = $nsResults[$n]

if ($score -gt $entry.BestScore) {

# Update both the best score and the file path so FilePath always

# corresponds to the highest-scoring match for this namespace.

$entry.BestScore = $score

$entry.FilePath = $filePath

}

Copilot · 2026-03-03T02:47:39Z

skills/winmd-api-search/scripts/Invoke-WinMdQuery.ps1

+        exit 1
+    }
+
+    $ns = $FullName.Substring(0, $FullName.LastIndexOf('.'))


This assumes the type name contains at least one '.' (namespace separator). If a user passes an unqualified type name, LastIndexOf('.') returns -1 and Substring will throw. Handle the no-namespace case with a clear error message instead of throwing.

Suggested change

$ns = $FullName.Substring(0, $FullName.LastIndexOf('.'))

$nsSeparatorIndex = $FullName.LastIndexOf('.')

if ($nsSeparatorIndex -lt 0) {

Write-Error "Type name must be fully qualified with a namespace (expected at least one '.'): $FullName"

exit 1

}

$ns = $FullName.Substring(0, $nsSeparatorIndex)

Copilot · 2026-03-03T02:47:39Z

skills/winmd-api-search/scripts/Update-WinMdCache.ps1

+
+.EXAMPLE
+    .\Update-WinMdCache.ps1
+    .\Update-WinMdCache.ps1 -ProjectDir BlankWInUI


Example project name appears to have a typo: "BlankWInUI" should likely be "BlankWinUI" (capitalization). This is user-facing documentation in the comment help block.

Suggested change

.\Update-WinMdCache.ps1 -ProjectDir BlankWInUI

.\Update-WinMdCache.ps1 -ProjectDir BlankWinUI

Copilot · 2026-03-03T02:47:39Z

skills/winmd-api-search/scripts/cache-generator/CacheGenerator.csproj

+  <!-- System.Reflection.Metadata is inbox in net9.0+, only needed for net8.0 -->
+  <ItemGroup Condition="'$(TargetFramework)' == 'net8.0'">
+    <PackageReference Include="System.Reflection.Metadata" Version="9.*" />
+  </ItemGroup>
+
+  <!--
+    Baseline WinAppSDK packages: downloaded during restore so the cache generator
+    can always index WinAppSDK APIs, even if the target project hasn't been restored.
+    ExcludeAssets="all" means they're downloaded but don't affect this tool's build.
+  -->
+  <ItemGroup>
+    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK" Version="*" ExcludeAssets="all" />
+  </ItemGroup>


Avoid floating NuGet versions here (System.Reflection.Metadata "9." and Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK "") because it makes restores non-deterministic and can break over time as new versions are released. Pin to specific, known-good versions (and ideally align System.Reflection.Metadata to the chosen target framework) so cache generation is reproducible.

aaronpowell

Just a small nit on the docs links

aaronpowell · 2026-03-03T04:32:29Z

skills/winmd-api-search/SKILL.md

+- [Windows Platform SDK API reference](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/uwp/api/) — documentation for `Windows.*` namespaces
+- [Windows App SDK API reference](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-app-sdk/api/winrt/) — documentation for `Microsoft.*` WinAppSDK namespaces


Suggested change

- [Windows Platform SDK API reference](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/uwp/api/) — documentation for `Windows.*` namespaces

- [Windows App SDK API reference](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-app-sdk/api/winrt/) — documentation for `Microsoft.*` WinAppSDK namespaces

- [Windows Platform SDK API reference](https://learn.microsoft.com/uwp/api/) — documentation for `Windows.*` namespaces

- [Windows App SDK API reference](https://learn.microsoft.com/windows/windows-app-sdk/api/winrt/) — documentation for `Microsoft.*` WinAppSDK namespaces

Minor nit in there to use the non-localised URLs.

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings March 3, 2026 02:43

yeelam-gordon requested a review from aaronpowell as a code owner March 3, 2026 02:43

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of yeelam-gordon March 3, 2026 02:43 View session

Copilot AI reviewed Mar 3, 2026

View reviewed changes

aaronpowell requested changes Mar 3, 2026

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feat: add winmd-api-search skill for Windows desktop API discovery#860

feat: add winmd-api-search skill for Windows desktop API discovery#860
yeelam-gordon wants to merge 1 commit intogithub:stagedfrom
yeelam-gordon:add-winmd-api-search-skill

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-    $ns = $FullName.Substring(0, $FullName.LastIndexOf('.'))
+    $lastDot = $FullName.LastIndexOf('.')
+    if ($lastDot -lt 0) {
+        Write-Error "Please provide a fully-qualified type name (e.g. 'Namespace.TypeName') for -TypeName when using the 'enums' action."
+        exit 1
+    }
+    $ns = $FullName.Substring(0, $lastDot)

-            {
+            {
+                // Only treat libraries with type == "package" as NuGet packages.
+                if (!lib.Value.TryGetProperty("type", out var typeProp) ||
+                    !string.Equals(typeProp.GetString(), "package", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+                {
+                    continue;
+                }

-    $ns = $FullName.Substring(0, $FullName.LastIndexOf('.'))
+    $nsSeparatorIndex = $FullName.LastIndexOf('.')
+    if ($nsSeparatorIndex -lt 0) {
+        Write-Error "Type name must be fully qualified with a namespace (expected at least one '.'): $FullName"
+        exit 1
+    }
+    $ns = $FullName.Substring(0, $nsSeparatorIndex)

	.\Update-WinMdCache.ps1 -ProjectDir BlankWInUI
	.\Update-WinMdCache.ps1 -ProjectDir BlankWinUI

		- [Windows Platform SDK API reference](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/uwp/api/) — documentation for `Windows.*` namespaces
		- [Windows App SDK API reference](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-app-sdk/api/winrt/) — documentation for `Microsoft.*` WinAppSDK namespaces

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yeelam-gordon commented Mar 3, 2026

What this adds

What it does

Bundled assets

Prerequisites

Checklist

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