Agent skill

Winui

by managedcode in managedcode/dotnet-skills

Build or review WinUI 3 applications with the Windows App SDK, including MVVM patterns, packaging decisions, navigation, theming, windowing, and interop boundaries with other .NET stacks.

MITAuto-check passedMobile

Install Winui

skills CLI

$ npx skills add managedcode/dotnet-skills --skill winui -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install managedcode/dotnet-skills winui --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/managedcode/dotnet-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/catalog/Frameworks/WinUI/skills/winui .claude/skills/winui && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "winui" agent skill from https://github.com/managedcode/dotnet-skills/tree/main/catalog/Frameworks/WinUI/skills/winui into .claude/skills/winui/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "winui", then confirm the skill loads.

Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

$skill-installer

$skill-installer install https://github.com/managedcode/dotnet-skills/tree/main/catalog/Frameworks/WinUI/skills/winui

Type this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add managedcode/dotnet-skills --skill winui -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install managedcode/dotnet-skills winui --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/managedcode/dotnet-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/catalog/Frameworks/WinUI/skills/winui .agents/skills/winui && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "winui" agent skill from https://github.com/managedcode/dotnet-skills/tree/main/catalog/Frameworks/WinUI/skills/winui into .agents/skills/winui/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "winui", then confirm the skill loads.

Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add managedcode/dotnet-skills --skill winui -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install managedcode/dotnet-skills winui --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/managedcode/dotnet-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/catalog/Frameworks/WinUI/skills/winui .cursor/skills/winui && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "winui" agent skill from https://github.com/managedcode/dotnet-skills/tree/main/catalog/Frameworks/WinUI/skills/winui into .cursor/skills/winui/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "winui", then confirm the skill loads.

Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

gemini skills install

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/managedcode/dotnet-skills.git --path catalog/Frameworks/WinUI/skills/winui

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add managedcode/dotnet-skills --skill winui -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install managedcode/dotnet-skills winui --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/managedcode/dotnet-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/catalog/Frameworks/WinUI/skills/winui .gemini/skills/winui && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.

Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "winui" agent skill from https://github.com/managedcode/dotnet-skills/tree/main/catalog/Frameworks/WinUI/skills/winui into .gemini/skills/winui/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "winui", then confirm the skill loads.

Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install managedcode/dotnet-skills winui

Installs for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add managedcode/dotnet-skills --skill winui -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/managedcode/dotnet-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/catalog/Frameworks/WinUI/skills/winui .github/skills/winui && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.

GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "winui" agent skill from https://github.com/managedcode/dotnet-skills/tree/main/catalog/Frameworks/WinUI/skills/winui into .github/skills/winui/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "winui", then confirm the skill loads.

GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add managedcode/dotnet-skills --skill winui -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install managedcode/dotnet-skills winui --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/managedcode/dotnet-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/catalog/Frameworks/WinUI/skills/winui .opencode/skills/winui && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "winui" agent skill from https://github.com/managedcode/dotnet-skills/tree/main/catalog/Frameworks/WinUI/skills/winui into .opencode/skills/winui/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "winui", then confirm the skill loads.

OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

Facts

Skill name: winui
GitHub stars: 486
Token cost: ~1.4k tokens
SKILL.md length: 461 words
Files: 4 (incl. references)
Skills in repo: 81
Repo updated: Oct 7, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: MIT

At a glance

Build or review WinUI 3 applications with the Windows App SDK, including MVVM patterns, packaging decisions, navigation, theming, windowing, and interop boundaries with other .NET stacks.

Works in 9 steps: Confirm WinUI is the right choice — use… → Choose packaging model early — packaged… → Apply MVVM pattern with the MVVM Toolkit… → …
: building native modern Windows desktop UI on WinUI 3
SKILL.md covers Trigger On, Workflow, Current Upstream Notes and Key Decisions, plus 3 more sections
Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Winui is an agent skill from managedcode/dotnet-skills. Build or review WinUI 3 applications with the Windows App SDK, including MVVM patterns, packaging decisions, navigation, theming, windowing, and interop boundaries with other .NET stacks. USE FOR: building native modern Windows desktop UI on WinUI 3; integrating Windows App SDK features into a .NET app; deciding between WinUI, WPF, WinForms, and MAUI for Windows. DO NOT USE FOR: unrelated stacks; generic tasks that do not need this specific guidance. INVOKES: inspect the repository context, edit targeted files…

Its SKILL.md is about 1.4k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 4 other files, including reference files (for example `manifest.json`, `references/anti-patterns.md` and `references/patterns.md`). Compatibility notes: Requires a WinUI 3, Windows App SDK, or MAUI-on-Windows integration scenario.

It sits in Mobile, covering Cross-platform mobile apps, Theming and dark mode and Codebase knowledge for agents. It works with Windows and .NET. The repository describes itself as: Installable .NET skill catalog and CLI for Codex, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, and Gemini. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

: building native modern Windows desktop UI on WinUI 3
Integrating Windows App SDK features into a .NET app
Deciding between WinUI
MAUI for Windows

Example prompts

“/winui”

Requirements

Compatibility (from SKILL.md): Requires a WinUI 3, Windows App SDK, or MAUI-on-Windows integration scenario.

Workflow steps

9 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

Confirm WinUI is the right choice — use when modern Windows-native UI, Fluent Design, and Windows App SDK capabilities are needed. For…
Choose packaging model early — packaged (MSIX) vs unpackaged differ materially for deployment, identity, and API access
Apply MVVM pattern with the MVVM Toolkit — keep views dumb, logic in ViewModels
Use x:Bind for compiled bindings — better performance and compile-time checking than {Binding}
Wire DI through Host.CreateDefaultBuilder — register services, ViewModels, and views. Resolve via App.GetService().
Implement navigation service — map ViewModels to Pages by convention. See references/patterns.md for the full pattern.
Handle Windows App SDK features — windowing (AppWindow), custom title bar, app lifecycle, notifications.
Always set XamlRoot when showing ContentDialog — omitting this causes silent failures.
Validate on Windows targets — behavior depends on runtime, packaging model, and Windows version.

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 535dd55. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are xml, csharp and mermaid).
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Compatibility
Requires a WinUI 3, Windows App SDK, or MAUI-on-Windows integration scenario.
From compatibility in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

Context cost

Winui loads about 1.4k tokens when it runs, and up to ~7.8k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 151 tokens; SKILL.md has 461 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~151
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~1.4k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them: ~7.8k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from managedcode/dotnet-skills at commit 535dd55, republished under its MIT licence (© managedcode). 461 words, ~1,387 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/winui/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 3 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.

name: winui
description: Build or review WinUI 3 applications with the Windows App SDK, including MVVM patterns, packaging decisions, navigation, theming, windowing, and interop boundaries with other .NET stacks. USE FOR: building native modern Windows desktop UI on WinUI 3; integrating Windows App SDK features into a .NET app; deciding between WinUI, WPF, WinForms, and MAUI for Windows. DO NOT USE FOR: unrelated stacks; generic tasks that do not need this specific guidance. INVOKES: inspect the repository context, edit targeted files, and run relevant build, test, lint, or validation commands when changes are made.
compatibility: Requires a WinUI 3, Windows App SDK, or MAUI-on-Windows integration scenario.

WinUI 3 and Windows App SDK

Trigger On

building native modern Windows desktop UI on WinUI 3
integrating Windows App SDK features into a .NET app
deciding between WinUI, WPF, WinForms, and MAUI for Windows work
implementing MVVM patterns in Windows App SDK applications

Workflow

Confirm WinUI is the right choice — use when modern Windows-native UI, Fluent Design, and Windows App SDK capabilities are needed. For cross-platform, consider MAUI instead.
Choose packaging model early — packaged (MSIX) vs unpackaged differ materially for deployment, identity, and API access:
xml
```

<WindowsPackageType>None</WindowsPackageType>
```

Apply MVVM pattern with the MVVM Toolkit — keep views dumb, logic in ViewModels:

csharp

public partial class ProductsViewModel : ObservableObject
{
    [ObservableProperty]
    private ObservableCollection<Product> _products = [];

    [ObservableProperty]
    [NotifyCanExecuteChangedFor(nameof(DeleteCommand))]
    private Product? _selectedProduct;

    [RelayCommand(CanExecute = nameof(CanDelete))]
    private async Task DeleteAsync()
    {
        if (SelectedProduct is null) return;
        await _productService.DeleteAsync(SelectedProduct.Id);
        Products.Remove(SelectedProduct);
    }
    private bool CanDelete() => SelectedProduct is not null;
}

Use x:Bind for compiled bindings — better performance and compile-time checking than {Binding}:
xml
```
<TextBlock Text="{x:Bind ViewModel.Title, Mode=OneWay}"/>
```
Wire DI through Host.CreateDefaultBuilder — register services, ViewModels, and views. Resolve via App.GetService<T>().
Implement navigation service — map ViewModels to Pages by convention. See references/patterns.md for the full pattern.
Handle Windows App SDK features — windowing (AppWindow), custom title bar, app lifecycle, notifications.
Always set XamlRoot when showing ContentDialog — omitting this causes silent failures.
Validate on Windows targets — behavior depends on runtime, packaging model, and Windows version.

Current Upstream Notes

Windows App SDK 2.3.1 adds schema-constrained Phi Silica JSON output, XamlOptionalChanges, ARM64EC support for Windows ML, Video Super Resolution improvements, and opt-in XAML startup/style/resource-lookup optimizations.
Windows App SDK 1.8.11 is the current 1.8 servicing patch. It restores focus after storage pickers, fixes MRT fallback resolution, and isolates runtime base-directory environment state; retest picker return focus, resource fallback, and side-by-side runtime activation when maintaining the 1.8 line.
For unpackaged apps, prefer ApplicationData.GetForUnpackaged() over registry or custom folder conventions when the app needs first-class app data storage.
When upgrading to 2.3.1, retest unpackaged LocalSettings, background tasks, side-placement flyouts, MediaPlayerPresenter device loss, popup pointer replay, ItemsRepeater layouts, Windows ML, and any opted-in XAML change IDs.

mermaid

flowchart LR
  A["Choose WinUI"] --> B["Select packaging model"]
  B --> C["MVVM + DI setup"]
  C --> D["Navigation and views"]
  D --> E["Windows App SDK features"]
  E --> F["Validate on target runtime"]

Show full SKILL.md (162 more words)Show less

Key Decisions

Decision	Guidance
Packaged vs unpackaged	Packaged (MSIX) for Store, auto-update, and full API access; unpackaged for simpler deployment
x:Bind vs Binding	Always prefer x:Bind — compiled, faster, type-safe
MVVM Toolkit attributes	Use `[ObservableProperty]`, `[RelayCommand]` to eliminate boilerplate
Navigation	Convention-based ViewModel→Page mapping via navigation service
Theming	Use `RequestedTheme` on root element; respect system theme by default

Deliver

modern Windows UI code with clear platform boundaries
explicit deployment and packaging assumptions
MVVM pattern with testable ViewModels
cleaner interop between shared and Windows-specific layers

Validate

WinUI is chosen for a real product reason, not defaulted to
Windows App SDK dependencies are explicit in the project file
packaging and runtime assumptions are tested on target
x:Bind is used for compiled bindings throughout
navigation and ContentDialog both work with correct XamlRoot
custom title bar renders correctly on Windows 10 and 11

References

references/patterns.md - WinUI 3 patterns including MVVM, navigation services, DI setup, windowing, theming, dialogs, and lifecycle handling
references/anti-patterns.md - common WinUI mistakes with explanations and corrections

Files

SKILL.md and 3 other files (references) in catalog/Frameworks/WinUI/skills/winui of managedcode/dotnet-skills.

SKILL.md
manifest.json
references/anti-patterns.md
references/patterns.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 535dd55

Compare with similar skills

Winui next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Winui compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Winui this skillmanagedcode/dotnet-skills	486	—	~1.4k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
Dotnet UInovotnyllc/dotnet-artisan	233	—	~1.3k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
Maui Safe Areadotnet/skills	5.6k	1 repos	~3.2k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
Maui Themingdotnet/skills	5.6k	1 repos	~4.1k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
Maui Localizationdavidortinau/maui-skills	174	—	~1.2k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	3 mo ago
Maui Safe Areadavidortinau/maui-skills	174	—	~1.3k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	3 mo ago

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Questions about Winui

What does Winui do?

Build or review WinUI 3 applications with the Windows App SDK, including MVVM patterns, packaging decisions, navigation, theming, windowing, and interop boundaries with other .NET stacks. Winui is an agent skill from managedcode/dotnet-skills.NET stacks.

When should I use Winui?

Winui fits situations like: : building native modern Windows desktop UI on WinUI 3; integrating Windows App SDK features into a .NET app; deciding between WinUI; MAUI for Windows.

How do I install Winui in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add managedcode/dotnet-skills --skill winui -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (catalog/Frameworks/WinUI/skills/winui in managedcode/dotnet-skills) into .claude/skills/winui in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Winui in Codex?

Run `npx skills add managedcode/dotnet-skills --skill winui -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (catalog/Frameworks/WinUI/skills/winui in managedcode/dotnet-skills) into .agents/skills/winui in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Winui in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add managedcode/dotnet-skills --skill winui -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/winui, .gemini/skills/winui, .github/skills/winui and .opencode/skills/winui in your project.

What does Winui need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Winui is instructions for the agent only. Compatibility (from SKILL.md): Requires a WinUI 3, Windows App SDK, or MAUI-on-Windows integration scenario..

Does Winui access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Winui safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Winui use?

Winui is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Winui use?

About 1.4k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.5k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 6.4k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Winui?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Winui: Dotnet UI (novotnyllc/dotnet-artisan, 233 stars), Maui Safe Area (dotnet/skills, 5.6k stars), Maui Theming (dotnet/skills, 5.6k stars) and Maui Localization (davidortinau/maui-skills, 174 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Winui?

managedcode (a GitHub organization) maintains it in managedcode/dotnet-skills, which has 486 GitHub stars. The repository holds 81 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 7, 2026.

Source: managedcode/dotnet-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Install Winui

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Requirements

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Compatibility

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

WinUI 3 and Windows App SDK

Trigger On

Workflow

Current Upstream Notes

Key Decisions

Deliver

Validate

References

Files

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from managedcode/dotnet-skills

Related

Questions about Winui