Robotically Signing a Home windows EXE with Azure Trusted Signing, dotnet signal, and GitHub Actions

Mac Tahoe (in Beta as of the time of this writing) has this new function known as Edge Mild that mainly places a shiny image of an Edge Mild round your display and mainly makes use of the ability of OLED to offer you a digital ring gentle. So I used to be like, why cannot we even have good issues? I wrote (vibed, with GitHub Copilot and Claude Sonnet 4.5) a Home windows Edge Mild App (supply code at https://github.com/shanselman/WindowsEdgeLight and you will get the most recent launch right here https://github.com/shanselman/WindowsEdgeLight/releases or the app will verify for brand spanking new releases and autoupdate with Updatum).

Nevertheless, as is with all suss unfastened executables on the web, once you run random stuff you will typically get the Window Defender ‘new telephone, who dis’ warning which is frightening. After a number of downloads and no viruses or complaints, my executable will finally achieve popularity with the Home windows Defender Sensible Display service, however having a Code Signing Certificates is alleged to assist with that. Nevertheless, code signing certs are costly and a trouble to handle and renew.

Somebody instructed me that Azure Trusted Signing was considerably much less of a trouble – it is much less, nevertheless it’s nonetheless non-trivial. I learn this put up from Rick (his weblog is gold and has been for years) earlier within the 12 months and a few of it was tremendous helpful and different stuff has been made easier over time.

I wrote 80% of this weblog put up, however since I simply spent an hour getting code signing to work and GitHub Copilot was going by and logging all the pieces I did, I did use Claude 4.5 to assist set up a few of this. I’ve reviewed all of it and re-written components I did not like, so any errors are mine.

Azure Trusted Signing is Microsoft’s cloud-based code signing service that:

No {hardware} tokens – All the pieces occurs within the cloud
Automated certificates administration – Certificates are issued and renewed robotically
GitHub Actions integration – Signal throughout your CI/CD pipeline. I used GH Actions.
Kinda Affortable – About $10/month for small tasks. I would love it if this had been $10 a 12 months. That is cheaper than a yearly cert, nevertheless it’ll add up after some time so I am all the time searching for cheaper/simpler choices.
Trusted by Home windows – Makes use of the identical certificates authority as Microsoft’s personal apps, so it’s best to get your EXE trusted quicker

Stipulations

Earlier than beginning, you will want:

Azure subscription
Azure CLI – Set up from right here
Identification validation paperwork – Driver’s license or passport for particular person builders. Observe that I am within the US, so your mileage might range however I mainly arrange the account, scanned a QR code, took an image of my license, then did a selfie, then waited.
Home windows PC – For native signing (elective) however I ended up utilizing the dotnet signal instrument. There are
GitHub repository – For automated signing (elective)

Half 1: Setting Up Azure Trusted Signing

Step 1: Register the Useful resource Supplier

First, I must allow the Azure Trusted Signing service in my subscription. This may be completed within the Portal, or on the CLI.

# Login to Azure
az login

# Register the Microsoft.CodeSigning useful resource supplier
az supplier register --namespace Microsoft.CodeSigning

# Look forward to registration to finish (takes 2-3 minutes)
az supplier present --namespace Microsoft.CodeSigning --query "registrationState"

Wait till the output exhibits "Registered".

Step 2: Create a Trusted Signing Account

Now create the precise signing account. You are able to do this by way of Azure Portal or CLI.

Choice A: Azure Portal (Simpler for first-timers)

Go to Azure Portal
Seek for “Trusted Signing Accounts”
Click on Create
Fill in:
- Subscription: Your subscription
- Useful resource Group: Create new or use current (e.g., “MyAppSigning”)
- Account Title: A singular title (e.g., “myapp-signing”)
- Area: Select closest to you (e.g., “West US 2”)
- SKU: Fundamental (ample for many apps)
Click on Evaluation + Create, then Create

Choice B: Azure CLI (Sooner in case you are a CLI particular person or wish to drive stick shift)

# Create a useful resource group
az group create --name MyAppSigning --location westus2

# Create the Trusted Signing account
az trustedsigning create 
  --resource-group MyAppSigning 
  --account-name myapp-signing 
  --location westus2 
  --sku-name Fundamental

Essential: Observe your area endpoint. Frequent ones are:

East US: https://eus.codesigning.azure.web/
West US 2: https://wus2.codesigning.azure.web/
Your particular area: Verify in Azure Portal beneath your account’s Overview web page

I completely flaked on this and messed round for 10 min earlier than I spotted that this URL issues and is particular to your account. Bear in mind this endpoint.

Step 3: Full Identification Validation

That is crucial step. Microsoft must confirm you are an actual particular person/group.

In Azure Portal, go to your Trusted Signing Account
Click on Identification validation within the left menu
Click on Add identification validation
Select validation kind:
- Particular person: For solo builders (makes use of driver’s license/passport)
- Group: For firms (makes use of enterprise registration paperwork)
For Particular person validation:
- Add a transparent picture of your government-issued ID
- Present your full authorized title (should match ID precisely)
- Present your e mail deal with
Submit and anticipate approval

Approval Time:

Particular person: Normally 1-3 enterprise days
Group: 3-5 enterprise days
Me: This took about 4 hours, so once more, YMMV. I used my private account and my private Azure (do not belief MSFT of us with limitless Azure credit, I pay for my very own) in order that they did not understand it was me. I went by the common line, not the Pre-check line LOL.

You may obtain an e mail when accepted. You can’t signal any code till that is accepted.

Step 4: Create a Certificates Profile

As soon as your identification is validated, create a certificates profile. That is what truly points the signing certificates.

In your Trusted Signing Account, click on Certificates profiles
Click on Add certificates profile
Fill in:
- Profile title: Descriptive title (e.g., “MyAppProfile”)
- Profile kind: Select Public Belief (required to stop SmartScreen)
- Identification validation: Choose your accepted identification
- Certificates kind: Code Signing
Click on Add

Essential: Solely “Public Belief” profiles stop SmartScreen warnings. “Personal Belief” is for inner apps solely. This took me a second to understand additionally as it isn’t an intuitive title.

Step 5: Confirm Your Setup

# Record your Trusted Signing accounts
az trustedsigning present 
  --resource-group MyAppSigning 
  --account-name myapp-signing

# Ought to present standing: "Succeeded"

Write down these values – you will want them later:

Account Title: myapp-signing
Certificates Profile Title: MyAppProfile
Endpoint URL: https://wus2.codesigning.azure.web/ (or your area)
Subscription ID: Present in Azure Portal
Useful resource Group: MyAppSigning

Half 2: Native Code Signing

Now let’s signal an executable in your my machine. You do not NEED to do that, however I wished to attempt it regionally to keep away from a bunch of CI/CD runs, and I wished to right-click the EXE and see the cert in Properties earlier than I took all of it to the cloud. The great half about this was that I did not must mess with any certificates.

Step 1: Assign Your self the Signing Function

You want permission to truly use the signing service.

Choice A: Azure Portal

Go to your Trusted Signing Account
Click on Entry management (IAM)
Click on Add → Add position project
Seek for and choose Trusted Signing Certificates Profile Signer. That is essential. I looked for “code” and located nothing. Seek for “Trusted”
Click on Subsequent
Click on Choose members and discover your consumer account
Click on Choose, then Evaluation + assign

Choice B: Azure CLI

# Get your consumer object ID
$userId = az advert signed-in-user present --query id -o tsv

# Assign the position
az position project create 
  --role "Trusted Signing Certificates Profile Signer" 
  --assignee-object-id $userId 
  --scope /subscriptions/YOUR_SUBSCRIPTION_ID/resourceGroups/MyAppSigning/suppliers/Microsoft.CodeSigning/codeSigningAccounts/myapp-signing

Substitute YOUR_SUBSCRIPTION_ID together with your precise subscription ID.

Step 2: Login with the Appropriate Scope

That is essential – you might want to login with the precise codesigning scope.

# Logout first to clear previous tokens
az logout

# Login with codesigning scope
az login --use-device-code --scope "https://codesigning.azure.web/.default"

This offers you a code to enter at https://microsoft.com/devicelogin. Comply with the prompts.

Why machine code circulation? As a result of Azure CLI’s default authentication can battle with Visible Studio credentials in my expertise. System code circulation is extra dependable for code signing.

Step 3: Obtain the Signal Instrument

Choice A: Set up Globally (Advisable for normal use)

# Set up as a worldwide instrument (out there in every single place)
dotnet instrument set up --global --prerelease signal

# Confirm set up
signal --version

Choice B: Set up Domestically (Challenge-specific)

# Set up to present listing
dotnet instrument set up --tool-path . --prerelease signal

# Use with .signal.exe

Which ought to I exploit?

World: In the event you’ll signal a number of tasks or signal incessantly
Native: If you wish to preserve the instrument with a particular challenge or don’t desire it in your PATH

Step 4: Signal Your Executable

Observe once more that code signing URL is particular to you. The tscp is your Trusted Signing Certificates Profile title and the tsa is your Trusted Signing Account title. I set *.exe to signal all of the EXEs within the folder and be aware that the -b base listing is an absolute path, not a relative one. For me it was d:githubWindowsEdgeLightpublish, and your mileage will range.

# Navigate to your challenge folder
cd C:MyProject

# Signal the executable
.signal.exe code trusted-signing `
  -b "C:MyProjectpublish" `
  -tse "https://wus2.codesigning.azure.web" `
  -tscp "MyAppProfile" `
  -tsa "myapp-signing" `
  *.exe `
  -v Info

Parameters defined:

-b: Base listing containing recordsdata to signal
-tse: Trusted Signing endpoint (your area)
-tscp: Certificates profile title
-tsa: Trusted Signing account title
*.exe: Sample to match recordsdata to signal
-v: Verbosity degree (Hint, Info, Warning, Error)

Anticipated output:

information: Signing WindowsEdgeLight.exe succeeded.
Accomplished in 2743 ms.

Step 5: Confirm the Signature

You are able to do this in PowerShell:

# Verify the signature
Get-AuthenticodeSignature ".publishMyApp.exe" | Format-Record

# Search for:
# Standing: Legitimate
# SignerCertificate: CN=Your Title, O=Your Title, ...
# TimeStamperCertificate: Ought to be current

Proper-click the EXE → Properties → Digital Signatures tab:

It is best to see your signature
“This digital signature is OK”

Frequent Native Signing Points

I hit all of those lol

Subject: “Please run ‘az login’ to arrange account”

Trigger: Not logged in with the fitting scope
Repair: Run az logout then az login --use-device-code --scope "https://codesigning.azure.web/.default"

Subject: “403 Forbidden”

Trigger: Flawed endpoint, account title, or lacking permissions
Repair:
- Confirm endpoint matches your area (wus2, eus, and so forth.)
- Confirm account title is precise (case-sensitive)
- Confirm you might have “Trusted Signing Certificates Profile Signer” position

Subject: “Consumer account doesn’t exist in tenant”

Trigger: Azure CLI making an attempt to make use of Visible Studio credentials
Repair: Use machine code circulation (see Step 2)

Half 3: Automated Signing with GitHub Actions

That is the place the magic occurs. I wish to robotically signal each launch. I am utilizing GitVersion so I simply must tag a commit and GitHub Actions will kick off a run. You may go take a look at an actual run intimately at https://github.com/shanselman/WindowsEdgeLight/actions/runs/19775054123

Step 1: Create a Service Principal

GitHub Actions wants its personal identification to signal code. We’ll create a service principal (like a robotic account). That is VERY totally different than your native signing setup.

Essential: You want Proprietor or Consumer Entry Administrator position in your subscription to do that. If you do not have it, ask your Azure admin or a buddy.

# Create service principal with signing permissions
az advert sp create-for-rbac 
  --name "MyAppGitHubActions" 
  --role "Trusted Signing Certificates Profile Signer" 
  --scopes /subscriptions/YOUR_SUBSCRIPTION_ID/resourceGroups/MyAppSigning/suppliers/Microsoft.CodeSigning/codeSigningAccounts/myapp-signing 
  --json-auth

This outputs JSON like this:

{
  "clientId": "12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789abc",
  "clientSecret": "super-secret-value-abc123",
  "tenantId": "87654321-4321-4321-4321-cba987654321",
  "subscriptionId": "abcdef12-3456-7890-abcd-ef1234567890"
}

SAVE THESE VALUES IMMEDIATELY! You may’t retrieve the clientSecret once more. That is tremendous essential.

Various: Azure Portal Methodology

If CLI would not work:

Azure Portal → App registrations → New registration
Title: “MyAppGitHubActions”
Click on Register
Copy the Utility (shopper) ID – that is AZURE_CLIENT_ID
Copy the Listing (tenant) ID – that is AZURE_TENANT_ID
Go to Certificates & secrets and techniques → New shopper secret
Description: “GitHub Actions”
Expiration: 24 months (max)
Click on Add and instantly copy the Worth – that is AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET
Go to your Trusted Signing Account → Entry management (IAM)
Add position project → Trusted Signing Certificates Profile Signer
Choose members → Seek for “MyAppGitHubActions”
Evaluation + assign

Step 2: Add GitHub Secrets and techniques

Go to your GitHub repository:

Settings → Secrets and techniques and variables → Actions
Click on New repository secret for every:

AZURE_CLIENT_ID – From service principal output or App registration
AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET - From service principal output or Certificates & secrets and techniques
AZURE_TENANT_ID – From service principal output or App registration
AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID – Azure Portal → Subscriptions

Safety Observe: These secrets and techniques are encrypted and by no means seen in logs. Solely your workflow can entry them. You may by no means see them once more.

Step 3: Replace Your GitHub Workflow

This can be a little complicated because it’s YAML, which is Devil’s markup, nevertheless it’s what we’ve got sunk to as a society.

Observe the dotnet-version beneath. Yours may be 8 or 9, and so forth. Additionally, I’m constructing each x64 and ARM variations and I’m utilizing GitVersion so in order for you a extra full construct.yml, you may go right here https://github.com/shanselman/WindowsEdgeLight/blob/grasp/.github/workflows/construct.yml I’m additionally zipping mine up and prepping my releases so my unfastened EXE lives in a ZIP file.

Add signing steps to your .github/workflows/construct.yml:

title: Construct and Signal

on:
  push:
    tags:
      - 'v*'
  workflow_dispatch:

permissions:
  contents: write

jobs:
  construct:
    runs-on: windows-latest
    
    steps:
    - title: Checkout code
      makes use of: actions/checkout@v4
      with:
        fetch-depth: 0
      
    - title: Setup .NET
      makes use of: actions/setup-dotnet@v4
      with:
        dotnet-version: '10.0.x'
        
    - title: Restore dependencies
      run: dotnet restore MyApp/MyApp.csproj

    - title: Construct
      run: |
        dotnet publish MyApp/MyApp.csproj `
          -c Launch `
          -r win-x64 `
          --self-contained

    # === SIGNING STEPS START HERE ===
    
    - title: Azure Login
      makes use of: azure/login@v2
      with:
        creds: '{"clientId":"${{ secrets and techniques.AZURE_CLIENT_ID }}","clientSecret":"${{ secrets and techniques.AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET }}","subscriptionId":"${{ secrets and techniques.AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID }}","tenantId":"${{ secrets and techniques.AZURE_TENANT_ID }}"}'

    - title: Signal executables with Trusted Signing
      makes use of: azure/trusted-signing-action@v0
      with:
        azure-tenant-id: ${{ secrets and techniques.AZURE_TENANT_ID }}
        azure-client-id: ${{ secrets and techniques.AZURE_CLIENT_ID }}
        azure-client-secret: ${{ secrets and techniques.AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET }}
        endpoint: https://wus2.codesigning.azure.web/
        trusted-signing-account-name: myapp-signing
        certificate-profile-name: MyAppProfile
        files-folder: ${{ github.workspace }}MyAppbinReleasenet10.0-windowswin-x64publish
        files-folder-filter: exe
        files-folder-recurse: true
        file-digest: SHA256
        timestamp-rfc3161: http://timestamp.acs.microsoft.com
        timestamp-digest: SHA256
    
    # === SIGNING STEPS END HERE ===
        
    - title: Create Launch
      if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/')
      makes use of: softprops/action-gh-release@v2
      with:
        recordsdata: MyApp/bin/Launch/net10.0-windows/win-x64/publish/MyApp.exe
      env:
        GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets and techniques.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Key factors:

endpoint: Use YOUR area’s endpoint (wus2, eus, and so forth.)
trusted-signing-account-name: Your account title (precise, case-sensitive)
certificate-profile-name: Your certificates profile title (precise, case-sensitive)
files-folder: Path to your compiled executables
files-folder-filter: File sorts to signal (exe, dll, and so forth.)
files-folder-recurse: Signal recordsdata in subfolders

Step 4: Take a look at the Workflow

Now set off the workflow. You’ve two choices:

Choice A: Guide Set off (Most secure for testing)

For the reason that workflow consists of workflow_dispatch:, you may set off it manually with out making a tag:

# Set off manually by way of GitHub CLI
gh workflow run construct.yml

# Or go to GitHub internet UI:
# Actions tab → "Construct and Signal" workflow → "Run workflow" button

That is supreme for testing as a result of:

No tag required
Will not create a launch
Can check a number of instances
Straightforward to debug points

Choice B: Create a Tag (For precise releases)

# Ensure you're in your major department with no uncommitted adjustments
git standing

# Create and push a tag
git tag v1.0.0
git push origin v1.0.0

Use this once you’re able to create an precise launch with signed binaries. That is what I’m doing on my aspect.

Step 5: Monitor the Construct

Watch the progress with GitHub CLI:

# See newest runs
gh run checklist --limit 5

# Watch a particular run
gh run watch

# View detailed standing
gh run view --log

Or go to: https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/YOUR_REPO/actions

Search for:

Azure Login – Ought to full in ~5 seconds
Signal executables with Trusted Signing – Ought to full in ~10-30 seconds
Create Launch – Your signed executable is now out there in /releases in your GitHib challenge

Frequent GitHub Actions Points

I hit a couple of of those, natch.

Subject: “403 Forbidden” throughout signing

Trigger: Service principal would not have permissions
Repair:
1. Go to Azure Portal → Trusted Signing Account → Entry management (IAM)
2. Confirm “MyAppGitHubActions” has “Trusted Signing Certificates Profile Signer” position
3. If not, add it manually

Subject: “No recordsdata matched the sample”

Trigger: Flawed files-folder path or construct artifacts in incorrect location
Repair:
1. Add a debug step earlier than signing: - run: Get-ChildItem -Recurse
2. Discover the place your EXE is definitely situated
3. Replace files-folder to match

Subject: Secrets and techniques not working

Trigger: Typo in secret title or worth not saved
Repair:
1. Confirm secret names EXACTLY match (case-sensitive)
2. Re-create secrets and techniques if uncertain
3. Ensure no further areas in values

Subject: “DefaultAzureCredential authentication failed”

Trigger: Normally incorrect tenant ID or shopper ID
Repair: Confirm all 4 secrets and techniques are right from service principal output

Half 4: Understanding the Certificates

Certificates Lifecycle

Azure Trusted Signing makes use of short-lived certificates (usually 3 days). This freaked me out however they are saying that is truly a safety function:

If a certificates is compromised, it expires rapidly
You by no means handle certificates recordsdata or passwords
Automated renewal – you do not have to do something

However will not my signature break after 3 days?

No, evidently’s what timestamping is for. If you signal a file:

Azure points a 3-day certificates
The file is signed with that certificates
A timestamp server information “this file was signed on DATE”
Even after the certificates expires, the signature stays legitimate as a result of the timestamp proves it was signed when the certificates was legitimate

That is why each native and GitHub Actions signing embrace:

timestamp-rfc3161: http://timestamp.acs.microsoft.com

What the Certificates Comprises

Your signed executable has a certificates with:

Topic: Your title (e.g., “CN=John Doe, O=John Doe, L=Seattle, S=Washington, C=US”)
Issuer: Microsoft ID Verified CS EOC CA 01
Legitimate Dates: 3-day window
Key Measurement: 3072-bit RSA (very safe)
Enhanced Key Utilization: Code Signing

Confirm Certificates on Any Machine

# Utilizing PowerShell
Get-AuthenticodeSignature "MyApp.exe" | Choose-Object -ExpandProperty SignerCertificate | Format-Record

# Utilizing Home windows UI
# Proper-click EXE → Properties → Digital Signatures tab → Particulars → View Certificates

This complete factor took me about an hour to 75 minutes. It was detailed, however not deeply troublesome. Misspellings, case-sensitivity, and some account points with Function-Based mostly Entry Management did gradual me down. Hope this helps!

Used Assets

Written in November 2025 primarily based on real-world implementation for WindowsEdgeLight. Your setup would possibly range barely relying on Azure area and account kind. Issues change, be stoic.

About Scott

Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, guide, father, diabetic, and Microsoft worker. He’s a failed stand-up comedian, a cornrower, and a e-book creator.

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