⚡ MAUI Forge

Your MAUI release copilot.

One terminal. Every app. Every device. Every release.

The problem

You have multiple .NET MAUI apps. To release even one of them, you have to:

Edit Info.plist (iOS version + build)
Edit AndroidManifest.xml (Android version + build)
Edit .csproj (ApplicationVersion / ApplicationDisplayVersion)
Make sure all three match
Open Xcode or Android Studio to pick a device
Remember the right dotnet publish flags for archive, codesign, and framework
Repeat for every app, every time

MAUI Forge replaces all of that — TUI or web dashboard, pick an app, pick an action, done.

🍎 The Mac + VS Code story

If you develop MAUI apps on a Mac using VS Code, you know the pain: there's no built-in Run/Archive launcher for iOS. Every time you want to:

Run on a physical device → manually pick the UDID, type the dotnet build -t:Run flags
Switch simulator → edit the launch config or find the right UDID from xcrun
Archive for App Store → remember the right -p:ArchiveOnBuild=true -p:CodesignKey=... flags and configuration

VS Code doesn't have individual per-project launch configurations for each device/simulator out of the box, so you end up with a terminal full of copy-pasted commands.

MAUI Forge solves this entirely:

Run iOS Device
  > iPhone 16 Pro (simulator)
  > iPhone 15 (simulator)
  > Cezar's iPhone — physical device ✓
  > iPad Pro 13" (simulator)
  > iPad Air (3rd gen) — old device, iOS 16 ✓

It calls xcrun xctrace list devices for you, presents every connected physical device and every simulator in a menu, and fires the right dotnet build -t:Run -p:_DeviceId=<udid> — no config files, no remembered UDIDs, no launch.json setup. The selected device is remembered per project for next time.

Same for Archive: pick your codesign key from a list (Apple Development / Apple Distribution / custom), choose the framework, and MAUI Forge assembles the full dotnet publish command — correctly, every time.

You never need to create individual VS Code launch configurations per device or per app again.

📱 Old iPads and legacy devices VS Code can't see

VS Code's MAUI extension only lists devices running the latest iOS version. If you have an iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4, or any device stuck on iOS 15/16 because Apple dropped support — VS Code simply doesn't show them.

MAUI Forge reads the full xcrun xctrace list devices output, which includes every connected device regardless of iOS version. If it's plugged in and trusted, it shows up. You can run and debug your app on an old iPad that VS Code has completely forgotten about — which is invaluable for testing on lower-end hardware or older OS versions your users still run.

✨ What it does

📋 App discovery Scans folders for all your MAUI, WPF, Blazor, Unity, and ClassLibrary projects Shows iOS version, Android version, git branch, and git status in one table Sorted by most recently used — active projects always at top Filter by platform (iOS / Android / All) or search by name Full project type detection — MAUI, WPF, Blazor, Unity, ClassLibrary	🔢 Version management Reads and writes all three files atomically (`Info.plist`, `AndroidManifest.xml`, `.csproj`) Also supports Unity (`ProjectSettings.asset`) and legacy WPF (`AssemblyInfo.cs`) Increment version + build, build only, or set manually Sync iOS ↔ Android when they drift apart Snapshot + undo before every change — instant rollback
🍎 iOS List all physical devices and simulators (SSH to remote Mac or local `xcrun`) Three parsers: `xctrace`, `xcdevice`, `instruments` — maximum device coverage Pick a device from a menu — no UDID hunting Run on device or simulator with one keypress Archive for App Store with codesign key selection Upload to App Store Connect + Open archive in Xcode Remembered per project: device, framework, codesign key	🤖 Android List all connected devices, emulators, and AVDs via `adb` Auto-start emulators with boot-progress wait (no more waiting blindly) Pick from a menu and run — no serial number copy-paste Quick Launch via `adb shell monkey` for fast re-deploys Build & Run — combined build + deploy pipeline Publish Release `.apk` / `.aab` with one action Works from Windows, macOS, or Linux
🌿 Git Live git status (ahead / behind / dirty / last commit time) per app Auto-fetch when you open an app Warning + pull prompt if you're behind the remote Create commits with AI-generated messages (Claude, Gemini, or local Ollama) Push with formatted commit message after version bumps Push only — commit separately, push when ready View unpushed commits before pushing	🤖 AI commit messages MAUI Forge can write your commit messages using: Claude CLI (`claude` in PATH) Gemini CLI (`gemini` in PATH) Ollama (local — serves `llama3.2` via HTTP) Smart suggestion — heuristic fallback (detects version bumps, C# changes, XAML edits) No API keys, no cloud service. Just diff → message.
🧹 Clean modes Four levels of clean: Quick — `dotnet clean` Android / iOS — clean + delete platform bin/obj Deep — delete `bin/`, `obj/`, `.vs/`, `artifacts/`, `TestResults/` Nuclear — deep + `dotnet clean --verbosity diag`	🔁 Productivity Repeat last action — re-runs the last build/deploy without navigating Build verbosity — quiet / minimal / normal / detailed / diagnostic Build & Run — single action to build and deploy on device Open in IDE — opens project in VS Code, Visual Studio, or Rider (auto-detected) Diagnostics screen — checks every dependency before a build fails Auto-update check — notifies when a newer NuGet version is available

🌐 Web Dashboard

MAUI Forge includes a full web dashboard — an SPA built with Tailwind CSS + SignalR that runs on http://localhost:5123. It's the default mode (just run maui-forge).

Card view

┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  ⚡ MAUI Forge                                   v1.5.49      │
│  ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│  📁 ~/projects                    [ 12 apps ]                 │
│  ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│  ┌────────────────────┐  ┌────────────────────┐               │
│  │ MyApp        MAUI   │  │ ShippingApp  MAUI  │               │
│  │ 📱 1.4.2 #18  🤖 1.4.2 #18    │  │ 📱 2.0.0 #103 🤖 2.0.0 #103  │               │
│  │ main  ✅ clean      │  │ release/2.0  ⚠️ +2 │               │
│  │                     │  │                     │               │
│  │ [+1] [🚀] [⋮]      │  │ [+1] [🚀] [⋮]      │               │
│  └────────────────────┘  └────────────────────┘               │
│  ┌────────────────────┐                                       │
│  │ OtherApp     MAUI  │                                       │
│  │ 📱 1.0.0 #5  🤖 1.0.1 #6    │                                       │
│  │ feature/x  ⚠️ ~    │                                       │
│  │                     │                                       │
│  │ [+1] [🚀] [⋮]      │                                       │
│  └────────────────────┘                                       │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Features

Feature	Description
Card / List layout	Toggle between visual cards and compact table
Search + tech filter	Filter by app name or platform (MAUI / iOS / Android / All)
Quick bump	`+1` bumps version and build, shows before/after confirmation
Build menu	Build iOS, Build Android, Build & Run iOS, Build & Run Android
Row overflow menu	Update version, pull git, open folder, open in IDE
Build & Run modal	Device picker (grouped: Physical / Emulator / Simulator), config selector, framework picker — all with last-used defaults
Progress modal	Animated progress bar (Build → Deploy → Launch) with live logs and timer
Real-time logs	SignalR streaming build output to terminal panel
Sidebar	Monitored paths, theme toggle, diagnostics, update checker
Mobile responsive	Sidebar collapses to drawer on small screens

Start it: maui-forge (default) or maui-forge --web

Install

Requires the .NET SDK — which every MAUI developer already has.

dotnet tool install -g CwSoftware.MauiForge

dotnet tool update -g CwSoftware.MauiForge   # update
dotnet tool uninstall -g CwSoftware.MauiForge # remove

Quick start

maui-forge                              # starts web dashboard on localhost:5123
maui-forge --cli                        # starts terminal TUI (traditional)
maui-forge --path ~/projects            # point to your projects folder
maui-forge --path ~/projects --depth 3  # deeper scan (default depth: 2)
maui-forge --update                     # force update check + install
maui-forge --help                       # show help

The path and all settings are remembered in ~/.maui-forge.state.json — after the first run, just type maui-forge.

The app list (TUI)

  MAUIForge
  >>> by CW Software  |  .NET MAUI Version & Build Manager  v1.5.49

  scan: /Users/me/projects  |  mac: 192.168.1.50 (local)

  12 apps  ·  8 iOS  ·  10 Android  ·  2 dirty  ·  1 out of sync

                        iOS               Android           Branch        Git
  ── Apps (12) ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  + MyApp               1.4.2 #18         1.4.2 #18         main          clean
  * ShippingApp         2.0.0 #103        2.0.0 #103        release/2.0   +2
  * OtherApp            1.0.0 #5        ! 1.0.1 #6          feature/x     ~
  ! LegacyApp           2.1.0 #40         2.1.0 #40         main          -3
  ── Options ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  >  Change folder
  >  Platform: All  →  iOS
  >  Search: all
  >  Mac / SSH config
  >  Diagnostics
  >  Check for Updates
  >  Launch Web Interface
  >  Quit

Indicator	Meaning
`+` green	Git clean, up to date with remote
`*` yellow	Working tree dirty or commits ahead of remote
`!` red	Behind remote — pull recommended
`!` between version columns	iOS and Android versions are out of sync
Bold name	Used in the last 24 hours

App detail (TUI)

╭─ >>> ShippingApp ─────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│ (iOS)     2.0.0  build #103                                       │
│ (Android) 2.0.0  build #103                                       │
│   (ok) iOS and Android in sync                                    │
│                                                                   │
│   branch    release/2.0   ✓  ^2 to push                          │
│                                                                   │
│   config    Release   ios fw  net10.0-ios   droid fw  net10.0-and │
│   ios dev   Cezar's iPhone ✓   android dev  R5CX208XXXX           │
│   mac       192.168.1.50 (local)                                  │
╰───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯

What would you like to do?
── Run ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  [>]  Run on iOS                  Cezar's iPhone
  [>]  Run on Android              R5CX208XXXX
── Release ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  [#]  Create iOS Archive          net10.0-ios  Apple Distribution
  [#]  Create Android Release      net10.0-android
── Version ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  v+   Increment Version + Build    2.0.0 -> 2.0.1  #103 -> #104
  b+   Increment Build only         #103 -> #104
  ~~   Set version manually
  <>   Sync iOS ↔ Android          (ok) in sync
── Source Control ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
  git  Pull Latest Changes
  msg  Create Commit
  ^    Push Commits
── Project Tools ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
  clr  Clean Build Artifacts
  ~~~  Build Output Level           quiet
  >>|  Resume Last Task             Run iOS Device
  ide  Open in IDE
── Back ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  <<   Undo last version change     → 1.9.9 #102
   x   Back

Version management

Action	What it does
`v+` Increment Version + Build	Bumps the patch number and build counter in all three files. Shows before/after preview. Optionally commits and pushes with a formatted message like `chore: bump version to 2.0.1 #104 (ShippingApp)`.
`b+` Increment Build only	Keeps the version string, bumps only the build number. Useful for TestFlight or Play Store re-submissions.
`~~` Set manually	Prompts for version and build number. For major bumps or fixing incorrect values.
`<>` Sync iOS ↔ Android	When platforms drift apart, pick which one to use as the source and copy to the other.
`<<` Undo	Restores the version snapshot taken before the last change — no `git revert` needed.

iOS builds

Works with a remote Mac via SSH or a local Mac running maui-forge directly.

[#] Create iOS Archive — Prompts for codesign key, then runs:

dotnet publish -c Release -f net10.0-ios -p:ArchiveOnBuild=true -p:CodesignKey="Apple Distribution: ..."

After archiving: shows .xcarchive / .ipa path, offers to upload to App Store Connect and open the archive in Xcode.

[>] Run on iOS — Lists connected devices and simulators (using all three parsers: xctrace, xcdevice, instruments), lets you pick, and runs:

dotnet build -t:Run -f net10.0-ios -p:_DeviceId=<udid>

The selected device, framework, and codesign key are saved per project.

Android builds

Requires adb in PATH (comes with Android SDK / Android Studio).

[>] Run on Android — Lists devices, emulators, and AVDs via adb devices -l + emulator -list-avds:

Build & Run (full pipeline):

dotnet build -t:Run -f net10.0-android -p:AdbArguments="-s <serial>"

Quick Launch (skips build, uses adb shell monkey for fast re-deploy):

adb -s <serial> shell monkey -p <package> 1

If the selected device is an AVD that isn't running, MAUI Forge auto-starts the emulator and waits for it to boot before deploying.

[#] Create Android Release — Runs dotnet publish -c Release and prints .apk / .aab paths.

AI commit messages

From the app detail screen, select Create Commit. You'll see a diff summary and can generate a message from:

─ Commit Message Source ────────────────────────────────────────────
  [x] Smart Suggestion (heuristic)
  [ ] Claude CLI (claude)
  [ ] Gemini CLI (gemini)
  [ ] Ollama (local — llama3.2)
──
  [ ] Write manually
──

Generated message:
  feat: add user profile screen
  - added ProfilePage.xaml + ProfilePage.xaml.cs
  - updated navigation service registration
  - added profile data models

The providers auto-detect — only show up if the CLI tool is in PATH or Ollama is running.

Clean modes

Mode	What it deletes
Quick	`dotnet clean`
Android	Quick + `bin/` + `obj/` under Android-specific folders
iOS	Quick + `bin/` + `obj/` under iOS-specific folders
Deep	`bin/`, `obj/`, `.vs/`, `artifacts/`, `TestResults/` — full project reset
Nuclear	Deep + `dotnet clean --verbosity diag` — maximum verbosity for debugging

Mac / iOS setup

Remote Mac (SSH)

From the main menu → Mac / SSH config:

Enter the Mac Host (IP or hostname) and User — or use Scan network to discover from ARP
SSH key auth is recommended (no password prompts during builds)

The Mac must have Xcode and the MAUI workload:

sudo xcode-select --install
dotnet workload install maui-ios

Local Mac

Running maui-forge directly on a Mac:

Main menu → Mac / SSH config → select "Use local Mac (no SSH)"

Device listing uses xcrun locally, no SSH or ServerAddress/ServerUser MSBuild properties needed.

Diagnostics

Main menu → Diagnostics checks every tool MAUI Forge depends on:

Component	How it's checked
`dotnet`	`dotnet --version`
Workloads	`dotnet workload list`
`adb`	`adb version` (auto-discovers PATH, ANDROID_HOME, VS, Android Studio)
`emulator`	`emulator -version` (auto-discovers same paths)
`ssh`	`ssh -V`
`xcrun`	`xcrun --version`
`git`	`git --version`

Run this first when something isn't working — it immediately shows if adb is missing or maui-ios workload isn't installed.

CLI arguments

Argument	Effect
(none)	Starts web dashboard on `http://localhost:5123`
`--cli` or `--terminal`	Starts traditional terminal TUI
`--web`	(explicit) Starts web dashboard
`--update`	Forces NuGet update check; installs if newer available
`--path <dir>`	Sets scan root directory
`--depth <n>`	Sets scan depth (default: 2)
`--help` / `-h` / `/?`	Show help

Persistent state

All settings live in ~/.maui-forge.state.json — nothing inside your project folders.

Field	Description
`ScanRootPath`	Last root folder scanned
`MonitoredPaths`	Multiple monitored directories (web dashboard)
`MacHost` / `MacUser`	Remote Mac SSH credentials
`UseLocalMac`	Skip SSH and use local `xcrun`
`Verbosity`	Build log level for all `dotnet` commands
`LastAction`	Last action per app (used by Repeat)
`LastVersion`	Version snapshot per app (used by Undo)
`AppUsage`	Last-used timestamp per app — drives sort order
`AppBuildConfigs`	Per-app: framework, device IDs, codesign key, build config
`CachedApps`	Cached app list for instant web dashboard load

Manual install (without NuGet)

Windows — self-contained exe (no .NET runtime required)

git clone https://github.com/CW-Software-Apps/maui-forge.git
cd maui-forge
.\install.ps1

Publishes dist\maui-forge.exe as a self-contained win-x64 single-file binary and adds dist\ to the user PATH. Also creates a desktop shortcut that opens the web dashboard.

git pull && .\install.ps1   # update

macOS/Linux — dotnet tool (requires .NET SDK)

git clone https://github.com/CW-Software-Apps/maui-forge.git
cd maui-forge
./install.sh

Installs the NuGet tool globally and adds ~/.dotnet/tools to your shell profile if needed.

git pull && ./install.sh   # update

Publishing a new release

Tags trigger automatic publishing to NuGet.org via GitHub Actions:

git tag v1.5.49
git push origin v1.5.49

The workflow runs dotnet pack and pushes to NuGet. Requires a NUGET_API_KEY secret in repo settings.

Stack

C# .NET 10, console app + ASP.NET Core Minimal API
Spectre.Console — TUI (tables, prompts, panels, progress bars, colors)
Spectre.Console.Cli — CLI arg parsing
ASP.NET Core + SignalR — web dashboard with real-time logs
Tailwind CSS — web dashboard styling
Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection — service composition
Distributed as a dotnet tool — single command install, works on Windows, macOS, and Linux

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 164 Commits
.antigravitycli		.antigravitycli
.cursor		.cursor
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
.impeccable		.impeccable
.vscode		.vscode
assets		assets
docs		docs
src/MauiForge		src/MauiForge
.gitignore		.gitignore
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
DESIGN.md		DESIGN.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
MauiForge.slnx		MauiForge.slnx
PRODUCT.md		PRODUCT.md
README.md		README.md
bash.exe.stackdump		bash.exe.stackdump
install.ps1		install.ps1
install.sh		install.sh

Uh oh!

Folders and files

Latest commit

History

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⚡ MAUI Forge

The problem

🍎 The Mac + VS Code story

📱 Old iPads and legacy devices VS Code can't see

✨ What it does

📋 App discovery

🔢 Version management

🍎 iOS

🤖 Android

🌿 Git

🤖 AI commit messages

🧹 Clean modes

🔁 Productivity