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 retrieves full type details (methods, properties, events, enumeration values).
Profile →npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill winmd-api-search --agent copilot
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for claude-code, codex, cursor.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# 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]
- When to Use This Skill
- Prerequisites
- Cache Setup (Required Before First Use)
- What gets indexed
- How to Use
- Discover — "I don't know which API to use"
- Lookup — "I know the API, show me the details"
- Other Commands
- Search Scoring
- Troubleshooting
- References
What does the winmd-api-search skill 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 retrieves full type details (methods, properties, events, enumeration values).
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill winmd-api-search --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From github/awesome-copilot, a repository with 37,432 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.