How We Validate 30,000+ Apps From Community Repositories
Community-maintained repositories like Winget and the Microsoft Store are sometimes questioned as a source for enterprise software. Concerns typically focus on inconsistent package quality, volunteer maintenance, testing gaps, and compliance. These are legitimate considerations for any IT team.
Robopack sources its catalog from these repositories and applies its own engineering on top. Here's how that works in practice, and how it addresses each of those concerns.
Microsoft's repository validation
Winget and the Microsoft Store have their own validation processes:
- Package manifests are reviewed before acceptance
- Installers are scanned for malware and policy violations
- Community contributions go through a pull-request review process on the winget-pkgs repository
- SmartScreen and reputation systems provide ongoing protection
This is the starting point — not the finish line.
Robopack's 26+ independent checks
Robopack does not pass community packages through to customers as-is. Every app version is installed, inspected, and uninstalled in an isolated environment. Over 26 independent checks are performed, including:
- Installer type detection — MSI, Inno Setup, NSIS, Burn, and other formats
- Silent install and uninstall verification — confirmed to complete without user prompts or interaction
- Exit code handling — install and uninstall exit codes are captured and validated
- Upgrade path testing — verifying that new versions properly replace previous ones rather than installing side-by-side
- Detection rules — registry keys, file paths, or MSI product codes for Intune to confirm successful installation
- Full file inventory — every file written during installation, with sizes and version numbers
- Leftover analysis — files remaining after uninstall, so you know exactly what stays behind
- Registry footprint — every registry value created during installation
- Installed size — exact disk space consumed
- Internet requirements — whether the installer needs network access
- Programs & Features (ARP) entries — what appears in Add/Remove Programs
- Install and uninstall logs — full log output captured for troubleshooting
These checks address the testing gap that exists when packages are used directly from community repositories. The result is an app that has been validated for silent deployment through Intune before it ever appears on your dashboard.
Full app documentation for every version
Each app in the Robopack catalog gets a documentation page with the complete results of this analysis. For example, Greenshot 1.2.10.6:
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Installer type | Inno Setup (detected) |
| Install command | Greenshot.1.2.10.6.X64.exe /SP- /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /VERYSILENT /NORESTART |
| Uninstall command | %ProgramFiles%\Greenshot\unins000.exe /SP- /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /VERYSILENT /NORESTART |
| Detection | Registry: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Greenshot_is1\DisplayVersion equals 1.2.10.6 |
| Installed size | 16 MB (101 files) |
| Left after uninstall | 0 files, 0 KB — 0% |
| Registry values | 44 entries |
| Internet required | No |
The documentation also includes the full file listing with sizes and versions, install and uninstall logs, and the complete registry footprint.
This gives you the transparency to answer audit questions like who packaged this, what testing was performed, and what does this app do to a system — the kind of detail that compliance frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, and Cyber Essentials expect.
Validate on your own terms with Robopatch waves
Robopack's automated checks cover a lot, but every environment is different. That's why Robopatch supports wave-based deployments:
- Wave 1 deploys to your test machines — validate the install, check for conflicts with your specific configuration, and confirm everything works in your environment
- Wave 2+ rolls out progressively to broader groups after the previous wave succeeds
If something needs attention on your test devices, the rollout pauses there. Your team has full control over the pace and scope of every update.
This means you are not relying solely on any upstream source — community or otherwise — for your production confidence. You have a structured process for verifying updates against your own environment before they reach end users.
Keeping up with vendor releases
When a vendor releases a new version, the time between that release and your deployment matters. Robopack monitors for new versions automatically. When an update is detected, it goes through the full analysis pipeline and is made available in the catalog. Combined with Robopatch automation, updates can flow from vendor release through to your test machines with minimal manual intervention.
Summary
Robopack takes community-maintained repositories and applies structured, automated engineering on top:
- Microsoft validates packages at the repository level
- Robopack installs, inspects, and documents every app version with 26+ independent checks
- Your team validates on test machines via Robopatch waves before production rollout
The result is a catalog of 30,000+ apps, each with full documentation, verified silent install behaviour, and a clear deployment path through your own validation process.
Want to see the app documentation for yourself? Sign up for a free trial and browse the catalog.