Upgrading from WindowsAppSDK 1.7 to 1.8 causes APPX1101 build errors

[ThreeScreenStudios]

Describe the bug

After upgrading to WindowsAppSDK 1.8, my project has three APPX1101 errors, saying the payload contains two or more files with the same destination path.

Payload contains two or more files with the same destination path 'Microsoft.Windows.SDK.NET.dll'. Source files: C:\Users\.....\.nuget\packages\microsoft.windows.sdk.net.ref\10.0.22621.57\lib\net8.0\Microsoft.Windows.SDK.NET.dll C:\Users\.....\.nuget\packages\microsoft.windows.sdk.net.ref\10.0.22621.48\lib\net8.0\Microsoft.Windows.SDK.NET.dll

Payload contains two or more files with the same destination path 'Microsoft.Win32.SystemEvents.dll'. Source files: C:\Users\.....\.nuget\packages\microsoft.win32.systemevents\9.0.9\runtimes\win\lib\net9.0\Microsoft.Win32.SystemEvents.dll C:\Users\.....\.nuget\packages\microsoft.win32.systemevents\9.0.9\lib\net9.0\Microsoft.Win32.SystemEvents.dll

and

Payload contains two or more files with the same destination path 'System.Management.dll'. Source files: 
C:\Users\.....\.nuget\packages\system.management\7.0.2\runtimes\win\lib\net7.0\System.Management.dll
C:\Users\.....\.nuget\packages\system.management\7.0.2\lib\net7.0\System.Management.dll

I have tried cleaning bin/obj folders and nuget cache - unfortunately nothing seems to resolve the error. If I revert back to 1.7, the project builds fine.

Steps to reproduce the bug

1. Upgrade projects to WindowsAppSDK 1.8
2. Build solution
3. APPX1101 errors

Unfortunately I'm not exactly sure what about my projects is causing these issues to be able to repro in a demo project? One of the projects in the solution is a CSWinRT component, so maybe that?

Expected behavior

Solution builds correctly

Screenshots

No response

NuGet package version

Windows App SDK 1.8.0: 1.8.250907003

Packaging type

Packaged (MSIX)

Windows version

Windows 11 version 24H2 (26100, June 2025 Update)

IDE

Visual Studio 2022

Additional context

No response

[manodasanW]

I tried to create repros for your errors by using the packages from the errors. I was able to repro the system.management and microsoft.win32.systemevents error and interestingly I was also able to repro it with WinAppSDK 1.7 too. It looks like both the ref assembly and the runtimes assembly are getting copied for those packages and the MSIX tooling doesn't know what to do in that case. I will look at addressing this on the CsWinRT component side to avoid copying both to same path at least (opened microsoft/CsWinRT#2052).

For the Microsoft.Windows.SDK.NET.Ref error, I see both .48 and .57 versions being used. Does one of your projects still have a WindowsSdkPackageVersion property from before and if so, can you remove that now given .57 should be the latest in the .NET SDK or make all projects use the same version for it.

[ThreeScreenStudios]

@manodasanW thanks for taking a look at the issue, glad you were able to repro with the system.management and microsoft.win32.systemevents!

You were correct, I had a rogue WindowsSdkPackageVersion set to .48, after I removed it, that problem went away, so just the CsWinRT issues :)

[weitzhandler]

For some reason I didn't see this issue, I've posted a repro here: #5845.