Shell integration breaks paths inside npm commands on Windows

[connor4312]

1. Have a package.json like this:

{
    "scripts": {
        "foo": "npm run bar",
        "bar": "tsc"
    },
    "devDependencies": {
        "typescript": "^4.9.4"
    }
}

2. Enable shell integration
3. Run npm run foo. Get an error like "'tsc' is not recognized as an internal or external command"
4. Disable shell integration
5. Run npm run foo and it works

[meganrogge]

hmm, this works for me

[connor4312]

Ah, I think this is related to Python, it's injecting a PATH to override the default one in the terminal.

Disabling Python resolves the issue. Maybe shell integration re-applies that PATH in nested commands and doesn't re-read the changes npm made to add its local binaries?

[Tyriar]

Python does indeed set $PATH, not prepend/append to it. cc @karrtikr

[connor4312]

Having looked closer at the screenshot, it seems like that syntax the terminal shows has it prepending the path (though it duplicates everything I already had in my path which is not really necessary.)

Interestingly when I manually call an env.exe in the npm script, it shows a PATH that looks just like the PATH outside of the script with the addition of the expected .bin folder. But actually calling any command without specifying an absolute path now fails: npm isn't found, and running echo %path% just says "ECHO is on.". Echoing the environment is something that also works if I turn shell integration off.

[karrtikr]

Python does indeed set $PATH, not prepend/append to it. cc @karrtikr

@Tyriar If you look closely, Python is still prepending to PATH, it just prepends a whole lot.

(though it duplicates everything I already had in my path which is not really necessary.)

Right, unfortunately we have to prepend PATH twice (once at process creation and once at shell integration level) because Python extension cannot reliably predict when shell integration works: microsoft/vscode-python#22905.

[karrtikr]

My guess is something in shell integration script is adding to PATH incorrectly.

@connor4312 Can you try some other way of printing PATH in cmd instead of echo? For eg. try running,

python -c"import os;print(os.environ['PATH'])"

[connor4312]

Yes, the PATH actually looks correct (#206285 (comment)). Because there's also a difference in how echo works I suspect shell integration is doing something, as changes to the PATH would not account for that.

[karrtikr]

Actually now that I think about it, Command prompt does not even have shell integration script support, does it? @Tyriar So I wouldn't expect shell integration setting to have any effect.

@connor4312 I assume Command prompt is set as default profile based on "echo %path%" command you mentioned above.

[connor4312]

no, I'm using powershell, but it seems like npm run uses cmd.exe to run its scripts.

[karrtikr]

I see gotcha. Feel free to reassign if Python extension can do anything from our end to solve this.

[connor4312]

This is still pretty painful, I have to turn off shell integration constantly 😕

In the copilot repo for example:

[connor4312]

fyi, something changed and I no longer get this issue 🤷