PowerShell Core Builder Skill

This skill contains the workflows for building PowerShell on Windows targeting .NET Core.

When to use

Use this skill when:

• You are working in the recursively cloned PowerShell/PowerShell repository.
• You need to clean, bootstrap, build, or test the PowerShell source code.
• You encounter build errors related to the PowerShell project.

Environment Setup

These instructions target Windows 10/Server 2012 R2+ and require:

• Visual Studio 2019+ (Community edition works)
• PowerShell Core 6 Beta.9+ (if using VS Code)
• Git (configured correctly)

Build Workflows

1. Bootstrapping (Dependencies)

We use the .NET CLI. The Start-PSBootstrap function installs the correct version defined in global.json.

Import-Module ./build.psm1
Start-PSBootstrap -Scenario Dotnet
# Or call directly:
# Install-Dotnet

2. Building the Module

Use the Start-PSBuild helper function.

Standard Build:

Import-Module ./build.psm1
Start-PSBuild -Clean -PSModuleRestore -UseNuGetOrg

Note: -UseNuGetOrg is crucial if you don't have access to the private Azure Artifacts feed.

Build Output: The executable will be located at: ./src/powershell-win-core/bin/Debug/net6.0/win7-x64/publish/pwsh.exe

3. Testing

Run cross-platform Pester tests.

Import-Module ./build.psm1
Start-PSPester -UseNuGetOrg

Debugging

• You can execute the development copy via: & (Get-PSOutput)
• Validated on Windows 10 and Windows Server 2012 R2.