Microsoft Store Developer CLI (msstore)

The Microsoft Store Developer CLI (

msstore

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Configure Store credentials for API access
• List applications in your Store account
• Check the status of a submission
• Publish submissions to the Store
• Package applications for Store submission
• Initialize projects for Store publishing
• Manage package flights (beta testing)
• Set up CI/CD pipelines for automated Store publishing
• Manage gradual rollouts of submissions
• Update submission metadata programmatically

Prerequisites

• Windows 10+, macOS, or Linux
• .NET 9 Desktop Runtime (Windows) or .NET 9 Runtime (macOS/Linux)
• Partner Center account with appropriate permissions
• Azure AD app registration with Partner Center API access
• msstore CLI installed via one of these methods:
  • Microsoft Store: Download
  • WinGet:

    winget install "Microsoft Store Developer CLI"

  • Manual: Download from GitHub Releases

Partner Center Setup

Before using msstore, you need to create an Azure AD application with Partner Center access:

1. Go to Partner Center
2. Navigate to Account settings > User management > Azure AD applications
3. Create a new application and note the Tenant ID, Client ID, and Client Secret
4. Grant the application appropriate permissions (Manager or Developer role)

Core Commands Reference

info - Print Configuration

Display the current credential configuration.

msstore info

Options:

-v, --verbose

reconfigure - Configure Credentials

Configure or update Microsoft Store API credentials.

msstore reconfigure [options]

Options:

-t, --tenantId

-s, --sellerId

-c, --clientId

-cs, --clientSecret

-ct, --certificateThumbprint

-cfp, --certificateFilePath

-cp, --certificatePassword

--reset

Examples:

# Configure with client secret
msstore reconfigure --tenantId $TENANT_ID --sellerId $SELLER_ID --clientId $CLIENT_ID --clientSecret $CLIENT_SECRET

# Configure with certificate
msstore reconfigure --tenantId $TENANT_ID --sellerId $SELLER_ID --clientId $CLIENT_ID --certificateFilePath ./cert.pfx --certificatePassword MyPassword

settings - CLI Settings

Change settings of the Microsoft Store Developer CLI.

msstore settings [options]

Options:

-t, --enableTelemetry

Set Publisher Display Name

msstore settings setpdn <publisherDisplayName>

Sets the default Publisher Display Name for the

init

apps - Application Management

List and retrieve application information.

List Applications

msstore apps list

Lists all applications in your Partner Center account.

Get Application Details

msstore apps get <productId>

Arguments:

productId

Example:

# Get details of a specific app
msstore apps get 9NBLGGH4R315

submission - Submission Management

Manage Store submissions.

status

get

getListingAssets

updateMetadata

poll

publish

delete

Get Submission Status

msstore submission status <productId>

Get Submission Details

msstore submission get <productId>

Update Metadata

msstore submission updateMetadata <productId> <metadata>

Where

<metadata>

• Bash/Zsh: Wrap the JSON in single quotes so the shell passes it through literally.

  msstore submission updateMetadata 9NBLGGH4R315 '{"description":"My updated app"}'
  

• PowerShell: Use single quotes (or escape double quotes inside a double-quoted string).

  msstore submission updateMetadata 9NBLGGH4R315 '{"description":"My updated app"}'
  

• cmd.exe: Escape each inner double quote with a backslash.

  msstore submission updateMetadata 9NBLGGH4R315 "{\"description\":\"My updated app\"}"
  

Tip: For complex or multi-line metadata, save the JSON to a file and pass its contents instead to avoid quoting issues:

msstore submission updateMetadata 9NBLGGH4R315 "$(cat metadata.json)"

Options:

-s, --skipInitialPolling

Publish Submission

msstore submission publish <productId>

Poll Submission

msstore submission poll <productId>

Polls until the submission status is PUBLISHED or FAILED.

Delete Submission

msstore submission delete <productId>

Options:

--no-confirm

init - Initialize Project for Store

Initialize a project for Microsoft Store publishing. Automatically detects project type and configures Store identity.

msstore init <pathOrUrl> [options]

Arguments:

pathOrUrl

Options:

-n, --publisherDisplayName

--package

--publish

-f, --flightId

-prp, --packageRolloutPercentage

-a, --arch

-o, --output

-ver, --version

Supported Project Types:

• Windows App SDK / WinUI 3
• UWP
• .NET MAUI
• Flutter
• Electron
• React Native for Desktop
• PWA (Progressive Web Apps)

Examples:

# Initialize WinUI project
msstore init ./my-winui-app

# Initialize PWA
msstore init https://contoso.com --output ./pwa-package

# Initialize and publish
msstore init ./my-app --publish

package - Package for Store

Package an application for Microsoft Store submission.

msstore package <pathOrUrl> [options]

Arguments:

pathOrUrl

Options:

-o, --output

-a, --arch

-ver, --version

Examples:

# Package for default architecture
msstore package ./my-app

# Package for multiple architectures
msstore package ./my-app --arch x64,arm64 --output ./packages

# Package with specific version
msstore package ./my-app --version 1.2.3.0

publish - Publish to Store

Publish an application to the Microsoft Store.

msstore publish <pathOrUrl> [options]

Arguments:

pathOrUrl

Options:

-i, --inputFile

-id, --appId

-nc, --noCommit

-f, --flightId

-prp, --packageRolloutPercentage

Examples:

# Publish project
msstore publish ./my-app

# Publish existing package
msstore publish ./my-app --inputFile ./packages/MyApp.msixupload

# Publish as draft
msstore publish ./my-app --noCommit

# Publish with gradual rollout
msstore publish ./my-app --packageRolloutPercentage 10

flights - Package Flight Management

Manage package flights (beta testing groups).

list

get

delete

create

submission

List Flights

msstore flights list <productId>

Get Flight Details

msstore flights get <productId> <flightId>

Create Flight

msstore flights create <productId> <friendlyName> --group-ids <group-ids>

Options:

-g, --group-ids

-r, --rank-higher-than

Delete Flight

msstore flights delete <productId> <flightId>

Flight Submissions

# Get flight submission
msstore flights submission get <productId> <flightId>

# Publish flight submission
msstore flights submission publish <productId> <flightId>

# Check flight submission status
msstore flights submission status <productId> <flightId>

# Poll flight submission
msstore flights submission poll <productId> <flightId>

# Delete flight submission
msstore flights submission delete <productId> <flightId>

Flight Rollout Management

# Get rollout status
msstore flights submission rollout get <productId> <flightId>

# Update rollout percentage
msstore flights submission rollout update <productId> <flightId> <percentage>

# Halt rollout
msstore flights submission rollout halt <productId> <flightId>

# Finalize rollout (100%)
msstore flights submission rollout finalize <productId> <flightId>

Common Workflows

Workflow 1: First-Time Store Setup

# 1. Install the CLI
winget install "Microsoft Store Developer CLI"

# 2. Configure credentials (get these from Partner Center)
msstore reconfigure --tenantId $TENANT_ID --sellerId $SELLER_ID --clientId $CLIENT_ID --clientSecret $CLIENT_SECRET

# 3. Verify configuration
msstore info

# 4. List your apps to confirm access
msstore apps list

Workflow 2: Initialize and Publish New App

# 1. Navigate to project
cd my-winui-app

# 2. Initialize for Store (creates/updates app identity)
msstore init .

# 3. Package the application
msstore package . --arch x64,arm64

# 4. Publish to Store
msstore publish .

# 5. Check submission status
msstore submission status <productId>

Workflow 3: Update Existing App

# 1. Build your updated application
dotnet publish -c Release

# 2. Package and publish
msstore publish ./my-app

# Or publish from existing package
msstore publish ./my-app --inputFile ./artifacts/MyApp.msixupload

Workflow 4: Gradual Rollout

# 1. Publish with initial rollout percentage
msstore publish ./my-app --packageRolloutPercentage 10

# 2. Monitor and increase rollout
msstore submission poll <productId>

# 3. (After validation) Finalize to 100%
# This completes via Partner Center or submission update

Workflow 5: Beta Testing with Flights

# 1. Create a flight group in Partner Center first
# Then create a flight
msstore flights create <productId> "Beta Testers" --group-ids "group-id-1,group-id-2"

# 2. Publish to the flight
msstore publish ./my-app --flightId <flightId>

# 3. Check flight submission status
msstore flights submission status <productId> <flightId>

# 4. After testing, publish to production
msstore publish ./my-app

Workflow 6: CI/CD Pipeline Integration

# GitHub Actions example
name: Publish to Store

on:
  release:
    types: [published]

jobs:
  publish:
    runs-on: windows-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      
      - name: Setup .NET
        uses: actions/setup-dotnet@v4
        with:
          dotnet-version: '9.0.x'
      
      - name: Install msstore CLI
        run: winget install "Microsoft Store Developer CLI" --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements
      
      - name: Configure Store credentials
        run: |
          msstore reconfigure --tenantId ${{ secrets.TENANT_ID }} --sellerId ${{ secrets.SELLER_ID }} --clientId ${{ secrets.CLIENT_ID }} --clientSecret ${{ secrets.CLIENT_SECRET }}
      
      - name: Build application
        run: dotnet publish -c Release
      
      - name: Publish to Store
        run: msstore publish ./src/MyApp

Integration with winapp CLI

The winapp CLI (v0.2.0+) integrates with msstore via the

winapp store

# These commands are equivalent:
msstore reconfigure --tenantId xxx --clientId xxx --clientSecret xxx
winapp store reconfigure --tenantId xxx --clientId xxx --clientSecret xxx

# List apps
msstore apps list
winapp store apps list

# Publish
msstore publish ./my-app
winapp store publish ./my-app

Use

winapp store

Troubleshooting

msstore info

msstore reconfigure

msstore apps list

msstore submission poll <productId>

msstore flights list <productId>

Environment Variables

The CLI supports environment variables for credentials:

MSSTORE_TENANT_ID

MSSTORE_SELLER_ID

MSSTORE_CLIENT_ID

MSSTORE_CLIENT_SECRET

References

• Microsoft Store Developer CLI Documentation
• CLI Commands Reference
• GitHub Repository
• Partner Center API
• App Submission API
• Package Flights Overview
• Gradual Package Rollout