In theory the manifest could be external (app.exe -> app.exe.manifest; lib.dll -> lib.dll.manifest), but you already seem to be patching the binary so maybe embedding it directly as a resource wouldn't hurt. Ref: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/SbsCs/assemb... and https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/SbsCs/applic...