Microsoft Store Developer CLI (msstore)

The Microsoft Store Developer CLI (msstore) is a cross-platform command-line interface for publishing and managing applications in the Microsoft Store. It integrates with Partner Center APIs and supports automated publishing workflows for various application types.

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:

• Go to Partner Center

• Navigate to Account settings > User management > Azure AD applications

• Create a new application and note the Tenant ID, Client ID, and Client Secret

• Grant the application appropriate permissions (Manager or Developer role)

Core Commands Reference

info - Print Configuration

Display the current credential configuration.

msstore info

Options:

Option

Description

-v, --verbose

Print verbose output

reconfigure - Configure Credentials

Configure or update Microsoft Store API credentials.

msstore reconfigure [options]

Options:

Option

Description

-t, --tenantId

Azure AD Tenant ID

-s, --sellerId

Partner Center Seller ID

-c, --clientId

Azure AD Application Client ID

-cs, --clientSecret

Client Secret for authentication

-ct, --certificateThumbprint

Certificate thumbprint (alternative to client secret)

-cfp, --certificateFilePath

Certificate file path (alternative to client secret)

-cp, --certificatePassword

Certificate password

--reset

Reset credentials without full reconfiguration

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:

Option

Description

-t, --enableTelemetry

Enable (true) or disable (false) telemetry

#### Set Publisher Display Name

msstore settings setpdn <publisherDisplayName>

Sets the default Publisher Display Name for the init command.

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:

Argument

Description

productId

The Store product ID (e.g., 9NBLGGH4R315)

Example:

# Get details of a specific app

msstore apps get 9NBLGGH4R315

submission - Submission Management

Manage Store submissions.

Sub-Command

Description

status

Get submission status

get

Get submission metadata and package info

getListingAssets

Get listing assets of a submission

updateMetadata

Update submission metadata

poll

Poll submission status until complete

publish

Publish a submission

delete

Delete a submission

#### Get Submission Status

msstore submission status <productId>

#### Get Submission Details

msstore submission get <productId>

#### Update Metadata

msstore submission updateMetadata <productId> <metadata>

Where <metadata> is a JSON string with the updated metadata. Because JSON contains characters that shells interpret (quotes, braces, etc.), you must quote and/or escape the value appropriately:

• 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:

Option

Description

-s, --skipInitialPolling

Skip initial status polling

#### 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:

Option

Description

--no-confirm

Skip confirmation prompt

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:

Argument

Description

pathOrUrl

Project directory path or PWA URL

Options:

Option

Description

-n, --publisherDisplayName

Publisher Display Name

--package

Also package the project

--publish

Package and publish (implies --package)

-f, --flightId

Publish to a specific flight

-prp, --packageRolloutPercentage

Gradual rollout percentage (0-100)

-a, --arch

Architecture(s): x86, x64, arm64

-o, --output

Output directory for packages

-ver, --version

Version to use when building

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:

Argument

Description

pathOrUrl

Project directory path or PWA URL

Options:

Option

Description

-o, --output

Output directory for the package

-a, --arch

Architecture(s): x86, x64, arm64

-ver, --version

Version for the package

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:

Argument

Description

pathOrUrl

Project directory path or PWA URL

Options:

Option

Description

-i, --inputFile

Path to existing .msix or .msixupload file

-id, --appId

Application ID (if not initialized)

-nc, --noCommit

Keep submission in draft state

-f, --flightId

Publish to a specific flight

-prp, --packageRolloutPercentage

Gradual rollout percentage (0-100)

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).

Sub-Command

Description

list

List all flights for an app

get

Get flight details

delete

Delete a flight

create

Create a new flight

submission

Manage flight submissions

#### 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:

Option

Description

-g, --group-ids

Flight group IDs (comma-separated)

-r, --rank-higher-than

Flight ID to 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 subcommand:

# 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 when you want a unified CLI experience for both packaging and publishing.

Troubleshooting

Issue

Solution

Authentication failed

Verify credentials with msstore info; re-run msstore reconfigure

App not found

Ensure the product ID is correct; run msstore apps list to verify

Insufficient permissions

Check Azure AD app role in Partner Center (needs Manager or Developer)

Package validation failed

Ensure package meets Store requirements; check Partner Center for details

Submission stuck

Run msstore submission poll <productId> to check status

Flight not found

Verify flight ID with msstore flights list <productId>

Rollout percentage invalid

Value must be between 0 and 100

Init fails for PWA

Ensure URL is publicly accessible and has valid web app manifest

Environment Variables

The CLI supports environment variables for credentials:

Variable

Description

MSSTORE_TENANT_ID

Azure AD Tenant ID

MSSTORE_SELLER_ID

Partner Center Seller ID

MSSTORE_CLIENT_ID

Azure AD Application Client ID

MSSTORE_CLIENT_SECRET

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