name: publish-extension description: >- Publish your Command Palette extension to the Microsoft Store or WinGet. Use when asked to publish, distribute, release, deploy to store, create MSIX packages, submit to WinGet, set up CI/CD for releases, or automate builds with GitHub Actions.
Publish Your Command Palette Extension
Guide for distributing your Command Palette extension through the Microsoft Store, WinGet, or both.
When to Use This Skill
- Publishing your extension to the Microsoft Store
- Submitting your extension to WinGet for
winget installdiscovery - Setting up GitHub Actions to automate builds and releases
- Creating MSIX packages for Store submission
- Creating EXE installers for WinGet submission
Publishing Options
| Channel | Package Format | Discovery | Auto-Updates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Store | MSIX bundle | Store app, ms-windows-store:// link | Yes |
| WinGet | EXE installer | winget install, CmdPal browse | Yes (via manifest) |
Recommendation: Publish to both for maximum reach. WinGet enables direct discovery from within Command Palette.
Workflows
Microsoft Store Publishing
See store-publishing.md for the complete step-by-step guide.
Summary:
- Register for Partner Center
- Update
Package.appxmanifestand.csprojwith Partner Center identity - Build MSIX for x64 and ARM64
- Create MSIX bundle
- Submit to Partner Center
WinGet Publishing
See winget-publishing.md for the complete step-by-step guide.
Summary:
- Switch project to unpackaged mode
- Create Inno Setup installer script
- Build EXE installers
- Submit manifest via
wingetcreate new - Optionally automate with GitHub Actions
Prerequisites
- Visual Studio with C# and WinUI workloads
- Partner Center account (for Store publishing)
- GitHub CLI (for WinGet publishing)
- WingetCreate —
winget install Microsoft.WingetCreate - Inno Setup (for WinGet EXE packaging)
Important Notes
- Your extension's CLSID (the
[Guid("...")]in your main .cs file) must be unique and consistent across all files - WinGet manifests must include the
windows-commandpalette-extensiontag for CmdPal discovery - MSIX packages require both x64 and ARM64 builds for Store submission
- WindowsAppSdk must be listed as a dependency in WinGet manifests