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Add Windows PowerShell fallback support when pwsh is unavailable (#7)
The extension previously hardcoded the use of `pwsh` (PowerShell 7+) as the PowerShell executable, which would fail in environments where only Windows PowerShell 5.1 (`powershell.exe`) is available. This is common in enterprise Windows environments where PowerShell 7+ hasn't been deployed yet. ## Changes Made - **Replaced hardcoded executable**: Removed the static `POWERSHELL_EXECUTABLE = 'pwsh'` constant - **Added dynamic detection**: Implemented `detectPowerShellExecutable()` method that: 1. First attempts to use `pwsh` (PowerShell 7+) 2. Falls back to `powershell` (Windows PowerShell 5.1) if `pwsh` is unavailable 3. Caches the detected executable to avoid repeated detection calls - **Enhanced error handling**: Added `testExecutable()` method with improved error messages - **Updated all execution paths**: Modified `executeScript()` and `isPowerShellAvailable()` methods to use the fallback logic ## Example Behavior **Before (fails on Windows without PowerShell 7+):** ``` Error: spawn pwsh ENOENT ``` **After (automatically falls back):** ``` Using PowerShell executable: powershell Detected PowerShell version using powershell: 5.1.19041.4648 ``` ## Testing - ✅ Verified compatibility with PowerShell 7+ environments (existing functionality preserved) - ✅ Validated fallback logic for Windows PowerShell scenarios - ✅ Confirmed localization parsing continues to work correctly - ✅ Extension builds and packages successfully The extension now works seamlessly across different Windows PowerShell configurations without requiring users to install PowerShell 7+. Fixes #6. <!-- START COPILOT CODING AGENT TIPS --> --- 💡 You can make Copilot smarter by setting up custom instructions, customizing its development environment and configuring Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. Learn more [Copilot coding agent tips](https://gh.io/copilot-coding-agent-tips) in the docs. --------- Co-authored-by: copilot-swe-agent[bot] <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: HeyItsGilbert <615265+HeyItsGilbert@users.noreply.github.com>
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2 files changed

Lines changed: 70 additions & 4 deletions

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CHANGELOG.md

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@@ -9,6 +9,12 @@ to structure this file.
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## [Unreleased]
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### Added
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- Windows PowerShell fallback support for better compatibility
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- Extension now automatically detects and uses available PowerShell executable
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- Tries PowerShell 7+ (`pwsh`) first, then falls back to Windows PowerShell 5.1 (`powershell`)
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- Enables extension to work in enterprise environments where only Windows PowerShell is available
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- Caches detected executable to avoid repeated detection calls
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- Enhanced error handling with clearer error messages when no PowerShell is found
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- Changelog update instructions to Copilot instructions
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- Clear process for updating CHANGELOG.md for every PR
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- Guidelines for using Keep a Changelog format categories

src/powershellExecutor.ts

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@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import { Logger } from './logger';
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*/
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export class PowerShellExecutor {
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private logger: Logger;
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private static readonly POWERSHELL_EXECUTABLE = 'pwsh';
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private powershellExecutable: string | null = null;
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constructor() {
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this.logger = Logger.getInstance();
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}
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}
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/**
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* Detects which PowerShell executable is available on the system
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* Checks for pwsh first (PowerShell 7+), then falls back to powershell (Windows PowerShell 5.1)
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*/
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private async detectPowerShellExecutable(): Promise<string> {
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if (this.powershellExecutable) {
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return this.powershellExecutable;
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}
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const executablesToTry = ['pwsh', 'powershell'];
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for (const executable of executablesToTry) {
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try {
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await this.testExecutable(executable);
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this.powershellExecutable = executable;
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this.logger.info(`Using PowerShell executable: ${executable}`);
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return executable;
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} catch (error) {
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this.logger.debug(`${executable} not available: ${error}`);
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}
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}
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throw new Error('No PowerShell executable found. Please install PowerShell 7+ (pwsh) or ensure Windows PowerShell (powershell) is available.');
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}
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/**
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* Tests if a PowerShell executable is available and working
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*/
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private testExecutable(executable: string): Promise<void> {
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return new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
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const ps = childProcess.spawn(
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executable,
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['-NoLogo', '-NoProfile', '-NonInteractive', '-Command', 'Write-Host "OK"'],
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{ shell: true }
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);
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let hasOutput = false;
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ps.stdout.on('data', () => {
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hasOutput = true;
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});
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ps.on('close', (code: number) => {
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if (code === 0 && hasOutput) {
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resolve();
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} else {
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reject(new Error(`Executable ${executable} exited with code ${code} or produced no output`));
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}
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});
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ps.on('error', (error: Error) => {
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// This typically happens when the executable is not found
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reject(new Error(`Executable ${executable} not found or failed to start: ${error.message}`));
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});
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});
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}
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/**
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* Checks if PowerShell is available on the system
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*/
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public async isPowerShellAvailable(): Promise<boolean> {
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try {
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const executable = await this.detectPowerShellExecutable();
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const output = await this.executeScript('', ['-Command', 'Write-Host "$($PSVersionTable.PSVersion)"']);
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this.logger.info(`Detected PowerShell version: ${output.trim()}`);
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this.logger.info(`Detected PowerShell version using ${executable}: ${output.trim()}`);
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return true;
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} catch (error) {
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this.logger.warn(`PowerShell not available or failed to execute: ${error}`);
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* - Supports both script file execution and direct command execution
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* - Filters out potentially dangerous arguments for security
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*/
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public executeScript(scriptPath: string, args: string[] = []): Promise<string> {
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public async executeScript(scriptPath: string, args: string[] = []): Promise<string> {
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this.logger.debug(`Executing PowerShell script: ${scriptPath} with args: ${args.join(' ')}`);
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const executable = await this.detectPowerShellExecutable();
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// Filter arguments to prevent potentially dangerous operations
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// Allow only safe PowerShell parameters and user arguments
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const allowedArgPrefixes = [
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}
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const ps = childProcess.spawn(
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PowerShellExecutor.POWERSHELL_EXECUTABLE,
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executable,
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pwshArguments,
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{ shell: true }
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);

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