Write a manifest.json that browsers accept

PWA install prompts, taskbar icons, splash colors — all driven by one JSON file that fails silently when a field is malformed.

Tools used in this guide

manifest.json generator

The job

A web app manifest tells the browser your app's name, icons, colors, and display mode — the pieces behind 'Add to Home Screen'. Its errors are silent: a bad icon size or color hex just drops that member.

Fill the fields

Name and short_name, start_url (a path like / or a full https URL), display mode (standalone is the app-like default), theme/background colors as #rrggbb, and icons by path and size — 192 and 512 px are the pair every platform asks for.

Worked example

name 'Kitchen Timer', short_name 'Timer', start_url '/', display standalone, one icon at /icon-192.png 192x192 image/png — the generated manifest.json downloads ready to drop next to your index.html and <link rel="manifest">.

Where it stops

The tool writes valid JSON for standard members only — icons, shortcuts, screenshots exist but their files must exist too; a manifest pointing at a missing PNG installs with no icon. Validation is structural, not a Lighthouse audit.