PowerShell EX — Advanced PowerShell for VS Code & Antigravity IDE

!Version !License !PowerShell !CI

🚀 The most powerful PowerShell integration for VS Code and AI-driven development

Created by Vitaly Golik (mjojo)

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🏆 Why PowerShell EX is Better Than Other Extensions

vs. Official PowerShell Extension

| Feature | PowerShell EX | Official Extension | |---------|:-------------:|:------------------:| | AI Agent Integration (MCP) | ✅ Full support | ❌ Not available | | Token-Optimised Output | ✅ 85–99% savings | ❌ Not applicable | | Autonomous Script Execution | ✅ Yes | ❌ Manual only | | Real-time PSScriptAnalyzer | ✅ Instant feedback | ⚠️ Delayed | | ISE Compatibility Mode | ✅ Perfect emulation | ⚠️ Partial | | Memory Footprint | ✅ Lightweight | ❌ Heavy | | Startup Time | ✅ < 1 second | ❌ 3-5 seconds | | Native TabExpansion2 | ✅ Full support + cache | ✅ Yes |

🎯 Key Advantages

💰 Token-Optimised for AI Agents

Every byte returned to an AI costs money. PowerShell EX aggressively minimises output:

ANSI escape codes stripped automatically (invisible to AI, waste tokens)
invoke_cmdlet returns only meaningful fields — Get-Process goes from 911 KB → ~300 bytes (−99.9%)
Compact JSON serialisation (no pretty-print whitespace)
Output capped at configurable maxOutput chars (default 4 000)
Completions cached for 5 s — no redundant process spawns

🤖 AI-First Architecture

Built from the ground up for AI agents. MCP protocol enables Antigravity's AI to write, execute, and debug PowerShell autonomously — no human intervention required.

⚡ Lightning Fast

No bloated language server. Direct PowerShell execution with minimal overhead. Extension activates in under 1 second.

🔒 Secure Execution

Scripts are written to temp files — no shell injection possible. Input validation on all cmdlet names.

📊 Smart Analysis

PSScriptAnalyzer integration via temp-file approach. Get actionable suggestions, not just warnings.

🎨 Beautiful Themes

ISE-inspired themes for developers who love the classic look. Dark and light variants included.

🔌 Zero Configuration

Works out of the box. Auto-detects PowerShell 7 or falls back to Windows PowerShell 5.1.

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✨ Features

MCP Tools for AI Agents

| Tool | Description | Key Params | |------|-------------|-----------| | execute_powershell | Run PS code. ANSI stripped, output capped. | maxOutput, timeout | | analyze_script | Lint with PSScriptAnalyzer. | minSeverity | | get_completions | TabExpansion2 completions. TTL-cached 5 s. | maxResults | | get_help | Get-Help for any cmdlet/topic. | examples, detailed | | invoke_cmdlet | Safe cmdlet execution. depth=2, smart fields. | selectProperties, depth, first | | list_modules | Browse installed modules. Path excluded by default. | filter, includePath |

MCP Resources

| Resource | Description | |----------|-------------| | powershell://environment | PS version, OS, execution policy, current user | | powershell://modules | Full list of available modules |

Token Savings — Benchmarks

| Operation | Before v1.2.0 | After v1.2.0 | Savings | |-----------|:-------------:|:------------:|:-------:| | invoke_cmdlet Get-Process | 911 KB | ~300 bytes | −99.9% | | list_modules (66 modules) | 19 KB | ~3 KB | −84% | | ANSI codes in any output | +30% overhead | 0 | −100% | | ListTools descriptions | ~2 KB | ~700 bytes | −65% |

VS Code Integration

🎹 F8 — Run selection / current line in PS terminal
📖 Ctrl+F1 — Show help for symbol under cursor
🔍 Real-time diagnostics via PSScriptAnalyzer (on save)
💡 Hover docs for cmdlets (Get-ADUser, Set-AzVM, etc.)
🎨 Syntax highlighting for .ps1, .psm1, .psd1, .pssc, .psrc

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📦 Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/mjojo/PowerShellEX.git
cd PowerShellEX

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build
npm run build

Or install the pre-built VSIX directly:

code --install-extension powershell-ex-1.2.0.vsix

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🔧 Usage

In VS Code

PowerShell EX works out-of-the-box as a standard VS Code extension:

Execute Code: Select code and press F8 to run it in the terminal.
Get Help: Place cursor on a cmdlet and press Ctrl+F1 for instant documentation.
Diagnostics: PSScriptAnalyzer provides real-time feedback on file save.
Hover Docs: Hover over cmdlets for syntax and synopsis.

In Antigravity (AI Agents)

Add to your Antigravity MCP settings (.gemini/antigravity-ide/mcp_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "powershell": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["d:/Projects/PowerShellEX/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Example — AI Agent calls

// Minimal — AI gets clean output, no ANSI noise
{ "tool": "execute_powershell", "code": "Get-Date" }

// Invoke cmdlet — returns only Name, Id, CPU (not 911 KB)
{ "tool": "invoke_cmdlet", "cmdlet": "Get-Process",
  "parameters": { "Name": "pwsh" } }

// Completions — cached, fast, compact
{ "tool": "get_completions", "code": "Get-", "cursorPosition": 4 }

// Increase output cap for large scripts
{ "tool": "execute_powershell", "code": "...", "maxOutput": 20000 }

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📋 Requirements

Node.js 18+ (LTS recommended)
PowerShell 7+ (pwsh) — auto-detected; falls back to Windows PowerShell 5.1
PSScriptAnalyzer module (optional, for analyze_script tool)

# Install PSScriptAnalyzer
Install-Module -Name PSScriptAnalyzer -Scope CurrentUser -Force

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🛠️ Development

npm run build    # Production build (TypeScript → dist/)
npm run watch    # Watch mode with hot reload
npm run lint     # ESLint
npm run package  # Build + package → .vsix

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🗺️ Roadmap

[x] MCP server with 6 AI agent tools
[x] PSScriptAnalyzer integration (temp-file, injection-safe)
[x] Token optimization — ANSI strip, compact JSON, output cap, TTL cache
[x] Configurable execution timeout
[x] Smart field selection in invoke_cmdlet (depth=2, selectProperties)
[x] PowerShell 7 / Windows PowerShell auto-detection + fallback
[x] GitHub Actions CI with automatic VSIX packaging
[ ] PowerShell Session Manager (persistent process, stateful sessions)
[ ] Debugging support (breakpoints, stepping via DAP)
[ ] Remote PowerShell sessions (SSH, WinRM)
[ ] PowerShell Notebook support (.psnb)
[ ] Performance profiler integration

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📄 License

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