Shiny.Permissions.MSBuild

Shiny Permissions MSBuild

An MSBuild task library that automatically generates Android manifest permissions/features and iOS Info.plist entries during the build process. Declare permissions in your project file and the correct platform-specific XML is generated for you.

Installation

Install the NuGet package:

dotnet add package Shiny.Permissions.MSBuild

Once installed, the .props and .targets files are imported automatically. Generation runs before the Build target and only when items are defined.

MAUI Permissions

The simplest way to declare permissions for a .NET MAUI app. Add MauiPermission items and the task generates both Android manifest entries and iOS Info.plist entries automatically:

<ItemGroup>
    <MauiPermission Include="Camera" />
    <MauiPermission Include="BluetoothLE" />
    <MauiPermission Include="Location" />
    <MauiPermission Include="Push" />
    <MauiPermission Include="Biometric" />
    <MauiPermission Include="Contacts" />
</ItemGroup>

Known Permission Sets

Deduplication and Merging

When multiple permission sets share entries, the generator automatically:

• Deduplicates Android permissions and features (e.g. BluetoothLE + Location both declare ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION — it appears only once)
• Merges iOS array entries (e.g. BluetoothLE + Location + Push merge into a single UIBackgroundModes array with bluetooth-central, location, and remote-notification)

Output

MauiPermission items generate two files in $(IntermediateOutputPath):

Android Manifest Permissions

For fine-grained control, add AndroidManifestPermission items directly:

<ItemGroup>
  <AndroidManifestPermission Include="CAMERA" />
  <AndroidManifestPermission Include="ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" />
  <AndroidManifestPermission Include="READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" MaxSdkVersion="32" />
  <AndroidManifestPermission Include="WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" MinSdkVersion="19" MaxSdkVersion="28" />
</ItemGroup>

This generates $(IntermediateOutputPath)AndroidManifest.xml:

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" />
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" />
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" android:maxSdkVersion="32" />
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" android:minSdkVersion="19" android:maxSdkVersion="28" />
</manifest>

Metadata

Name Resolution

Short names like CAMERA are automatically prefixed with android.permission.. Fully qualified names with 3+ dot-separated segments (e.g. com.example.myapp.CUSTOM_PERMISSION) are used as-is.

Android Manifest Features

Add AndroidManifestFeature items to your project file:

<ItemGroup>
  <AndroidManifestFeature Include="CAMERA" />
  <AndroidManifestFeature Include="LOCATION.GPS" Required="true" />
  <AndroidManifestFeature Include="BLUETOOTH" Required="false" />
</ItemGroup>

This generates $(IntermediateOutputPath)AndroidManifest.xml:

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.CAMERA" />
    <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.LOCATION.GPS" android:required="true" />
    <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.BLUETOOTH" android:required="false" />
</manifest>

Metadata

Name Resolution

Short names like CAMERA are automatically prefixed with android.hardware.. Fully qualified names with 3+ dot-separated segments are used as-is.

iOS Info.plist Entries

Add InfoPlistPermission items to your project file:

<ItemGroup>
  <!-- String values -->
  <InfoPlistPermission Include="NSCameraUsageDescription" Type="string" Value="We need camera access for video calls" />
  <InfoPlistPermission Include="NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription" Type="string" Value="Your location helps us find nearby places" />

  <!-- Boolean values -->
  <InfoPlistPermission Include="UIRequiresPersistentWiFi" Type="boolean" Value="true" />

  <!-- String array values (semicolon-delimited) -->
  <InfoPlistPermission Include="LSApplicationQueriesSchemes" Type="stringarray" Value="fb;instagram;twitter" />

  <!-- Integer array values (semicolon-delimited) -->
  <InfoPlistPermission Include="UIDeviceFamily" Type="integerarray" Value="1;2" />
</ItemGroup>

This generates $(IntermediateOutputPath)Info.plist:

<plist version="1.0">
    <dict>
        <key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
        <string>We need camera access for video calls</string>
        <key>NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
        <string>Your location helps us find nearby places</string>
        <key>UIRequiresPersistentWiFi</key>
        <true/>
        <key>LSApplicationQueriesSchemes</key>
        <array>
            <string>fb</string>
            <string>instagram</string>
            <string>twitter</string>
        </array>
        <key>UIDeviceFamily</key>
        <array>
            <integer>1</integer>
            <integer>2</integer>
        </array>
    </dict>
</plist>

Metadata

Samples

See the samples/SampleMauiApp project for a .NET MAUI app demonstrating MauiPermission with Camera, BluetoothLE, Location, Push, Biometric, and Contacts.