Revit publisher guidelines

When you register as a publisher, you'll see the complete requirements in the Publisher Agreement. This guide summarizes the key points — the agreement takes precedence if anything differs.

When you submit your app, the form collects everything needed for your listing — including content for the quick-start page that's included with downloads and viewable online.

Most of the information we need from you is collected through the web form you complete when submitting your content. This includes gathering information to create an HTML quick-start page that is included with the download of your product and viewable online.

Compatibility

Your product must be relevant to (and usable with) Revit 2026 software and must run on any Windows operating system supported by Revit 2026. You may also indicate the compatibility with Revit 2025| 2024| 2023 | 2022 | 2021.

User privileges

The default user privilege for the Store apps is Windows 10/11 Admin User. The installer should have elevated user privileges.

Product stability

Your product should be stable and not behave or alter the behavior of Revit in a way that we deem unsuitable, for example, blocking standard Revit functionality, blocking the functionality of another plug-in, causing data loss, etc.

HTML help page

When you submit your app, the documentation form generates a help page that's included with your download. Make sure your instructions are clear and actionable — users should be able to get started quickly. You can link to additional resources hosted on your website.

Ready to run

Your app must work immediately after installation — no manual file copying, registration, or settings changes required. The autoloader mechanism described below can help you achieve this.

If your app uses licensing:

• Activate automatically (e.g., online activation), or
• Include a fully functional trial period long enough to deliver activation to the customer.

There are no additional requirements for products that are not integrated with Revit. Such products might include eBooks, video tutorials, industry-specific calculators, and the like.

Additional requirements

• Your plug-in must include a ribbon button to access your main command. If your application has many buttons, you may also choose to have a separate custom ribbon tab.
• You must use an add-in manifest as the loading mechanism.

Additional requirements

Family libraries (in .rfa file format) must be installed in this folder: 

Windows 10/11 (Revit 2021/2022/2023/2024/2025/2026 64-bit only): %PUBLIC%\Documents\Autodesk\Downloaded Content (typically C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Downloaded Content)

Note: We'll create the installer for you and can help modify your libraries to work in this location.

The ribbon bar UI must either provide access to the family library or launch a help file explaining how to access it. Your family library must include a ribbon button to the Revit ribbon bar. 

Bundle and XML file structure

Your add-in manifest goes in the per-user location:

%Appdata%\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins

Your plug-in files are stored in a .bundle folder named after your application (e.g., YourAppName.bundle). This folder contains:

• Your plug-in files
• A PackageContents.xml file (created by the installer we build for you)

The PackageContents.xml controls installer behavior and points to your .addin manifest. It includes a ComponentEntry tag like:

<ComponentEntry ModuleName="./Contents/ADNPlugin-FileUpgrader.addin"

Revit reads the .bundle folder, parses PackageContents.xml, and looks for the ModuleName or the .addin file location.

Tip: Download free plug-ins from the Marketplace to see how installed apps are structured.

Special considerations

If your app has requirements the standard installer can't handle, let us know. We can accommodate:

• Single-user installs — installs only for the current user instead of all users
• Custom installation needs — provide a Windows Installer Merge Module (.msm) file and we'll merge it with the .msi we create for your app

Custom installs are useful for things like registry entries for licensing, dependent components from other vendors, or custom scripts.

Questions? Email appsubmissions@autodesk.com.

Use the contextual help (F1 Help) with a ribbon item

Revit API supports Contextual or F1 Help. Please refer to the RibbonItem.SetContextualHelp() method and the ContextualHelp class in the Revit API documentation. The Autodesk Plug-in of the Month sample apps posted to Autodesk Apps Store demonstrate how to implement F1 help.

We encourage you to use a help mechanism that is consistent with the Revit help, such as tooltips and contextual help placed on a ribbon item. The options supported for contextual help include linking to an external URL, launching a locally installed help file, or linking to a topic on the Autodesk help wiki.

Use the ribbon

Every plug-in or family library must add a panel to the Add-Ins tab. At minimum, this panel must include a button that either:

• Invokes the main command, or
• Opens a help file explaining how to use the library

If your plug-in has multiple commands, design your ribbon layout for usability — use large buttons for frequent commands and small buttons for secondary ones.

Placement guidance:

• Single panel — add it to the Add-Ins tab
• Multiple panels — create a dedicated tab named after your plug-in

End User License Agreement

The installer that the ADN team creates for your app includes a button that allows the user to view the standard End User License Agreement (EULA) during the app installation.

Note: This EULA is not modifiable. If you wish to include your own EULA to your app, you can do either:

• Reference your EULA from the standard HTM help file text.

• Display your EULA when the app runs for the first time, and require the user to accept it before the app will work.

This series of videos explains and demonstrates the process of publishing Revit apps to the Marketplace.

• Implementing copy protection in your apps
• Selling desktop app on monthly subscription
• Autodesk Entitlement API for desktop apps
• Instant payment notification (IPN) notification format

Questions? Email appsubmissions@autodesk.com for support.

For more resources, visit the API documentation and the Developer Community Blog.