besync-labs Shell Conventions — Windows PowerShell 5.x
Environment: Windows PowerShell 5.x (NOT PowerShell 7/Core) Scope: All
run_commandtool calls across all workspaces
🔴 CRITICAL RULES
- NEVER use
&&— It is NOT a valid operator in PowerShell 5.x - NEVER use
cd dir && command— Use theCwdparameter onrun_commandinstead - NEVER use
||as bash-style OR — Useif (-not $?) { ... }instead
Operator Reference
| Operator | Bash | PowerShell 5.x | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
&& |
Sequential (conditional) | ❌ NOT SUPPORTED | Use ; or Cwd param |
; |
Sequential (unconditional) | ✅ Sequential execution | Runs next regardless of exit code |
| |
Pipe stdout | ✅ Pipe objects | Different semantics than bash |
|| |
OR (run on failure) | ❌ NOT SUPPORTED | Use if (-not $?) { ... } |
> |
Redirect stdout | ✅ Redirect output | Same behavior |
2>&1 |
Redirect stderr to stdout | ✅ Merge streams | Same behavior |
Patterns
❌ WRONG: Chaining with &&
cd src && npm test && npm run build
✅ RIGHT: Use Cwd parameter
# Set Cwd to "src" on run_command, then just run:
npm test
✅ RIGHT: Sequential with ;
git status; git log --oneline -5
✅ RIGHT: Call operator for executables with spaces/special chars
& ".venv\Scripts\ruff.exe" check app/
& ".venv\Scripts\pytest.exe" tests/ -v
Common Patterns
| Task | PowerShell Command |
|---|---|
| Run Node.js tests | npm test |
| Run Python tests | & ".venv\Scripts\pytest.exe" tests/ -q |
| Run linter | npm run lint |
| Check git status | git status |
| Build project | npm run build |
| Install deps | npm install |
| List files | Get-ChildItem -Recurse |
| Find in files | Select-String -Pattern "text" -Path "*.md" |
Virtual Environment (Python)
# Activate (PowerShell)
& ".venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1"
# Run without activation (preferred for tool calls)
& ".venv\Scripts\python.exe" -m pytest tests/ -q
& ".venv\Scripts\python.exe" -m ruff check app/
[!TIP] For
run_commandtool calls, prefer calling the executable directly with&rather than activating the virtual environment.