wsl-operations

name	wsl-operations
description	This skill should be used when the user asks to "run WSL commands", "execute Linux on Windows", "manage WSL processes", "check WSL status", "transfer files between Windows and WSL", or mentions WSL-related operations like "wsl", "ubuntu", "debian in WSL", "compile in WSL", "wsl bash", "wsl script".
version	1.0.0

WSL Operations Skill

Overview

This skill provides comprehensive guidance for performing Linux operations through Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). It covers command execution, process management, file operations, system monitoring, and WSL instance management.

When This Skill Applies

Use this skill when users need to:

• Execute Linux commands from Windows
• Run shell scripts in WSL
• Monitor WSL system resources (CPU, memory, disk)
• Manage processes and services in WSL
• Transfer files between Windows and WSL
• Manage WSL instances (start, stop, restart)
• Perform development tasks in a Linux environment
• Compile or build projects in WSL

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Quick Start

1. Execute Commands in WSL

Execute a single command:

wsl bash -lic "ls -la /home"

Run a shell script:

wsl bash -lic "./build.sh"

Execute with environment variables:

wsl bash -lic "NODE_ENV=production node server.js"

2. Check WSL Status

List WSL distributions:

wsl --list --verbose

Check system resources:

wsl bash -lic "top -b -n 1"
wsl bash -lic "df -h"
wsl bash -lic "free -h"

3. Manage Processes

Find processes:

wsl bash -lic "ps aux | grep nginx"
wsl bash -lic "lsof -i :8080"

Terminate processes:

wsl bash -lic "pkill -f nginx"
wsl bash -lic "kill -9 1234"

Manage services:

wsl bash -lic "systemctl status nginx"
wsl bash -lic "systemctl restart nginx"

4. Path Conversion

Windows to WSL:

wsl bash -lic "wslpath -u 'C:\\Users\\username'"
# Output: /mnt/c/Users/username

WSL to Windows:

wsl bash -lic "wslpath -w '/mnt/c/Users/username'"
# Output: C:\Users\username

5. WSL Management

Terminate specific distribution:

wsl --terminate Ubuntu-22.04

Shutdown all WSL instances:

wsl --shutdown

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Command Execution

Basic Command Format

Use wsl bash -lic for most operations:

• bash - Use bash shell
• -l - Login shell (loads ~/.bash_profile, ~/.bashrc)
• -i - Interactive mode (optional)
• -c "command" - Command to execute

Examples

File Operations:

wsl bash -lic "pwd"                    # Print working directory
wsl bash -lic "cd /home && ls -la"     # Change and list
wsl bash -lic "mkdir -p /tmp/test"      # Create directory
wsl bash -lic "cat file.txt"            # View file
wsl bash -lic "tail -f logfile.log"      # Follow log file

Package Management:

wsl bash -lic "apt update"              # Update package list
wsl bash -lic "apt install -y git"       # Install package
wsl bash -lic "apt upgrade -y"           # Upgrade packages
wsl bash -lic "dpkg -l | grep python"    # Check installed package

Development Commands:

# Git
wsl bash -lic "git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git"
wsl bash -lic "git pull"
wsl bash -lic "git log --oneline -10"

# Python
wsl bash -lic "pip3 install package"
wsl bash -lic "python3 -m venv venv"

# Node.js
wsl bash -lic "npm install"
wsl bash -lic "npm run build"

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System Monitoring

Process Monitoring

View all processes:

wsl bash -lic "ps aux"

View top processes:

wsl bash -lic "top -b -n 1"
wsl bash -lic "htop"

Find processes by name:

wsl bash -lic "pgrep -af nginx"
wsl bash -lic "pstree -p"

Resource Monitoring

Check memory:

wsl bash -lic "free -h"
wsl bash -lic "cat /proc/meminfo"

Check disk usage:

wsl bash -lic "df -h"
wsl bash -lic "du -sh /path/to/dir"

Check network:

wsl bash -lic "ip addr"
wsl bash -lic "netstat -tulpn"
wsl bash -lic "ss -tulpn"

System Information

Show system details:

wsl bash -lic "uname -a"
wsl bash -lic "hostname"
wsl bash -lic "uptime"
wsl bash -lic "whoami"

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Process Management

Viewing Processes

List all processes:

wsl bash -lic "ps aux"
wsl bash -lic "ps aux | head -20"      # Top 20 processes

Find specific processes:

wsl bash -lic "ps aux | grep nginx"
wsl bash -lic "pgrep -f nginx"
wsl bash -lic "pgrep -af nginx"      # Include process tree

Check port usage:

wsl bash -lic "lsof -i :8080"
wsl bash -lic "netstat -tulpn | grep :8080"

Terminating Processes

Terminate by name:

wsl bash -lic "pkill -f nginx"        # Kill process by name
wsl bash -lit "killall nginx"         # Kill all by name

Terminate by PID:

wsl bash -lic "kill 1234"             # Graceful termination
wsl bash -lic "kill -9 1234"           # Force kill

Service Management

Systemctl commands:

wsl bash -lic "systemctl status nginx"
wsl bash -lic "systemctl start nginx"
wsl bash -lic "systemctl stop nginx"
wsl bash -lic "systemctl restart nginx"
wsl bash -lic "systemctl enable nginx"
wsl bash -lic "systemctl disable nginx"

View all services:

wsl bash -lic "systemctl list-units --type=service"
wsl bash -lic "service --status-all"

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File Operations

Path Conversion

Windows to WSL:

# In WSL - Windows paths appear as /mnt/c/
ls /mnt/c/Users/username/Documents

# Convert Windows path to WSL path
wsl bash -lic "wslpath -u 'C:\\Users\\username\\Documents'"

WSL to Windows:

# Access WSL files from Windows
# In Explorer: \\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\username

# Convert WSL path to Windows path
wsl bash -lic "wslpath -w '/home/username/file.txt'"

File Transfer

From Windows to WSL:

# Copy file to WSL home
wsl bash -lic "cp /mnt/c/Users/username/file.txt ~/"

From WSL to Windows:

# Copy file to Windows
wsl bash -lic "cp file.txt /mnt/c/Users/username/"

VS Code Integration

Open WSL files in VS Code:

code /mnt/c/path/to/file            # Open specific file
code /mnt/c/path/to/directory      # Open directory

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WSL Instance Management

View WSL Status

List distributions:

wsl --list                        # Simple list
wsl --list --verbose             # Detailed list
wsl --status                     # WSL status

Control WSL Instances

Terminate distribution:

wsl --terminate Ubuntu-22.04

Shutdown all WSL:

wsl --shutdown

Set default distribution:

wsl --set-default Ubuntu-22.04

Update WSL:

wsl --update

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Additional Resources

Reference Files

• references/commands.md - Complete WSL command reference
• references/path-conversion.md - Detailed path conversion guide
• references/troubleshooting.md - Common issues and solutions

Example Files

• examples/basic-commands.md - Basic command examples
• examples/process-management.md - Process management scenarios
• examples/file-transfer.md - File transfer operations

Scripts

• scripts/wsl-run.sh - Command execution helper
• scripts/wsl-ps.sh - Process viewing helper