zeenie-ai WSL Skill (Windows Subsystem for Linux)
Use this skill when the host is Windows but you need Linux tools. WSL provides a full Linux environment alongside Windows.
Detect WSL
{"operation": "start", "name": "wsl-check", "command": "wsl --status"}
If this succeeds, WSL is available.
Running Linux Commands from Windows
Prefix any Linux command with wsl to run it inside the default WSL distro:
{"operation": "start", "name": "wsl-cmd", "command": "wsl bash -c 'uname -a && cat /etc/os-release'"}
Install Linux packages
{"operation": "start", "name": "wsl-apt", "command": "wsl sudo apt-get update && wsl sudo apt-get install -y curl jq"}
Run a Linux server
{"operation": "start", "name": "wsl-server", "command": "wsl python3 -m http.server 8080"}
Access Windows files from WSL
Windows drives are mounted at /mnt/:
{"operation": "start", "name": "wsl-ls", "command": "wsl ls -la /mnt/c/Users/"}
Access WSL files from Windows
{"operation": "start", "name": "wsl-path", "command": "wsl wslpath -w ~"}
WSL Management
| Task | Command |
|---|---|
| List distros | wsl --list --verbose |
| Default distro | wsl --set-default Ubuntu |
| Shutdown all | wsl --shutdown |
| Run in specific distro | wsl -d Ubuntu bash -c "command" |
| Check status | wsl --status |
Path Conversion
| Direction | Command |
|---|---|
| Windows -> WSL | wsl wslpath -u 'C:\Users\me\file.txt' |
| WSL -> Windows | wsl wslpath -w '/home/me/file.txt' |
Networking
WSL2 shares the Windows network stack. Services started in WSL are accessible on localhost from Windows:
- WSL server on port 8080 ->
http://localhost:8080from Windows browser
Guidelines
- Always prefix with
wslwhen running from a Windows process_manager - Use
wsl bash -c "..."for multi-command pipelines - Windows paths use
\, WSL paths use/-- usewslpathto convert - WSL has its own package manager (apt) separate from Windows
- For long-running servers in WSL, use
process_manager start(handles lifecycle)