Function getPrompt

src/tools/PowerShellTool/prompt.ts:73–145

()

}

export async function getPrompt(): Promise<string> {
  const backgroundNote = getBackgroundUsageNote()
  const sleepGuidance = getSleepGuidance()
  const edition = await getPowerShellEdition()

  return `Executes a given PowerShell command with optional timeout. Working directory persists between commands; shell state (variables, functions) does not.

IMPORTANT: This tool is for terminal operations via PowerShell: git, npm, docker, and PS cmdlets. DO NOT use it for file operations (reading, writing, editing, searching, finding files) - use the specialized tools for this instead.

${getEditionSection(edition)}

Before executing the command, please follow these steps:

1. Directory Verification:
   - If the command will create new directories or files, first use \`Get-ChildItem\` (or \`ls\`) to verify the parent directory exists and is the correct location

2. Command Execution:
   - Always quote file paths that contain spaces with double quotes
   - Capture the output of the command.

PowerShell Syntax Notes:
   - Variables use $ prefix: $myVar = "value"
   - Escape character is backtick (\`), not backslash
   - Use Verb-Noun cmdlet naming: Get-ChildItem, Set-Location, New-Item, Remove-Item
   - Common aliases: ls (Get-ChildItem), cd (Set-Location), cat (Get-Content), rm (Remove-Item)
   - Pipe operator | works similarly to bash but passes objects, not text
   - Use Select-Object, Where-Object, ForEach-Object for filtering and transformation
   - String interpolation: "Hello $name" or "Hello $($obj.Property)"
   - Registry access uses PSDrive prefixes: \`HKLM:\\SOFTWARE\\...\`, \`HKCU:\\...\` — NOT raw \`HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\...\`
   - Environment variables: read with \`$env:NAME\`, set with \`$env:NAME = "value"\` (NOT \`Set-Variable\` or bash \`export\`)
   - Call native exe with spaces in path via call operator: \`& "C:\\Program Files\\App\\app.exe" arg1 arg2\`

Interactive and blocking commands (will hang — this tool runs with -NonInteractive):
   - NEVER use \`Read-Host\`, \`Get-Credential\`, \`Out-GridView\`, \`$Host.UI.PromptForChoice\`, or \`pause\`
   - Destructive cmdlets (\`Remove-Item\`, \`Stop-Process\`, \`Clear-Content\`, etc.) may prompt for confirmation. Add \`-Confirm:$false\` when you intend the action to proceed. Use \`-Force\` for read-only/hidden items.
   - Never use \`git rebase -i\`, \`git add -i\`, or other commands that open an interactive editor

Passing multiline strings (commit messages, file content) to native executables:
   - Use a single-quoted here-string so PowerShell does not expand \`$\` or backticks inside. The closing \`'@\` MUST be at column 0 (no leading whitespace) on its own line — indenting it is a parse error:
<example>
git commit -m @'
Commit message here.
Second line with $literal dollar signs.
'@
</example>
   - Use \`@'...'@\` (single-quoted, literal) not \`@"..."@\` (double-quoted, interpolated) unless you need variable expansion
   - For arguments containing \`-\`, \`@\`, or other characters PowerShell parses as operators, use the stop-parsing token: \`git log --% --format=%H\`

Usage notes:
  - The command argument is required.
  - You can specify an optional timeout in milliseconds (up to ${getMaxTimeoutMs()}ms / ${getMaxTimeoutMs() / 60000} minutes). If not specified, commands will timeout after ${getDefaultTimeoutMs()}ms (${getDefaultTimeoutMs() / 60000} minutes).
  - It is very helpful if you write a clear, concise description of what this command does.
  - If the output exceeds ${getMaxOutputLength()} characters, output will be truncated before being returned to you.
${backgroundNote ? backgroundNote + '\n' : ''}\
  - Avoid using PowerShell to run commands that have dedicated tools, unless explicitly instructed:
    - File search: Use ${GLOB_TOOL_NAME} (NOT Get-ChildItem -Recurse)
    - Content search: Use ${GREP_TOOL_NAME} (NOT Select-String)
    - Read files: Use ${FILE_READ_TOOL_NAME} (NOT Get-Content)