Agent skill · research science · github
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).
Why this skill is useful
Provides specific commands and patterns for discovering and utilizing Windows APIs that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
Requires dotnet installed locally. About 5k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 37,534 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
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. 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. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills github/winmd-api-search