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wtf is winget-pkgs?

svelle/winget-pkgs — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-18 · repo last pushed 2020-07-07

Audience · developerComplexity · 2/5DormantSetup · moderate

TL;DR

A community-run repository of manifest files that tell Windows Package Manager where to find, verify, and install applications, like an app store catalog built from pull requests.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((winget-pkgs))
    What it does
      Stores install manifests
      Powers winget install
      Verifies software checksums
    Tech stack
      PowerShell
      YAML manifests
    Use cases
      Submit your app to winget
      Install software via command line
      Automate app installs on Windows
    Audience
      Software publishers
      Windows power users
      Open source maintainers
    Process
      Author a manifest
      Validate locally
      Open a pull request
      Automated review

Code map

Detail Auto

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filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Submit a manifest so your application becomes installable via winget install

REASON 2

Install Windows software from the command line instead of clicking through installers

REASON 3

Validate a new manifest locally before submitting it as a pull request

REASON 4

Contribute fixes to existing manifests for other maintainers' applications

What's in the stack?

PowerShellYAML

How it stacks up

svelle/winget-pkgs0verflowme/alarm-clock0verflowme/seclists
Language—CSS—
Last pushed2020-07-072022-10-032020-05-03
MaintenanceDormantDormantDormant
Setup difficultymoderateeasyeasy
Complexity2/52/51/5
Audiencedevelopervibe coderops devops

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 1h+

Submitters must author a manifest, validate it locally, and pass automated security checks before merge.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Walk me through authoring a winget manifest for my own application using the PowerShell script.
Prompt 2
Show me how to run winget validate and winget install to test my manifest locally before submitting.
Prompt 3
Explain what checks Microsoft's automation runs on a submitted manifest pull request.
Prompt 4
Help me appeal a false-positive malicious flag on my winget-pkgs submission.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is winget-pkgs?

A community-run repository of manifest files that tell Windows Package Manager where to find, verify, and install applications, like an app store catalog built from pull requests.

Is winget-pkgs actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2020-07-07).

How hard is winget-pkgs to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 1h+ to a first successful run.

Who is winget-pkgs for?

Mainly developer.

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