# microsoft/apm

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_How this analysis was created: the description and tags below were written by an AI model that read this project's README and public documentation pages; stars, license and language come straight from the GitHub API. The model does not read the source code._

4,280 stars · 416 forks · Python · MIT

## Links

- GitHub: https://github.com/microsoft/apm
- Homepage: https://microsoft.github.io/apm/
- awesome-repositories: https://awesome-repositories.com/repository/microsoft-apm.md

## Topics

`ai-agents` `claude-code` `codex-cli` `context-engineering` `github-copilot` `package-manager` `prompt-engineering`

## Description

APM is a command-line package manager for AI agent resources. Teams declare the skills, instructions, prompts, agents, hooks, plugins and Model Context Protocol servers their coding agents need in a single manifest. A lockfile then pins exact commits and content hashes, so every machine and CI run installs the same setup. Packages can be fetched from git hosts, registries and marketplaces, including transitive dependencies.

The same declared resources are written into the native folder layouts and config formats of many AI coding clients, such as Copilot, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Codex, Gemini and OpenCode. MCP servers are declared once, over stdio or HTTP, and rendered into each client's own configuration, with secrets kept out of written files and transitive servers gated until explicitly trusted. A governance layer applies organization policies at install time and in CI, with allow and deny rules, required packages, and tighten-only inheritance from enterprise to organization to repository. Policies can be rolled out gradually from warning to blocking.

Security and integrity checks are built in. These include scanning for hidden Unicode characters in prompts and packages, verifying content hashes and download checksums, detecting drift against the lockfile, requiring approval for executable primitives, and exporting CycloneDX or SPDX software bills of materials. Audit results can be reported as text, JSON, Markdown or SARIF, and used to gate merges.

Authors can pack resources into bundles, plugins or marketplaces, share them offline, and publish them for others to install. The tool installs as a command-line distribution, with options for Windows, dev containers, pinned versions and private mirrors.

## Tags

### Development Tools & Productivity

- [Command Line Package Managers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/command-line-package-managers.md) — Provides a command-line package manager that declares, resolves, locks, and installs agent skills, prompts, instructions, hooks, and MCP servers from git hosts and registries.
- [Agent Plugin Installations](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/agentic-plugin-marketplaces/agent-plugin-installations.md) — Installs each declared agent resource with a single command into every supported tool so all developers share the same setup. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/))
- [Dependency Lockfiles](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/dependency-lockfiles.md) — Records the exact commit and content hash of every installed package in a lockfile so teammates restore an identical tree after cloning. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/quickstart/))
- [Agent Resource Installers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/dependency-managers/installation-resolution-utilities/dependency-installers/agent-resource-installers.md) — Resolves declared skills, instructions, and prompts and installs them into a project, with commands to lock, update, and uninstall. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/reference/))
- [Frozen Lockfile Installs](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/dependency-managers/installation-resolution-utilities/dependency-installers/frozen-lockfile-installs.md) — Records exact commits, content hashes, and the resolved dependency set so every contributor and CI run installs identical bytes, with frozen mode failing on drift. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/consumer/install-packages/))
- [Governance Policies](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/dependency-managers/installation-resolution-utilities/dependency-installers/governance-policies.md) — Applies declarative policy rules with severity levels and merge semantics, letting teams approve or deny specific packages and servers at install time. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/reference/))
- [Build Reproducibility Lockfiles](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/global-package-managers/global-dependency-upgrading/global-dependency-pinning/build-reproducibility-lockfiles.md) — Pins exact commits and content hashes in a lockfile alongside a single manifest so every machine and CI run reproduces the same setup.
- [Package Dependency Managers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/package-dependency-managers.md) — Declares agent packages in a manifest or via the command line, accepting shorthand, git URLs, monorepo subpaths, files, and local paths with version refs. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/consumer/install-packages/))
- [Dependency Governance](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/package-dependency-managers/dependency-governance.md) — Applies allow lists, deny rules, required packages, and trust gates to dependencies at install time and in CI so only approved sources are used.
- [Typed Primitive Installations](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/typed-primitive-installations.md) — Copies each skill, agent, and instruction from a package's typed subdirectories into matching runtime directories so consumers can override them individually. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/reference/package-types/))
- [Agent Package Distribution](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/agent-package-distribution.md) — Bundles skills, plugins, and prompts into packages and marketplaces that others can install from git hosts or offline archives.
- [Agentic Plugin Marketplaces](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/agentic-plugin-marketplaces.md) — Packs agent resources into bundles and plugins, publishes marketplaces, shares them offline, and verifies bundle integrity.
- [Transitive Server Gates](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/agentic-plugin-marketplaces/mcp-server-agent-installations/transitive-server-gates.md) — Pauses installation when a deep dependency declares a new tool server and requires explicit re-declaration in the top-level manifest before it is trusted. ([source](https://github.com/microsoft/apm#readme))
- [Lockfile Integrity Validators](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/dependency-lockfiles/lockfile-integrity-validators.md) — Compares deployed files, content hashes, refs, configs and package lists against the lockfile to detect drift, missing files and orphaned packages. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/reference/lockfile-spec/))
- [Package Publishing](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/dependency-managers/artifact-distribution-systems/package-publishing.md) — Bundles agent resources into packages, plugins, or marketplaces that can be unpacked, previewed, searched, and published for sharing. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/reference/))
- [Dependency Resolvers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/dependency-resolvers.md) — Walks the full dependency graph beyond top-level entries and picks versions so every package a dependency needs is installed automatically. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/consumer/install-packages/))
- [Deterministic Per-Target Compilation](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/deterministic-per-target-compilation.md) — Compiles authored primitives into deterministic per-target output files that produce stable results reviewable with a normal diff. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/producer/))
- [Lockfile Consistency Checks](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/installation-scripts/commit-pinning/lockfile-consistency-checks.md) — Replays the install in a scratch directory and fails CI when deployed files have drifted, been modified, orphaned or left unrecorded. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/enterprise/drift-detection/))
- [Marketplace Publishing Tools](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/marketplace-publishing-tools.md) — Writes a marketplace artifact from a declared marketplace block so others can discover and install the package by name. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/producer/))
- [Git Host Package Installations](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/package-installers/git-host-package-installations.md) — Fetches agent packages from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps, and other git hosts, resolving transitive dependencies automatically. ([source](https://github.com/microsoft/apm#readme))
- [SBOM Generators](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/package-managers/dependency/sbom-generators.md) — Serializes the lockfile into CycloneDX or SPDX bills of materials with component identity, hashes, and licenses, deterministically and offline. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/enterprise/security/))
- [Project Manifest Configurations](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/project-manifest-configurations.md) — Describes project dependencies and settings in a single manifest file backed by a documented schema covering every supported field. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/reference/))
- [Team AI Asset Sharing](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/team-ai-asset-sharing.md) — Commits the manifest, lockfile, and deployed files to version control so teammates and reviewers get the same agent resources without extra setup. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/quickstart/))

### Artificial Intelligence & ML

- [Agent Package Installation](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/artificial-intelligence-ml/agent-package-installation.md) — Fetches a resource package and its transitive dependencies in one pass, then deploys files into the directories the chosen tool reads. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/quickstart/))
- [Multi-Source Resource Resolution](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/artificial-intelligence-ml/agent-skill-installers/multi-source-resource-resolution.md) — Resolves skills, instructions, prompts, and agents from git, local paths, marketplaces, or registries and deploys them into each project's targets. ([source](https://github.com/microsoft/apm/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md))
- [Agent Skill Manifests](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/artificial-intelligence-ml/agent-skill-manifests.md) — Declares instructions, skills, prompts, agents, hooks, plugins and servers in one manifest so the same setup installs reproducibly across clients and machines. ([source](https://github.com/microsoft/apm#readme))
- [Agent Configuration Management](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/artificial-intelligence-ml/agentic-systems-frameworks/agent-capabilities-skills-tooling/agent-management/agent-configuration-management.md) — Declares skills, instructions, prompts, and tool servers in a manifest and installs the identical pinned setup on every machine.
- [Agent Client Registrations](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/artificial-intelligence-ml/agentic-systems-frameworks/agent-capabilities-skills-tooling/ai-agent-capabilities/mcp-server-interfaces/agent-client-registrations.md) — Writes one declared configuration into the native formats of many AI coding clients such as Copilot, Claude Code, Cursor and Codex. ([source](https://github.com/microsoft/apm#readme))
- [Cross-Harness Config Deployment](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/artificial-intelligence-ml/cross-harness-config-deployment.md) — Installs one set of declared agent resources into Copilot, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Codex, Gemini and OpenCode from a single source. ([source](https://github.com/microsoft/apm/blob/main/PRINCIPLES.md))
- [MCP Server Configurations](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/artificial-intelligence-ml/language-model-orchestration/mcp-server-configurations.md) — Declares and manages Model Context Protocol server settings once and renders them for each agent client. ([source](https://github.com/microsoft/apm/blob/main/pyproject.toml))
- [Agent Primitive Authoring](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/artificial-intelligence-ml/agent-primitive-authoring.md) — Defines skills, prompts, instructions, agents, hooks, and tool server configs as files in a package directory that teams can version and share. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/producer/))
- [Target Tool Deployment](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/artificial-intelligence-ml/agent-tool-extensions/target-tool-deployment.md) — Deploys resources into the directory layout of a chosen agent tool, set explicitly or detected from marker files in the project. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/quickstart/))
- [Cross-Agent Skill Portability](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/artificial-intelligence-ml/cross-agent-skill-portability.md) — Lets one resource definition be written once and run unchanged across every supported agent runtime, avoiding vendor lock-in. ([source](https://github.com/microsoft/apm/blob/main/PRINCIPLES.md))
- [Server Allow and Deny Rules](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/artificial-intelligence-ml/language-model-orchestration/mcp-server-configurations/server-allow-and-deny-rules.md) — Controls which MCP servers projects may configure, including whether servers defined in the project's own manifest are allowed, warned about, or denied. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/enterprise/policy-reference/))
- [MCP Server Setups](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/artificial-intelligence-ml/mcp-server-setups.md) — Records MCP servers in the manifest as registry, self-defined stdio or HTTP, or remote entries, with separate production and dev-only sections. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/consumer/install-mcp-servers/))

### Programming Languages & Runtimes

- [Dependency Version Locking](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/programming-languages-runtimes/ruby-version-managers/dependency-version-locking.md) — Records exact resolved sources and content hashes of installed packages in a lockfile so installs are reproducible and traceable. ([source](https://github.com/microsoft/apm/blob/main/README.md))
- [Agent Client Target Matrices](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/programming-languages-runtimes/source-code-compilers/multi-target-compilers/agent-client-target-matrices.md) — Writes skills, agents, instructions, hooks and tool configuration into the native folders of many AI coding tools, chosen per install or dependency. ([source](https://github.com/microsoft/apm/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md))

### Security & Cryptography

- [Dependency and Server Policy Governance](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/dependency-and-server-policy-governance.md) — Restricts dependencies and MCP servers through allowlists, denylists, required packages, version constraints, transport rules, and depth caps declared in one policy file. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/enterprise/governance-guide/))
- [Hidden Content Scanners](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/hidden-content-scanners.md) — Inspects agent content for tag characters, bidirectional overrides and zero-width characters, flagging critical findings and warnings with distinct exit codes. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/integrations/github-rulesets/))
- [Installation Policies](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/infrastructure-policy-enforcement/security-policy-enforcers/repository-security-policies/installation-policies.md) — Applies a policy file restricting allowed sources, scopes and primitives on every install, with tighten-only inheritance from enterprise to organization to repository. ([source](https://github.com/microsoft/apm#readme))
- [Tighten-Only Policy Inheritance](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/infrastructure-policy-enforcement/security-policy-enforcers/repository-security-policies/installation-policies/tighten-only-policy-inheritance.md) — Applies a policy file at install time, including to transitive MCP servers, with rules that can only tighten from enterprise to repository. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/))
- [Organization Policy Enforcement](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/organization-policy-enforcement.md) — Applies organization policy files at install time and in audits, with allow, deny, and required rules plus tighten-only inheritance and deny-wins precedence. ([source](https://github.com/microsoft/apm/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md))
- [Banned Dependency Enforcement](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/banned-dependency-enforcement.md) — Checks every resolved dependency against organization or local allow and deny lists before writing files, blocking packages that are not permitted. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/consumer/install-packages/))
- [Dependency Integrity Verifiers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/cryptographic-hash-verifiers/dependency-integrity-verifiers.md) — Hashes each downloaded package's file tree, records it in the lockfile, and re-verifies cached content on later installs, aborting on suspected tampering. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/enterprise/security/))
- [Executable Trust Gates](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/executable-trust-gates.md) — Blocks unapproved hooks, executables and self-defined servers from dependency packages until approved through organization, project or user trust layers with deny-wins resolution. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/enterprise/security/))
- [Policy Compliance Audits in CI](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/governance-policy-frameworks/compliance-governance/policy-compliance-audits-in-ci.md) — Checks the on-disk manifest and lockfile against the discovered policy in CI, failing builds on violations and emitting structured status reports. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/enterprise/policy-reference/))
- [Organization Policy Discovery](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/organization-policy-discovery.md) — Locates the first applicable organization policy from the git remote across GitHub, Azure DevOps and GitLab using conventional repository names and overrides. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/enterprise/policy-reference/))
- [Executable Approval Gates](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/security-trust-models/explicit-trust-models/executable-approval-gates.md) — Blocks hooks, executables, and lifecycle scripts from dependency packages until a user, project, or organization approves them, recording status in the lockfile. ([source](https://github.com/microsoft/apm/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md))
- [Software Supply Chain Security](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/software-supply-chain-security.md) — Verifies content hashes, scans for hidden Unicode, detects lockfile drift, and exports CycloneDX or SPDX software bills of materials.

### Data & Databases

- [Hidden Character Visualizers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/data-databases/text-processing-utilities/text-inspection-tools/hidden-character-visualizers.md) — Scans deployed prompt and instruction files across project and user scopes for hidden or suspicious Unicode code points that may conceal instructions. ([source](https://github.com/microsoft/apm/blob/main/CONFORMANCE.json))

### DevOps & Infrastructure

- [CI/CD Policy Gates](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/devops-infrastructure/ci-cd-policy-gates.md) — Runs policy audits in CI and branch protection, with staged rollout from warnings to blocking across many repositories. ([source](https://github.com/microsoft/apm#readme))
- [Plugin & Language Pack Bundling](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/devops-infrastructure/distribution-packaging/plugin-packaging/plugin-language-pack-bundling.md) — Bundles agent configuration into a zipped package or standalone plugin and installs plugins from curated marketplaces in one command. ([source](https://github.com/microsoft/apm#readme))
- [Offline Agent Resource Bundles](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/devops-infrastructure/installation-package-bundling/platform-specific-package-bundles/distribution-bundles/offline-agent-resource-bundles.md) — Zips a compiled package into a single archive that can be shipped offline to teams or submitted to a marketplace. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/producer/))
- [Lock-File Pinning](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/devops-infrastructure/reproducible-environments/lock-file-pinning.md) — Reinstalls strictly from locked pins and rejects missing pins, changed fixed refs, or configuration drift for deterministic builds. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/reference/lockfile-spec/))

### Software Engineering & Architecture

- [Configuration Inheritance Policies](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/software-engineering-architecture/application-lifecycle-management/configuration-management/hierarchical-configuration-systems/configuration-inheritance-policies.md) — Lets policies extend parent policies up to five levels deep, merging so children only tighten rules, and rejects cycles and cross-host extends. ([source](https://microsoft.github.io/apm/enterprise/governance-guide/))
- [Software Bill of Materials Generators](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/software-engineering-architecture/software-bill-of-materials-generators.md) — Generates CycloneDX or SPDX inventories of installed packages directly from the lockfile for provenance and procurement reviews. ([source](https://github.com/microsoft/apm/blob/main/README.md))

### System Administration & Monitoring

- [AI Agent Deployments](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/system-administration-monitoring/cross-platform-agent-deployment/ai-agent-deployments.md) — Writes one declared set of agent resources into the native folders and formats of many AI coding tools from a single manifest.

### Testing & Quality Assurance

- [Configuration Drift Checks](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/testing-quality-assurance/configuration-drift-checks.md) — Scans deployed agent content for hidden characters, unmanaged files and lockfile drift, and can fail CI when integrity checks do not pass. ([source](https://github.com/microsoft/apm/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md))