Giving your .NET MAUI a Real Set of AI Wings

Most “add AI to your MAUI app” posts stop at a pretty chat UI. Allan Ritchie goes after the hard half: deciding, deliberately, what the model is allowed to do on the device — then wiring those capabilities through Microsoft.Extensions.AI and Shiny’s AI tool packs.

What you’ll learn

• Provider-driven ChatView — drop in Shiny.Maui.Controls chat UI without managing message collections, send commands, or scroll state yourself
• AITool packs as allow-lists — register contacts, reminders, location, health, music, and document-store tools one module at a time, with framing prompts that steer behavior
• Shell navigation as a tool — describe [ShellMap] routes as user intent so the model can open screens with forms already pre-filled
• Function invocation without the loop — how UseFunctionInvocation() turns a raw IChatClient into an agent that calls your tools mid-turn
• Permissions vs tool registration — why granting OS access on a real Settings screen is separate from deciding which tools the agent may call
• Token cost awareness — why every registered tool schema rides every turn, and how to keep the toolbox lean

Head to the full post for the sample app, package list, and the concrete “try it” prompts that prove the assistant has hands.