helix4u/terminal-shell-orchestration

Terminal shell orchestration

Use when the user wants Hermes to be deliberate about which shell it uses, especially on Windows where cmd.exe, PowerShell, and WSL each have different syntax, quoting rules, path rules, and tool availability.

What this skill is for

• Choosing the right shell for a task instead of assuming one shell fits all.
• Switching per-command shell mode when the terminal tool supports it.
• Discovering what executables are actually available on the current machine.
• Recording non-standard tools and shell quirks in the local registry docs for future sessions.

Core rules

• Prefer the shell that best matches the task:
  • cmd for broad Windows compatibility and classic batch-style commands.
  • powershell for object-aware admin / Windows-native inspection work.
  • wsl for Linux-first tooling, POSIX shell scripts, man, package managers, or /mnt/... paths.
• If the user wants mixed-shell work in one request, use per-command terminal shell overrides instead of rewriting the whole session around one shell.
• On Windows, keep syntax and path style aligned with the active shell.
• Before assuming a tool exists, probe for it.

Discovery checklist

1. Identify the active OS and requested shell preference.
2. Probe tool availability:
   • cmd: where.exe TOOL
   • PowerShell: Get-Command TOOL
   • WSL / POSIX: command -v TOOL
3. If the tool is unfamiliar, inspect its built-in help:
   • TOOL --help
   • TOOL -h
   • man TOOL inside WSL / POSIX when available
4. Record durable findings in:
   • docs/tool-registry.md
   • docs/todo.md if follow-up work is needed

Windows shell notes

• cmd
  • Use Windows paths like C:\Users\...
  • Prefer dir, where, type, set, for, findstr
  • Beware %VAR% expansion and ^ escaping
• powershell
  • Use Get-ChildItem, Get-Command, Get-Content, Select-String
  • Prefer -LiteralPath for user-controlled paths
  • Beware quoting differences and object-vs-text behavior
• wsl
  • Use POSIX tools and /mnt/c/... style paths
  • Prefer bash -lc semantics when probing manually
  • Good for Linux docs, man, package managers, and shell scripts

Repo helpers

• Repo map: docs/repo-map.md
• Cross-session goals: docs/todo.md
• Tool registry: docs/tool-registry.md
• User-visible history: CHANGELOG.md

Update discipline

• When this skill discovers a durable shell/tool nuance, add a short note to docs/tool-registry.md.
• When work starts or finishes, reflect it in docs/todo.md.
• When user-visible behavior changes, add an item to CHANGELOG.md.