microsoft/winget-pkgs

This repository is the central package database for the Windows Package Manager, also known as winget. Think of it as a community-maintained catalog: when you type a command to install software on Windows, winget looks up the app in this database to find out where to download the installer and how to run it. The actual winget program is a separate tool, this repository just stores the package descriptions it reads from. Each package is represented by a manifest file, which is a small text file describing the app name, version, publisher, and the location of its installer. Contributors from across the community submit these manifest files, and Microsoft runs automated checks to validate them before they go live. Supported installer formats include common Windows formats like MSIX, MSI, and standard .exe installers. Script-based installers are not currently accepted. Anyone can contribute by submitting a new manifest for software that is not yet listed, or by adding a newer version of an existing package. The repository documentation walks through how to write a manifest, how to test it locally, and how to open a pull request. There is also a process for requesting packages through issues if you want something added but do not want to write the manifest yourself. Because this is a Microsoft open source project, contributors need to sign a Contributor License Agreement the first time they submit a pull request. A bot handles this automatically during the review process.