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‎hub/apps/dev-tools/agentic-tools.md‎

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---
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title: Agentic AI tools for Windows development
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description: Learn how to enhance AI coding agents with Windows-specific context using MCP servers, custom instructions, and community plugins.
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ms.date: 03/03/2026
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ms.topic: article
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---
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# Agentic AI tools for Windows development
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AI coding agents work best when they have access to accurate, up-to-date context about the frameworks and APIs you're using. By connecting your agent to the right tools and resources, you can significantly improve the quality of the code it generates for Windows apps.
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The following resources help you give your AI coding agent deeper knowledge of Windows development, from official Microsoft documentation to community-contributed best practices.
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## Microsoft Learn MCP Server
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The [Microsoft Learn MCP Server](/training/support/mcp) gives AI coding agents direct access to official Microsoft documentation. It's a remote [Model Context Protocol (MCP)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) server that lets agents search documentation, fetch complete articles, and find code samples from Microsoft Learn.
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This means your agent can look up the latest API references, find working examples, and verify its suggestions against official docs — all without you having to copy and paste documentation into your chat context.
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**Key details:**
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- **Free to use**, no authentication required
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- Works with MCP-compatible clients like VS Code, Visual Studio, and other agentic development environments
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- Powered by the same knowledge service behind [Copilot for Azure](https://azure.microsoft.com/products/copilot) and Ask Learn
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**Get started:**
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Add the following MCP server endpoint to your agent or IDE configuration:
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```
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https://learn.microsoft.com/api/mcp
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```
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For step-by-step setup instructions, see [Get started with the Learn MCP Server in VS Code](/training/support/mcp-get-started) or [in Foundry](/training/support/mcp-get-started-foundry).
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## Awesome Copilot customizations
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The [Awesome Copilot](https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot) repository is a community-driven collection of custom instructions, agents, skills, and plugins for GitHub Copilot. These resources teach Copilot about specific frameworks and coding patterns so it can generate more accurate and idiomatic code.
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For Windows developers, the repository offers plugins that bundle together:
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- **Custom instructions** — guidelines that shape how Copilot writes code, such as enforcing MVVM patterns, XAML best practices, or specific API usage
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- **Agents** — specialized Copilot personas with domain expertise, like expert .NET engineers
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- **Skills** — reusable prompts for common tasks like unit testing, code review, or framework upgrades
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**Install a plugin:**
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You can install a plugin using the Copilot CLI. For example, to install the [C# .NET Development plugin](https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/tree/main/plugins/csharp-dotnet-development):
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```bash
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copilot plugin install csharp-dotnet-development@awesome-copilot
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```
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This copies the plugin's instructions, agents, and skills into your project's `.github/` directory, where Copilot picks them up automatically.
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**Browse and discover:**
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You can also browse available customizations using the [Awesome Copilot extension for VS Code](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=TimHeuer.awesome-copilot), which lets you preview and download resources directly into your workspace.

‎hub/apps/develop/toc.yml‎

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href: /uwp/schemas/
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- name: Tools
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items:
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- name: WinUI templates in Visual Studio
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- name: Agentic tools
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href: dev-tools/agentic-tools.md
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- name: Visual Studio
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href: ../winui/winui3/winui-project-templates-in-visual-studio.md
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- name: Agentic AI tools
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href: dev-tools/agentic-tools.md
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- name: Windows App Development CLI
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items:
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- name: Overview

‎hub/apps/winui/winui3/winui-project-templates-in-visual-studio.md‎

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---
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title: WinUI templates in Visual Studio
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description: Once you've set up your development computer, you're ready to create a WinUI app by starting from one of the WinUI project templates in Visual Studio. This topic describes the available project and item templates.
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keywords: windows 10, windows 11, Windows App SDK, Windows app development platform, desktop development, win32, WinRT, uwp, toolkit sdk, winui
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ms.date: 07/09/2024
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title: Visual Studio for Windows app development
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description: Visual Studio is the recommended IDE for building Windows apps with WinUI and the Windows App SDK. Learn about key features and available project templates.
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keywords: windows 10, windows 11, Windows App SDK, Windows app development platform, desktop development, win32, WinRT, uwp, toolkit sdk, winui, visual studio
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ms.date: 03/03/2026
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ms.topic: article
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---
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# WinUI templates in Visual Studio
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# Visual Studio for Windows app development
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Once you've set up your development computer (see [Start developing Windows apps](../../get-started/start-here.md)), you're ready to create a WinUI app by starting from one of the project templates in Visual Studio. This topic describes the available project and item templates.
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[Visual Studio](https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/) is the recommended IDE for building Windows apps with [WinUI](/windows/apps/winui/) and the [Windows App SDK](/windows/apps/windows-app-sdk/). It provides deep integration with the Windows platform and tools purpose-built for XAML-based app development.
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To access the WinUI project templates, in the **New Project** dialog's drop-down filters, select **WinUI** in the project type drop-down. Alternatively, you can search for *WinUI*, and select one of the available C# or C++ templates.
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Key features for Windows app developers include:
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:::image type="content" source="images/WinUI3-csharp-newproject-1.0-later.png" alt-text="WinUI project templates" border="true":::
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- **XAML Hot Reload** — modify XAML markup while your app is running and see changes applied instantly without restarting
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- **XAML Live Visual Tree** — inspect the runtime visual tree of your running app to debug layout issues and understand element hierarchy
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- **IntelliSense for XAML and C#/C++** — get code completion, quick info, and error highlighting for both markup and code-behind
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- **Integrated debugging** — set breakpoints in XAML and code, inspect data bindings, and diagnose UI rendering issues
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To get started, see [Start developing Windows apps](../../get-started/start-here.md).
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## Project templates for WinUI
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## WinUI project templates
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You can use these WinUI project templates to start creating an app.
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Visual Studio includes project templates to help you quickly create WinUI apps. To find them, open **File** > **New** > **Project**, then filter by **WinUI** in the project type drop-down or search for *WinUI*.
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### WinUI Blank App (Packaged)
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:::image type="content" source="images/WinUI3-csharp-newproject-1.0-later.png" alt-text="WinUI project templates" border="true":::
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This project template creates a desktop .NET (C#) or native Win32 (C++) app with a WinUI-based user interface. The generated project includes a basic window that derives from the **Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Window** class in the WinUI library that you can use to start building your UI. For more information about using this project template, see [Start developing Windows apps](../../get-started/start-here.md).
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### Blank App (Packaged)
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### WinUI Blank App (Packaged with Windows Application Packaging Project)
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Creates a desktop app in C# (.NET) or C++ (Win32) with a WinUI-based UI. The project starts with a single window derived from **Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Window**, ready for you to add your own controls and pages. This is the recommended starting point for most new apps. For a walkthrough, see [Start developing Windows apps](../../get-started/start-here.md).
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This project template creates a desktop .NET (C#) or native Win32 (C++) app with a WinUI-based user interface. The generated project includes a basic window that derives from the **Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Window** class in the WinUI library that you can use to start building your UI.
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### Blank App (Packaged with WAP Project)
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The solution also includes a separate [Windows Application Packaging Project](/windows/msix/desktop/desktop-to-uwp-packaging-dot-net) that is configured to build the app into an [MSIX package](/windows/msix/overview). You can optionally install the [single-project MSIX packaging tools extension for Visual Studio](../../windows-app-sdk/single-project-msix.md) and combine the packaging project settings into your application project so you no longer need to maintain a separate packaging project.
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Same as the Blank App template above, but adds a separate [Windows Application Packaging Project](/windows/msix/desktop/desktop-to-uwp-packaging-dot-net) to the solution. This project handles building your app into an [MSIX package](/windows/msix/overview) for distribution. If you prefer a simpler setup, you can use [single-project MSIX](../../windows-app-sdk/single-project-msix.md) instead to avoid maintaining the separate packaging project.
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### WinUI project templates for other components
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### Component and test templates
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You can use these WinUI project templates to build components that can be loaded and used by a WinUI-based app.
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These templates create libraries and test projects that work alongside a WinUI app.
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| Template | Language | Description |
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|----------|----------|-------------|
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| WinUI Class Library | C# only | Creates a .NET managed class library (DLL) in C# that can be used by other .NET desktop apps with a WinUI-based user interface. |
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| Windows Runtime Component (WinUI) | C++ only | Creates a [Windows Runtime component](/windows/uwp/winrt-components/) written in C++/WinRT that can be consumed by any UWP or desktop app with a WinUI-based user interface, regardless of the programming language in which the app is written. |
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| WinUI Unit Test App | C#/C++ | Creates a unit test project using MSTest to help you write and run automated tests for your app. |
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| **Class Library** | C# | A .NET class library (DLL) for sharing code across WinUI apps. |
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| **Windows Runtime Component** | C++ | A [Windows Runtime component](/windows/uwp/winrt-components/) written in C++/WinRT that can be consumed by any app with a WinUI-based UI, regardless of programming language. |
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| **Unit Test App** | C# and C++ | An MSTest project for writing and running automated tests against your app. |
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## Item templates for WinUI
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## WinUI item templates
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The following item templates are available for use in a WinUI project. To access these WinUI item templates, right-click the project node in **Solution Explorer**, select **Add** -> **New item**, and click **WinUI** in the **Add New Item** dialog.
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Item templates let you add new files to an existing WinUI project. Right-click your project in **Solution Explorer**, select **Add** > **New Item**, and choose the **WinUI** tab.
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![WinUI item templates](images/winui3-addnewitem.png)
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| Template | Language | Description |
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|----------|----------|-------------|
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| Blank Page | C# and C++ | Adds a XAML file and code file that defines a new page derived from the **Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls.Page** class. |
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| Blank Window | C# and C++ | Adds a XAML file and code file that defines a new window derived from the **Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Window** class. |
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| Resource Dictionary | C# and C++ | Adds an empty, keyed collection of XAML resources. For more information, see [ResourceDictionary and XAML resource references](../../develop/platform/xaml/xaml-resource-dictionary.md). |
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| Resources File (.resw) | C# and C++ | Adds a file for storing string and conditional resources for your app. You can use this item to help localize your app. For more info, see [Localize strings in your UI and app package manifest](/windows/uwp/app-resources/localize-strings-ui-manifest). |
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| Templated Control | C# and C++ | Adds a code file for creating a templated control with a default style. The templated control is derived from the **Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls.Control** class.<p></p>For a walkthrough that demonstrates how to use this item template, see [Templated XAML controls for UWP and WinUI apps with C++/WinRT](xaml-templated-controls-cppwinrt-winui-3.md) and [Templated XAML controls for UWP and WinUI apps with C#](xaml-templated-controls-csharp-winui-3.md). For more information about templated controls, see [Custom XAML Controls](/archive/msdn-magazine/2019/may/xaml-custom-xaml-controls). |
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| User Control | C# and C++ | Adds a XAML file and code file for creating a user control that derives from the **Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls.UserControl** class. Typically, a user control encapsulates related existing controls and provide its own logic.<p></p>For more information about user controls, see [Custom XAML Controls](/archive/msdn-magazine/2019/may/xaml-custom-xaml-controls). |
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| **Blank Page** | C# and C++ | A new XAML page derived from **Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls.Page**. |
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| **Blank Window** | C# and C++ | A new window derived from **Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Window**. |
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| **Resource Dictionary** | C# and C++ | An empty, keyed collection of XAML resources. See [ResourceDictionary and XAML resource references](../../develop/platform/xaml/xaml-resource-dictionary.md). |
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| **Resources File (.resw)** | C# and C++ | A string resource file for localizing your app. See [Localize strings in your UI and app package manifest](/windows/uwp/app-resources/localize-strings-ui-manifest). |
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| **Templated Control** | C# and C++ | A lookless control derived from **Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls.Control** with a default style. See the walkthroughs for [C++/WinRT](xaml-templated-controls-cppwinrt-winui-3.md) and [C#](xaml-templated-controls-csharp-winui-3.md). |
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| **User Control** | C# and C++ | A composite control derived from **Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls.UserControl** that groups existing controls with custom logic. See [Custom XAML Controls](/archive/msdn-magazine/2019/may/xaml-custom-xaml-controls). |
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## See also
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