Fix Windows PATH hydration and repair

[Badbird5907]

• hydrate desktop and server PATH handling for Windows CLI tools
• probe shells without profiles first, then fall back to profile-loaded env when node is missing
• share command availability and PATH repair utilities across desktop and server

What Changed

• Added a Windows startup fallback that loads the user’s PowerShell profile only when the initial no-profile environment still cannot find node
• Made Windows environment repair update the full set of relevant environment variables, not just PATH
• This only affects the packaged Windows .exe startup path and does not affect running the CLI from an existing shell, such as npx t3

Why

This adds support for windows setups using environment managers like fnm that initialize node through the user's powershell profile instead of PATH.
I was also able to confirm this still works on systems with a stock node setup.

Before:

After:

UI Changes

Checklist

• This PR is small and focused
• I explained what changed and why
• I included before/after screenshots for any UI changes
• I included a video for animation/interaction changes

---

Note

Medium Risk
Changes Windows environment hydration and terminal shell selection, which can affect process spawning and tool discovery at runtime (especially in packaged apps). Risk is moderate due to cross-platform branching and reliance on PowerShell probing, but changes are well-covered by new tests.

Overview
Improves Windows startup environment repair by adding shared utilities in @t3tools/shared/shell to probe PowerShell for env vars, merge/dedupe PATH (including known CLI install dirs), and only load the user profile when node still isn’t resolvable (also capturing FNM_* vars).

Wires the Windows repair path into app entrypoints: apps/desktopsyncShellEnvironment and apps/serverfixPath now apply the full env patch on win32 and return early; unsupported platforms remain no-ops.

Adjusts Windows terminal spawning behavior: terminal manager now prefers pwsh.exe (with -NoLogo) and falls back through absolute Windows PowerShell and cmd.exe, with tests updated/added; PTY adapter now wraps spawn failures as structured PtySpawnError.

Centralizes command availability + build tweaks: isCommandAvailable is moved to shared shell utils and re-exported from server/open, and the desktop artifact build on Windows disables npmRebuild, disables signing/editing when unsigned, and uses bun install --omit optional plus a fallback-installed electron-builder invocation.

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 0bafdb6. Bugbot is set up for automated code reviews on this repo. Configure here.}

Note

Fix Windows PATH hydration and shell environment repair for desktop and server

• Adds resolveWindowsEnvironment in packages/shared/src/shell.ts to build a Windows env patch by reading PATH from PowerShell (no-profile), merging with inherited PATH and known CLI dirs, then optionally re-reading with the user profile if node is missing (to pick up FNM vars).
• Wires Windows PATH repair into both fixPath (apps/server/src/os-jank.ts) and syncShellEnvironment (apps/desktop/src/syncShellEnvironment.ts); previously both functions ignored win32.
• Refactors terminal shell resolution in apps/server/src/terminal/Layers/Manager.ts to prefer pwsh.exe over ComSpec on Windows, with a fallback chain through absolute WindowsPowerShell, powershell.exe, and cmd.exe.
• Moves isCommandAvailable to @t3tools/shared/shell and removes the duplicate implementation from apps/server/src/open.ts.
• PTY spawn errors in apps/server/src/terminal/Layers/NodePTY.ts now produce a structured PtySpawnError instead of an unhandled throw.

^{Macroscope summarized 0bafdb6.}

[coderabbitai]

Important

Review skipped

Auto reviews are disabled on this repository. Please check the settings in the CodeRabbit UI or the .coderabbit.yaml file in this repository. To trigger a single review, invoke the @coderabbitai review command.

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Repository UI

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: e332b4c3-d8f7-4ca5-a485-df3617a1073b

You can disable this status message by setting the reviews.review_status to false in the CodeRabbit configuration file.

Use the checkbox below for a quick retry:

• 🔍 Trigger review

✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests

---

Thanks for using CodeRabbit! It's free for OSS, and your support helps us grow. If you like it, consider giving us a shout-out.

❤️ Share

• X
• Mastodon
• Reddit
• LinkedIn

_{Comment @coderabbitai help to get the list of available commands and usage tips.}

[chatgpt-codex-connector]

💡 Codex Review

Here are some automated review suggestions for this pull request.

Reviewed commit:32efe2a5dd

ℹ️ About Codex in GitHub

Your team has set up Codex to review pull requests in this repo. Reviews are triggered when you

• Open a pull request for review
• Mark a draft as ready
• Comment "@codex review".

If Codex has suggestions, it will comment; otherwise it will react with 👍.

Codex can also answer questions or update the PR. Try commenting "@codex address that feedback".

[macroscopeapp]

Approvability

Verdict: Needs human review

This PR introduces new Windows platform functionality including PATH hydration from PowerShell, shell preference changes (pwsh.exe over cmd.exe), and profile loading for fnm support. These are significant runtime behavior changes on Windows that warrant human review despite comprehensive test coverage.

^{You can customize Macroscope's approvability policy. Learn more.}

[juliusmarminge]

Thank you! Will test on my windows laptop in a bit 👀

[Badbird5907]

Thank you! Will test on my windows laptop in a bit 👀

Thanks! I forgot to mention that this issue only happens in the .exe distribution, npx t3 isn't affected as it inherits the PATH from the existing shell

[cursor]

Cursor Bugbot has reviewed your changes and found 1 potential issue.

^{❌ Bugbot Autofix is OFF. To automatically fix reported issues with cloud agents, enable autofix in the Cursor dashboard.}

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 42c7cd5. Configure here.}

[cursor]

New mergePathValues nearly duplicates existing mergePathEntries

Low Severity

The new mergePathValues function has nearly identical structure to the existing mergePathEntries — both split by a platform delimiter, deduplicate, and rejoin. The only meaningful difference is the comparison strategy: mergePathEntries compares trimmed entries directly, while mergePathValues normalizes via normalizePathEntryForComparison (case-insensitive on win32, quote-stripping). These could be consolidated into a single function parameterized by comparison strategy, reducing duplication and the risk of inconsistent future fixes.

Additional Locations (1)

• packages/shared/src/shell.ts#L95-L118

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 42c7cd5. Configure here.}

[Badbird5907]

• hydrate desktop and server PATH handling for Windows CLI tools
• probe shells without profiles first, then fall back to profile-loaded env when node is missing
• share command availability and PATH repair utilities across desktop and server

What Changed

• Added a Windows startup fallback that loads the user’s PowerShell profile only when the initial no-profile environment still cannot find node
• Made Windows environment repair update the full set of relevant environment variables, not just PATH
• This only affects the packaged Windows .exe startup path and does not affect running the CLI from an existing shell, such as npx t3

Why

This adds support for windows setups using environment managers like fnm that initialize node through the user's powershell profile instead of PATH.
I was also able to confirm this still works on systems with a stock node setup.

Before:

After:

UI Changes

Checklist

• This PR is small and focused
• I explained what changed and why
• I included before/after screenshots for any UI changes
• I included a video for animation/interaction changes

---

Note

Medium Risk
Changes Windows environment hydration and terminal shell selection, which can affect process spawning and tool discovery at runtime (especially in packaged apps). Risk is moderate due to cross-platform branching and reliance on PowerShell probing, but changes are well-covered by new tests.

Overview
Improves Windows startup environment repair by adding shared utilities in @t3tools/shared/shell to probe PowerShell for env vars, merge/dedupe PATH (including known CLI install dirs), and only load the user profile when node still isn’t resolvable (also capturing FNM_* vars).

Wires the Windows repair path into app entrypoints: apps/desktopsyncShellEnvironment and apps/serverfixPath now apply the full env patch on win32 and return early; unsupported platforms remain no-ops.

Adjusts Windows terminal spawning behavior: terminal manager now prefers pwsh.exe (with -NoLogo) and falls back through absolute Windows PowerShell and cmd.exe, with tests updated/added; PTY adapter now wraps spawn failures as structured PtySpawnError.

Centralizes command availability + build tweaks: isCommandAvailable is moved to shared shell utils and re-exported from server/open, and the desktop artifact build on Windows disables npmRebuild, disables signing/editing when unsigned, and uses bun install --omit optional plus a fallback-installed electron-builder invocation.

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 0bafdb6. Bugbot is set up for automated code reviews on this repo. Configure here.}

Note

Fix Windows PATH hydration and shell environment repair for desktop and server

• Adds resolveWindowsEnvironment in packages/shared/src/shell.ts to build a Windows env patch by reading PATH from PowerShell (no-profile), merging with inherited PATH and known CLI dirs, then optionally re-reading with the user profile if node is missing (to pick up FNM vars).
• Wires Windows PATH repair into both fixPath (apps/server/src/os-jank.ts) and syncShellEnvironment (apps/desktop/src/syncShellEnvironment.ts); previously both functions ignored win32.
• Refactors terminal shell resolution in apps/server/src/terminal/Layers/Manager.ts to prefer pwsh.exe over ComSpec on Windows, with a fallback chain through absolute WindowsPowerShell, powershell.exe, and cmd.exe.
• Moves isCommandAvailable to @t3tools/shared/shell and removes the duplicate implementation from apps/server/src/open.ts.
• PTY spawn errors in apps/server/src/terminal/Layers/NodePTY.ts now produce a structured PtySpawnError instead of an unhandled throw.

^{Macroscope summarized 0bafdb6.}

[coderabbitai]

Important

Review skipped

Auto reviews are disabled on this repository. Please check the settings in the CodeRabbit UI or the .coderabbit.yaml file in this repository. To trigger a single review, invoke the @coderabbitai review command.

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Repository UI

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: e332b4c3-d8f7-4ca5-a485-df3617a1073b

You can disable this status message by setting the reviews.review_status to false in the CodeRabbit configuration file.

Use the checkbox below for a quick retry:

• 🔍 Trigger review

✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests

---

Thanks for using CodeRabbit! It's free for OSS, and your support helps us grow. If you like it, consider giving us a shout-out.

❤️ Share

• X
• Mastodon
• Reddit
• LinkedIn

_{Comment @coderabbitai help to get the list of available commands and usage tips.}

[chatgpt-codex-connector]

💡 Codex Review

Here are some automated review suggestions for this pull request.

Reviewed commit:32efe2a5dd

ℹ️ About Codex in GitHub

Your team has set up Codex to review pull requests in this repo. Reviews are triggered when you

• Open a pull request for review
• Mark a draft as ready
• Comment "@codex review".

If Codex has suggestions, it will comment; otherwise it will react with 👍.

Codex can also answer questions or update the PR. Try commenting "@codex address that feedback".

[macroscopeapp]

Approvability

Verdict: Needs human review

This PR introduces new Windows platform functionality including PATH hydration from PowerShell, shell preference changes (pwsh.exe over cmd.exe), and profile loading for fnm support. These are significant runtime behavior changes on Windows that warrant human review despite comprehensive test coverage.

^{You can customize Macroscope's approvability policy. Learn more.}

[juliusmarminge]

Thank you! Will test on my windows laptop in a bit 👀

[Badbird5907]

Thank you! Will test on my windows laptop in a bit 👀

Thanks! I forgot to mention that this issue only happens in the .exe distribution, npx t3 isn't affected as it inherits the PATH from the existing shell

[cursor]

Cursor Bugbot has reviewed your changes and found 1 potential issue.

^{❌ Bugbot Autofix is OFF. To automatically fix reported issues with cloud agents, enable autofix in the Cursor dashboard.}

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 42c7cd5. Configure here.}

[cursor]

New mergePathValues nearly duplicates existing mergePathEntries

Low Severity

The new mergePathValues function has nearly identical structure to the existing mergePathEntries — both split by a platform delimiter, deduplicate, and rejoin. The only meaningful difference is the comparison strategy: mergePathEntries compares trimmed entries directly, while mergePathValues normalizes via normalizePathEntryForComparison (case-insensitive on win32, quote-stripping). These could be consolidated into a single function parameterized by comparison strategy, reducing duplication and the risk of inconsistent future fixes.

Additional Locations (1)

• packages/shared/src/shell.ts#L95-L118

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 42c7cd5. Configure here.}

[Badbird5907]

• hydrate desktop and server PATH handling for Windows CLI tools
• probe shells without profiles first, then fall back to profile-loaded env when node is missing
• share command availability and PATH repair utilities across desktop and server

What Changed

• Added a Windows startup fallback that loads the user’s PowerShell profile only when the initial no-profile environment still cannot find node
• Made Windows environment repair update the full set of relevant environment variables, not just PATH
• This only affects the packaged Windows .exe startup path and does not affect running the CLI from an existing shell, such as npx t3

Why

This adds support for windows setups using environment managers like fnm that initialize node through the user's powershell profile instead of PATH.
I was also able to confirm this still works on systems with a stock node setup.

Before:

After:

UI Changes

Checklist

• This PR is small and focused
• I explained what changed and why
• I included before/after screenshots for any UI changes
• I included a video for animation/interaction changes

---

Note

Medium Risk
Changes Windows environment hydration and terminal shell selection, which can affect process spawning and tool discovery at runtime (especially in packaged apps). Risk is moderate due to cross-platform branching and reliance on PowerShell probing, but changes are well-covered by new tests.

Overview
Improves Windows startup environment repair by adding shared utilities in @t3tools/shared/shell to probe PowerShell for env vars, merge/dedupe PATH (including known CLI install dirs), and only load the user profile when node still isn’t resolvable (also capturing FNM_* vars).

Wires the Windows repair path into app entrypoints: apps/desktopsyncShellEnvironment and apps/serverfixPath now apply the full env patch on win32 and return early; unsupported platforms remain no-ops.

Adjusts Windows terminal spawning behavior: terminal manager now prefers pwsh.exe (with -NoLogo) and falls back through absolute Windows PowerShell and cmd.exe, with tests updated/added; PTY adapter now wraps spawn failures as structured PtySpawnError.

Centralizes command availability + build tweaks: isCommandAvailable is moved to shared shell utils and re-exported from server/open, and the desktop artifact build on Windows disables npmRebuild, disables signing/editing when unsigned, and uses bun install --omit optional plus a fallback-installed electron-builder invocation.

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 0bafdb6. Bugbot is set up for automated code reviews on this repo. Configure here.}

Note

Fix Windows PATH hydration and shell environment repair for desktop and server

• Adds resolveWindowsEnvironment in packages/shared/src/shell.ts to build a Windows env patch by reading PATH from PowerShell (no-profile), merging with inherited PATH and known CLI dirs, then optionally re-reading with the user profile if node is missing (to pick up FNM vars).
• Wires Windows PATH repair into both fixPath (apps/server/src/os-jank.ts) and syncShellEnvironment (apps/desktop/src/syncShellEnvironment.ts); previously both functions ignored win32.
• Refactors terminal shell resolution in apps/server/src/terminal/Layers/Manager.ts to prefer pwsh.exe over ComSpec on Windows, with a fallback chain through absolute WindowsPowerShell, powershell.exe, and cmd.exe.
• Moves isCommandAvailable to @t3tools/shared/shell and removes the duplicate implementation from apps/server/src/open.ts.
• PTY spawn errors in apps/server/src/terminal/Layers/NodePTY.ts now produce a structured PtySpawnError instead of an unhandled throw.

^{Macroscope summarized 0bafdb6.}

[coderabbitai]

Important

Review skipped

Auto reviews are disabled on this repository. Please check the settings in the CodeRabbit UI or the .coderabbit.yaml file in this repository. To trigger a single review, invoke the @coderabbitai review command.

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Repository UI

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: e332b4c3-d8f7-4ca5-a485-df3617a1073b

You can disable this status message by setting the reviews.review_status to false in the CodeRabbit configuration file.

Use the checkbox below for a quick retry:

• 🔍 Trigger review

✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests

---

Thanks for using CodeRabbit! It's free for OSS, and your support helps us grow. If you like it, consider giving us a shout-out.

❤️ Share

• X
• Mastodon
• Reddit
• LinkedIn

_{Comment @coderabbitai help to get the list of available commands and usage tips.}

[chatgpt-codex-connector]

💡 Codex Review

Here are some automated review suggestions for this pull request.

Reviewed commit:32efe2a5dd

ℹ️ About Codex in GitHub

Your team has set up Codex to review pull requests in this repo. Reviews are triggered when you

• Open a pull request for review
• Mark a draft as ready
• Comment "@codex review".

If Codex has suggestions, it will comment; otherwise it will react with 👍.

Codex can also answer questions or update the PR. Try commenting "@codex address that feedback".

[macroscopeapp]

Approvability

Verdict: Needs human review

This PR introduces new Windows platform functionality including PATH hydration from PowerShell, shell preference changes (pwsh.exe over cmd.exe), and profile loading for fnm support. These are significant runtime behavior changes on Windows that warrant human review despite comprehensive test coverage.

^{You can customize Macroscope's approvability policy. Learn more.}

[juliusmarminge]

Thank you! Will test on my windows laptop in a bit 👀

[Badbird5907]

Thank you! Will test on my windows laptop in a bit 👀

Thanks! I forgot to mention that this issue only happens in the .exe distribution, npx t3 isn't affected as it inherits the PATH from the existing shell

[cursor]

Cursor Bugbot has reviewed your changes and found 1 potential issue.

^{❌ Bugbot Autofix is OFF. To automatically fix reported issues with cloud agents, enable autofix in the Cursor dashboard.}

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 42c7cd5. Configure here.}

[cursor]

New mergePathValues nearly duplicates existing mergePathEntries

Low Severity

The new mergePathValues function has nearly identical structure to the existing mergePathEntries — both split by a platform delimiter, deduplicate, and rejoin. The only meaningful difference is the comparison strategy: mergePathEntries compares trimmed entries directly, while mergePathValues normalizes via normalizePathEntryForComparison (case-insensitive on win32, quote-stripping). These could be consolidated into a single function parameterized by comparison strategy, reducing duplication and the risk of inconsistent future fixes.

Additional Locations (1)

• packages/shared/src/shell.ts#L95-L118

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 42c7cd5. Configure here.}

[Badbird5907]

• hydrate desktop and server PATH handling for Windows CLI tools
• probe shells without profiles first, then fall back to profile-loaded env when node is missing
• share command availability and PATH repair utilities across desktop and server

What Changed

• Added a Windows startup fallback that loads the user’s PowerShell profile only when the initial no-profile environment still cannot find node
• Made Windows environment repair update the full set of relevant environment variables, not just PATH
• This only affects the packaged Windows .exe startup path and does not affect running the CLI from an existing shell, such as npx t3

Why

This adds support for windows setups using environment managers like fnm that initialize node through the user's powershell profile instead of PATH.
I was also able to confirm this still works on systems with a stock node setup.

Before:

After:

UI Changes

Checklist

• This PR is small and focused
• I explained what changed and why
• I included before/after screenshots for any UI changes
• I included a video for animation/interaction changes

---

Note

Medium Risk
Changes Windows environment hydration and terminal shell selection, which can affect process spawning and tool discovery at runtime (especially in packaged apps). Risk is moderate due to cross-platform branching and reliance on PowerShell probing, but changes are well-covered by new tests.

Overview
Improves Windows startup environment repair by adding shared utilities in @t3tools/shared/shell to probe PowerShell for env vars, merge/dedupe PATH (including known CLI install dirs), and only load the user profile when node still isn’t resolvable (also capturing FNM_* vars).

Wires the Windows repair path into app entrypoints: apps/desktopsyncShellEnvironment and apps/serverfixPath now apply the full env patch on win32 and return early; unsupported platforms remain no-ops.

Adjusts Windows terminal spawning behavior: terminal manager now prefers pwsh.exe (with -NoLogo) and falls back through absolute Windows PowerShell and cmd.exe, with tests updated/added; PTY adapter now wraps spawn failures as structured PtySpawnError.

Centralizes command availability + build tweaks: isCommandAvailable is moved to shared shell utils and re-exported from server/open, and the desktop artifact build on Windows disables npmRebuild, disables signing/editing when unsigned, and uses bun install --omit optional plus a fallback-installed electron-builder invocation.

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 0bafdb6. Bugbot is set up for automated code reviews on this repo. Configure here.}

Note

Fix Windows PATH hydration and shell environment repair for desktop and server

• Adds resolveWindowsEnvironment in packages/shared/src/shell.ts to build a Windows env patch by reading PATH from PowerShell (no-profile), merging with inherited PATH and known CLI dirs, then optionally re-reading with the user profile if node is missing (to pick up FNM vars).
• Wires Windows PATH repair into both fixPath (apps/server/src/os-jank.ts) and syncShellEnvironment (apps/desktop/src/syncShellEnvironment.ts); previously both functions ignored win32.
• Refactors terminal shell resolution in apps/server/src/terminal/Layers/Manager.ts to prefer pwsh.exe over ComSpec on Windows, with a fallback chain through absolute WindowsPowerShell, powershell.exe, and cmd.exe.
• Moves isCommandAvailable to @t3tools/shared/shell and removes the duplicate implementation from apps/server/src/open.ts.
• PTY spawn errors in apps/server/src/terminal/Layers/NodePTY.ts now produce a structured PtySpawnError instead of an unhandled throw.

^{Macroscope summarized 0bafdb6.}

[coderabbitai]

Important

Review skipped

Auto reviews are disabled on this repository. Please check the settings in the CodeRabbit UI or the .coderabbit.yaml file in this repository. To trigger a single review, invoke the @coderabbitai review command.

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Repository UI

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: e332b4c3-d8f7-4ca5-a485-df3617a1073b

You can disable this status message by setting the reviews.review_status to false in the CodeRabbit configuration file.

Use the checkbox below for a quick retry:

• 🔍 Trigger review

✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests

---

Thanks for using CodeRabbit! It's free for OSS, and your support helps us grow. If you like it, consider giving us a shout-out.

❤️ Share

• X
• Mastodon
• Reddit
• LinkedIn

_{Comment @coderabbitai help to get the list of available commands and usage tips.}

[chatgpt-codex-connector]

💡 Codex Review

Here are some automated review suggestions for this pull request.

Reviewed commit:32efe2a5dd

ℹ️ About Codex in GitHub

Your team has set up Codex to review pull requests in this repo. Reviews are triggered when you

• Open a pull request for review
• Mark a draft as ready
• Comment "@codex review".

If Codex has suggestions, it will comment; otherwise it will react with 👍.

Codex can also answer questions or update the PR. Try commenting "@codex address that feedback".

[macroscopeapp]

Approvability

Verdict: Needs human review

This PR introduces new Windows platform functionality including PATH hydration from PowerShell, shell preference changes (pwsh.exe over cmd.exe), and profile loading for fnm support. These are significant runtime behavior changes on Windows that warrant human review despite comprehensive test coverage.

^{You can customize Macroscope's approvability policy. Learn more.}

[juliusmarminge]

Thank you! Will test on my windows laptop in a bit 👀

[Badbird5907]

Thank you! Will test on my windows laptop in a bit 👀

Thanks! I forgot to mention that this issue only happens in the .exe distribution, npx t3 isn't affected as it inherits the PATH from the existing shell

[cursor]

Cursor Bugbot has reviewed your changes and found 1 potential issue.

^{❌ Bugbot Autofix is OFF. To automatically fix reported issues with cloud agents, enable autofix in the Cursor dashboard.}

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 42c7cd5. Configure here.}

[cursor]

New mergePathValues nearly duplicates existing mergePathEntries

Low Severity

The new mergePathValues function has nearly identical structure to the existing mergePathEntries — both split by a platform delimiter, deduplicate, and rejoin. The only meaningful difference is the comparison strategy: mergePathEntries compares trimmed entries directly, while mergePathValues normalizes via normalizePathEntryForComparison (case-insensitive on win32, quote-stripping). These could be consolidated into a single function parameterized by comparison strategy, reducing duplication and the risk of inconsistent future fixes.

Additional Locations (1)

• packages/shared/src/shell.ts#L95-L118

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 42c7cd5. Configure here.}

[Badbird5907]

• hydrate desktop and server PATH handling for Windows CLI tools
• probe shells without profiles first, then fall back to profile-loaded env when node is missing
• share command availability and PATH repair utilities across desktop and server

What Changed

• Added a Windows startup fallback that loads the user’s PowerShell profile only when the initial no-profile environment still cannot find node
• Made Windows environment repair update the full set of relevant environment variables, not just PATH
• This only affects the packaged Windows .exe startup path and does not affect running the CLI from an existing shell, such as npx t3

Why

This adds support for windows setups using environment managers like fnm that initialize node through the user's powershell profile instead of PATH.
I was also able to confirm this still works on systems with a stock node setup.

Before:

After:

UI Changes

Checklist

• This PR is small and focused
• I explained what changed and why
• I included before/after screenshots for any UI changes
• I included a video for animation/interaction changes

---

Note

Medium Risk
Changes Windows environment hydration and terminal shell selection, which can affect process spawning and tool discovery at runtime (especially in packaged apps). Risk is moderate due to cross-platform branching and reliance on PowerShell probing, but changes are well-covered by new tests.

Overview
Improves Windows startup environment repair by adding shared utilities in @t3tools/shared/shell to probe PowerShell for env vars, merge/dedupe PATH (including known CLI install dirs), and only load the user profile when node still isn’t resolvable (also capturing FNM_* vars).

Wires the Windows repair path into app entrypoints: apps/desktopsyncShellEnvironment and apps/serverfixPath now apply the full env patch on win32 and return early; unsupported platforms remain no-ops.

Adjusts Windows terminal spawning behavior: terminal manager now prefers pwsh.exe (with -NoLogo) and falls back through absolute Windows PowerShell and cmd.exe, with tests updated/added; PTY adapter now wraps spawn failures as structured PtySpawnError.

Centralizes command availability + build tweaks: isCommandAvailable is moved to shared shell utils and re-exported from server/open, and the desktop artifact build on Windows disables npmRebuild, disables signing/editing when unsigned, and uses bun install --omit optional plus a fallback-installed electron-builder invocation.

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 0bafdb6. Bugbot is set up for automated code reviews on this repo. Configure here.}

Note

Fix Windows PATH hydration and shell environment repair for desktop and server

• Adds resolveWindowsEnvironment in packages/shared/src/shell.ts to build a Windows env patch by reading PATH from PowerShell (no-profile), merging with inherited PATH and known CLI dirs, then optionally re-reading with the user profile if node is missing (to pick up FNM vars).
• Wires Windows PATH repair into both fixPath (apps/server/src/os-jank.ts) and syncShellEnvironment (apps/desktop/src/syncShellEnvironment.ts); previously both functions ignored win32.
• Refactors terminal shell resolution in apps/server/src/terminal/Layers/Manager.ts to prefer pwsh.exe over ComSpec on Windows, with a fallback chain through absolute WindowsPowerShell, powershell.exe, and cmd.exe.
• Moves isCommandAvailable to @t3tools/shared/shell and removes the duplicate implementation from apps/server/src/open.ts.
• PTY spawn errors in apps/server/src/terminal/Layers/NodePTY.ts now produce a structured PtySpawnError instead of an unhandled throw.

^{Macroscope summarized 0bafdb6.}

[coderabbitai]

Important

Review skipped

Auto reviews are disabled on this repository. Please check the settings in the CodeRabbit UI or the .coderabbit.yaml file in this repository. To trigger a single review, invoke the @coderabbitai review command.

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Repository UI

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: e332b4c3-d8f7-4ca5-a485-df3617a1073b

You can disable this status message by setting the reviews.review_status to false in the CodeRabbit configuration file.

Use the checkbox below for a quick retry:

• 🔍 Trigger review

✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests

---

Thanks for using CodeRabbit! It's free for OSS, and your support helps us grow. If you like it, consider giving us a shout-out.

❤️ Share

• X
• Mastodon
• Reddit
• LinkedIn

_{Comment @coderabbitai help to get the list of available commands and usage tips.}

[chatgpt-codex-connector]

💡 Codex Review

Here are some automated review suggestions for this pull request.

Reviewed commit:32efe2a5dd

ℹ️ About Codex in GitHub

Your team has set up Codex to review pull requests in this repo. Reviews are triggered when you

• Open a pull request for review
• Mark a draft as ready
• Comment "@codex review".

If Codex has suggestions, it will comment; otherwise it will react with 👍.

Codex can also answer questions or update the PR. Try commenting "@codex address that feedback".

[macroscopeapp]

Approvability

Verdict: Needs human review

This PR introduces new Windows platform functionality including PATH hydration from PowerShell, shell preference changes (pwsh.exe over cmd.exe), and profile loading for fnm support. These are significant runtime behavior changes on Windows that warrant human review despite comprehensive test coverage.

^{You can customize Macroscope's approvability policy. Learn more.}

[juliusmarminge]

Thank you! Will test on my windows laptop in a bit 👀

[Badbird5907]

Thank you! Will test on my windows laptop in a bit 👀

Thanks! I forgot to mention that this issue only happens in the .exe distribution, npx t3 isn't affected as it inherits the PATH from the existing shell

[cursor]

Cursor Bugbot has reviewed your changes and found 1 potential issue.

^{❌ Bugbot Autofix is OFF. To automatically fix reported issues with cloud agents, enable autofix in the Cursor dashboard.}

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 42c7cd5. Configure here.}

[cursor]

New mergePathValues nearly duplicates existing mergePathEntries

Low Severity

The new mergePathValues function has nearly identical structure to the existing mergePathEntries — both split by a platform delimiter, deduplicate, and rejoin. The only meaningful difference is the comparison strategy: mergePathEntries compares trimmed entries directly, while mergePathValues normalizes via normalizePathEntryForComparison (case-insensitive on win32, quote-stripping). These could be consolidated into a single function parameterized by comparison strategy, reducing duplication and the risk of inconsistent future fixes.

Additional Locations (1)

• packages/shared/src/shell.ts#L95-L118

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 42c7cd5. Configure here.}

[Badbird5907]

• hydrate desktop and server PATH handling for Windows CLI tools
• probe shells without profiles first, then fall back to profile-loaded env when node is missing
• share command availability and PATH repair utilities across desktop and server

What Changed

• Added a Windows startup fallback that loads the user’s PowerShell profile only when the initial no-profile environment still cannot find node
• Made Windows environment repair update the full set of relevant environment variables, not just PATH
• This only affects the packaged Windows .exe startup path and does not affect running the CLI from an existing shell, such as npx t3

Why

This adds support for windows setups using environment managers like fnm that initialize node through the user's powershell profile instead of PATH.
I was also able to confirm this still works on systems with a stock node setup.

Before:

After:

UI Changes

Checklist

• This PR is small and focused
• I explained what changed and why
• I included before/after screenshots for any UI changes
• I included a video for animation/interaction changes

---

Note

Medium Risk
Changes Windows environment hydration and terminal shell selection, which can affect process spawning and tool discovery at runtime (especially in packaged apps). Risk is moderate due to cross-platform branching and reliance on PowerShell probing, but changes are well-covered by new tests.

Overview
Improves Windows startup environment repair by adding shared utilities in @t3tools/shared/shell to probe PowerShell for env vars, merge/dedupe PATH (including known CLI install dirs), and only load the user profile when node still isn’t resolvable (also capturing FNM_* vars).

Wires the Windows repair path into app entrypoints: apps/desktopsyncShellEnvironment and apps/serverfixPath now apply the full env patch on win32 and return early; unsupported platforms remain no-ops.

Adjusts Windows terminal spawning behavior: terminal manager now prefers pwsh.exe (with -NoLogo) and falls back through absolute Windows PowerShell and cmd.exe, with tests updated/added; PTY adapter now wraps spawn failures as structured PtySpawnError.

Centralizes command availability + build tweaks: isCommandAvailable is moved to shared shell utils and re-exported from server/open, and the desktop artifact build on Windows disables npmRebuild, disables signing/editing when unsigned, and uses bun install --omit optional plus a fallback-installed electron-builder invocation.

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 0bafdb6. Bugbot is set up for automated code reviews on this repo. Configure here.}

Note

Fix Windows PATH hydration and shell environment repair for desktop and server

• Adds resolveWindowsEnvironment in packages/shared/src/shell.ts to build a Windows env patch by reading PATH from PowerShell (no-profile), merging with inherited PATH and known CLI dirs, then optionally re-reading with the user profile if node is missing (to pick up FNM vars).
• Wires Windows PATH repair into both fixPath (apps/server/src/os-jank.ts) and syncShellEnvironment (apps/desktop/src/syncShellEnvironment.ts); previously both functions ignored win32.
• Refactors terminal shell resolution in apps/server/src/terminal/Layers/Manager.ts to prefer pwsh.exe over ComSpec on Windows, with a fallback chain through absolute WindowsPowerShell, powershell.exe, and cmd.exe.
• Moves isCommandAvailable to @t3tools/shared/shell and removes the duplicate implementation from apps/server/src/open.ts.
• PTY spawn errors in apps/server/src/terminal/Layers/NodePTY.ts now produce a structured PtySpawnError instead of an unhandled throw.

^{Macroscope summarized 0bafdb6.}

[coderabbitai]

Important

Review skipped

Auto reviews are disabled on this repository. Please check the settings in the CodeRabbit UI or the .coderabbit.yaml file in this repository. To trigger a single review, invoke the @coderabbitai review command.

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Repository UI

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: e332b4c3-d8f7-4ca5-a485-df3617a1073b

You can disable this status message by setting the reviews.review_status to false in the CodeRabbit configuration file.

Use the checkbox below for a quick retry:

• 🔍 Trigger review

✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests

---

Thanks for using CodeRabbit! It's free for OSS, and your support helps us grow. If you like it, consider giving us a shout-out.

❤️ Share

• X
• Mastodon
• Reddit
• LinkedIn

_{Comment @coderabbitai help to get the list of available commands and usage tips.}

[chatgpt-codex-connector]

💡 Codex Review

Here are some automated review suggestions for this pull request.

Reviewed commit:32efe2a5dd

ℹ️ About Codex in GitHub

Your team has set up Codex to review pull requests in this repo. Reviews are triggered when you

• Open a pull request for review
• Mark a draft as ready
• Comment "@codex review".

If Codex has suggestions, it will comment; otherwise it will react with 👍.

Codex can also answer questions or update the PR. Try commenting "@codex address that feedback".

[macroscopeapp]

Approvability

Verdict: Needs human review

This PR introduces new Windows platform functionality including PATH hydration from PowerShell, shell preference changes (pwsh.exe over cmd.exe), and profile loading for fnm support. These are significant runtime behavior changes on Windows that warrant human review despite comprehensive test coverage.

^{You can customize Macroscope's approvability policy. Learn more.}

[juliusmarminge]

Thank you! Will test on my windows laptop in a bit 👀

[Badbird5907]

Thank you! Will test on my windows laptop in a bit 👀

Thanks! I forgot to mention that this issue only happens in the .exe distribution, npx t3 isn't affected as it inherits the PATH from the existing shell

[cursor]

Cursor Bugbot has reviewed your changes and found 1 potential issue.

^{❌ Bugbot Autofix is OFF. To automatically fix reported issues with cloud agents, enable autofix in the Cursor dashboard.}

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 42c7cd5. Configure here.}

[cursor]

New mergePathValues nearly duplicates existing mergePathEntries

Low Severity

The new mergePathValues function has nearly identical structure to the existing mergePathEntries — both split by a platform delimiter, deduplicate, and rejoin. The only meaningful difference is the comparison strategy: mergePathEntries compares trimmed entries directly, while mergePathValues normalizes via normalizePathEntryForComparison (case-insensitive on win32, quote-stripping). These could be consolidated into a single function parameterized by comparison strategy, reducing duplication and the risk of inconsistent future fixes.

Additional Locations (1)

• packages/shared/src/shell.ts#L95-L118

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 42c7cd5. Configure here.}

[Badbird5907]

• hydrate desktop and server PATH handling for Windows CLI tools
• probe shells without profiles first, then fall back to profile-loaded env when node is missing
• share command availability and PATH repair utilities across desktop and server

What Changed

• Added a Windows startup fallback that loads the user’s PowerShell profile only when the initial no-profile environment still cannot find node
• Made Windows environment repair update the full set of relevant environment variables, not just PATH
• This only affects the packaged Windows .exe startup path and does not affect running the CLI from an existing shell, such as npx t3

Why

This adds support for windows setups using environment managers like fnm that initialize node through the user's powershell profile instead of PATH.
I was also able to confirm this still works on systems with a stock node setup.

Before:

After:

UI Changes

Checklist

• This PR is small and focused
• I explained what changed and why
• I included before/after screenshots for any UI changes
• I included a video for animation/interaction changes

---

Note

Medium Risk
Changes Windows environment hydration and terminal shell selection, which can affect process spawning and tool discovery at runtime (especially in packaged apps). Risk is moderate due to cross-platform branching and reliance on PowerShell probing, but changes are well-covered by new tests.

Overview
Improves Windows startup environment repair by adding shared utilities in @t3tools/shared/shell to probe PowerShell for env vars, merge/dedupe PATH (including known CLI install dirs), and only load the user profile when node still isn’t resolvable (also capturing FNM_* vars).

Wires the Windows repair path into app entrypoints: apps/desktopsyncShellEnvironment and apps/serverfixPath now apply the full env patch on win32 and return early; unsupported platforms remain no-ops.

Adjusts Windows terminal spawning behavior: terminal manager now prefers pwsh.exe (with -NoLogo) and falls back through absolute Windows PowerShell and cmd.exe, with tests updated/added; PTY adapter now wraps spawn failures as structured PtySpawnError.

Centralizes command availability + build tweaks: isCommandAvailable is moved to shared shell utils and re-exported from server/open, and the desktop artifact build on Windows disables npmRebuild, disables signing/editing when unsigned, and uses bun install --omit optional plus a fallback-installed electron-builder invocation.

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 0bafdb6. Bugbot is set up for automated code reviews on this repo. Configure here.}

Note

Fix Windows PATH hydration and shell environment repair for desktop and server

• Adds resolveWindowsEnvironment in packages/shared/src/shell.ts to build a Windows env patch by reading PATH from PowerShell (no-profile), merging with inherited PATH and known CLI dirs, then optionally re-reading with the user profile if node is missing (to pick up FNM vars).
• Wires Windows PATH repair into both fixPath (apps/server/src/os-jank.ts) and syncShellEnvironment (apps/desktop/src/syncShellEnvironment.ts); previously both functions ignored win32.
• Refactors terminal shell resolution in apps/server/src/terminal/Layers/Manager.ts to prefer pwsh.exe over ComSpec on Windows, with a fallback chain through absolute WindowsPowerShell, powershell.exe, and cmd.exe.
• Moves isCommandAvailable to @t3tools/shared/shell and removes the duplicate implementation from apps/server/src/open.ts.
• PTY spawn errors in apps/server/src/terminal/Layers/NodePTY.ts now produce a structured PtySpawnError instead of an unhandled throw.

^{Macroscope summarized 0bafdb6.}

[coderabbitai]

Important

Review skipped

Auto reviews are disabled on this repository. Please check the settings in the CodeRabbit UI or the .coderabbit.yaml file in this repository. To trigger a single review, invoke the @coderabbitai review command.

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Repository UI

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: e332b4c3-d8f7-4ca5-a485-df3617a1073b

You can disable this status message by setting the reviews.review_status to false in the CodeRabbit configuration file.

Use the checkbox below for a quick retry:

• 🔍 Trigger review

✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests

---

Thanks for using CodeRabbit! It's free for OSS, and your support helps us grow. If you like it, consider giving us a shout-out.

❤️ Share

• X
• Mastodon
• Reddit
• LinkedIn

_{Comment @coderabbitai help to get the list of available commands and usage tips.}

[chatgpt-codex-connector]

💡 Codex Review

Here are some automated review suggestions for this pull request.

Reviewed commit:32efe2a5dd

ℹ️ About Codex in GitHub

Your team has set up Codex to review pull requests in this repo. Reviews are triggered when you

• Open a pull request for review
• Mark a draft as ready
• Comment "@codex review".

If Codex has suggestions, it will comment; otherwise it will react with 👍.

Codex can also answer questions or update the PR. Try commenting "@codex address that feedback".

[macroscopeapp]

Approvability

Verdict: Needs human review

This PR introduces new Windows platform functionality including PATH hydration from PowerShell, shell preference changes (pwsh.exe over cmd.exe), and profile loading for fnm support. These are significant runtime behavior changes on Windows that warrant human review despite comprehensive test coverage.

^{You can customize Macroscope's approvability policy. Learn more.}

[juliusmarminge]

Thank you! Will test on my windows laptop in a bit 👀

[Badbird5907]

Thank you! Will test on my windows laptop in a bit 👀

Thanks! I forgot to mention that this issue only happens in the .exe distribution, npx t3 isn't affected as it inherits the PATH from the existing shell

[cursor]

Cursor Bugbot has reviewed your changes and found 1 potential issue.

^{❌ Bugbot Autofix is OFF. To automatically fix reported issues with cloud agents, enable autofix in the Cursor dashboard.}

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 42c7cd5. Configure here.}

[cursor]

New mergePathValues nearly duplicates existing mergePathEntries

Low Severity

The new mergePathValues function has nearly identical structure to the existing mergePathEntries — both split by a platform delimiter, deduplicate, and rejoin. The only meaningful difference is the comparison strategy: mergePathEntries compares trimmed entries directly, while mergePathValues normalizes via normalizePathEntryForComparison (case-insensitive on win32, quote-stripping). These could be consolidated into a single function parameterized by comparison strategy, reducing duplication and the risk of inconsistent future fixes.

Additional Locations (1)

• packages/shared/src/shell.ts#L95-L118

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 42c7cd5. Configure here.}

[Badbird5907]

• hydrate desktop and server PATH handling for Windows CLI tools
• probe shells without profiles first, then fall back to profile-loaded env when node is missing
• share command availability and PATH repair utilities across desktop and server

What Changed

• Added a Windows startup fallback that loads the user’s PowerShell profile only when the initial no-profile environment still cannot find node
• Made Windows environment repair update the full set of relevant environment variables, not just PATH
• This only affects the packaged Windows .exe startup path and does not affect running the CLI from an existing shell, such as npx t3

Why

This adds support for windows setups using environment managers like fnm that initialize node through the user's powershell profile instead of PATH.
I was also able to confirm this still works on systems with a stock node setup.

Before:

After:

UI Changes

Checklist

• This PR is small and focused
• I explained what changed and why
• I included before/after screenshots for any UI changes
• I included a video for animation/interaction changes

---

Note

Medium Risk
Changes Windows environment hydration and terminal shell selection, which can affect process spawning and tool discovery at runtime (especially in packaged apps). Risk is moderate due to cross-platform branching and reliance on PowerShell probing, but changes are well-covered by new tests.

Overview
Improves Windows startup environment repair by adding shared utilities in @t3tools/shared/shell to probe PowerShell for env vars, merge/dedupe PATH (including known CLI install dirs), and only load the user profile when node still isn’t resolvable (also capturing FNM_* vars).

Wires the Windows repair path into app entrypoints: apps/desktopsyncShellEnvironment and apps/serverfixPath now apply the full env patch on win32 and return early; unsupported platforms remain no-ops.

Adjusts Windows terminal spawning behavior: terminal manager now prefers pwsh.exe (with -NoLogo) and falls back through absolute Windows PowerShell and cmd.exe, with tests updated/added; PTY adapter now wraps spawn failures as structured PtySpawnError.

Centralizes command availability + build tweaks: isCommandAvailable is moved to shared shell utils and re-exported from server/open, and the desktop artifact build on Windows disables npmRebuild, disables signing/editing when unsigned, and uses bun install --omit optional plus a fallback-installed electron-builder invocation.

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 0bafdb6. Bugbot is set up for automated code reviews on this repo. Configure here.}

Note

Fix Windows PATH hydration and shell environment repair for desktop and server

• Adds resolveWindowsEnvironment in packages/shared/src/shell.ts to build a Windows env patch by reading PATH from PowerShell (no-profile), merging with inherited PATH and known CLI dirs, then optionally re-reading with the user profile if node is missing (to pick up FNM vars).
• Wires Windows PATH repair into both fixPath (apps/server/src/os-jank.ts) and syncShellEnvironment (apps/desktop/src/syncShellEnvironment.ts); previously both functions ignored win32.
• Refactors terminal shell resolution in apps/server/src/terminal/Layers/Manager.ts to prefer pwsh.exe over ComSpec on Windows, with a fallback chain through absolute WindowsPowerShell, powershell.exe, and cmd.exe.
• Moves isCommandAvailable to @t3tools/shared/shell and removes the duplicate implementation from apps/server/src/open.ts.
• PTY spawn errors in apps/server/src/terminal/Layers/NodePTY.ts now produce a structured PtySpawnError instead of an unhandled throw.

^{Macroscope summarized 0bafdb6.}

[coderabbitai]

Important

Review skipped

Auto reviews are disabled on this repository. Please check the settings in the CodeRabbit UI or the .coderabbit.yaml file in this repository. To trigger a single review, invoke the @coderabbitai review command.

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Repository UI

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: e332b4c3-d8f7-4ca5-a485-df3617a1073b

You can disable this status message by setting the reviews.review_status to false in the CodeRabbit configuration file.

Use the checkbox below for a quick retry:

• 🔍 Trigger review

✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests

---

Thanks for using CodeRabbit! It's free for OSS, and your support helps us grow. If you like it, consider giving us a shout-out.

❤️ Share

• X
• Mastodon
• Reddit
• LinkedIn

_{Comment @coderabbitai help to get the list of available commands and usage tips.}

[chatgpt-codex-connector]

💡 Codex Review

Here are some automated review suggestions for this pull request.

Reviewed commit:32efe2a5dd

ℹ️ About Codex in GitHub

Your team has set up Codex to review pull requests in this repo. Reviews are triggered when you

• Open a pull request for review
• Mark a draft as ready
• Comment "@codex review".

If Codex has suggestions, it will comment; otherwise it will react with 👍.

Codex can also answer questions or update the PR. Try commenting "@codex address that feedback".

[macroscopeapp]

Approvability

Verdict: Needs human review

This PR introduces new Windows platform functionality including PATH hydration from PowerShell, shell preference changes (pwsh.exe over cmd.exe), and profile loading for fnm support. These are significant runtime behavior changes on Windows that warrant human review despite comprehensive test coverage.

^{You can customize Macroscope's approvability policy. Learn more.}

[juliusmarminge]

Thank you! Will test on my windows laptop in a bit 👀

[Badbird5907]

Thank you! Will test on my windows laptop in a bit 👀

Thanks! I forgot to mention that this issue only happens in the .exe distribution, npx t3 isn't affected as it inherits the PATH from the existing shell

[cursor]

Cursor Bugbot has reviewed your changes and found 1 potential issue.

^{❌ Bugbot Autofix is OFF. To automatically fix reported issues with cloud agents, enable autofix in the Cursor dashboard.}

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 42c7cd5. Configure here.}

[cursor]

New mergePathValues nearly duplicates existing mergePathEntries

Low Severity

The new mergePathValues function has nearly identical structure to the existing mergePathEntries — both split by a platform delimiter, deduplicate, and rejoin. The only meaningful difference is the comparison strategy: mergePathEntries compares trimmed entries directly, while mergePathValues normalizes via normalizePathEntryForComparison (case-insensitive on win32, quote-stripping). These could be consolidated into a single function parameterized by comparison strategy, reducing duplication and the risk of inconsistent future fixes.

Additional Locations (1)

• packages/shared/src/shell.ts#L95-L118

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 42c7cd5. Configure here.}