terminal

name

terminal

description

Routes terminal work to the correct shell sub-skill for live execution and for authoring shell script files (.bat, .cmd, .ps1, .sh). Enforces copy-paste-safe command blocks across OS and terminal types. Detects context from project docs and runtime probes. Use when running terminal commands, writing or editing shell scripts, preparing CI snippets, working with Windows CMD, PowerShell, bash, WSL2, multiline commands, pipes, redirects, admin elevation, PATH issues, or copy-paste command blocks.

Terminal

Orchestrates multi-OS terminal work by detecting shell context, loading the matching shell sub-skill, and enforcing copy-paste-safe output. Applies equally to live terminal execution and shell script files.

Two work modes

Both modes use the same leaf skill (cmd, powershell, bash). Only output shape differs.

Mode	When	Output
Live execution	Agent runs a command via Shell tool, or user pastes a one-off block into an open terminal	Single fenced block, runnable as-is; copy-paste rules in Copy-paste rules
Script authoring	Create or edit .bat, .cmd, .ps1, .sh, or other shell script files in the repo	Valid script syntax in the target file; shebang/headers, setlocal, set -euo pipefail, etc. per leaf skill

Do not treat script files as "documentation" — they follow the leaf skill's script conventions, not the multi-shell doc layout.

When to use

• Run or suggest commands in the user's shell session (live execution)
• Create or edit shell script files: .bat, .cmd (cmd), .ps1 (PowerShell), .sh (bash) (script authoring)
• Write README, CONTRIBUTING, or CI command snippets
• Debug "command not found", wrong quoting, or broken multiline paste
• Choose admin vs non-admin command variants on Windows or Unix

Flow

1. Detect context — follow context-detection (docs → probe → ask on conflict).
2. Route to leaf skill — read the matching sub-skill before writing commands:
   • Windows cmd.exe → cmd/SKILL.md
   • PowerShell → powershell/SKILL.md
   • bash (Linux, macOS, WSL2, Git Bash) → bash/SKILL.md
   • zsh → Phase 2 (not yet in this library); use bash rules only when user confirms zsh is acceptable
3. Apply copy-paste rules (below).
4. Prefer non-admin — detect elevation; offer elevated variants only when required. Never silently assume admin.

Copy-paste rules

Live execution (agent runs command or user pastes once)

• One fenced block, one shell, runnable as-is
• No prose, placeholders, or $VAR explanations inside the fence
• Use the leaf skill's comment character and line continuation
• Match the detected shell — do not mix # bash comments with REM cmd in one block

Documentation and CI (context unknown or multi-audience)

• Use labeled sections per shell when target is unknown, for example **PowerShell**, **CMD**, **bash**
• Each section gets its own fenced block
• When project docs declare a single shell, one block is enough

Terminal emulators

Emulator choice (tabs, multiplexer, paste quirks) is not a separate skill. See terminal-emulators when the user names an emulator or README declares one. Emulator does not change shell syntax — route to the shell leaf.

Environment and PATH

When a command fails with "not found":

1. Use the leaf skill's inspect commands (where.exe, Get-Command, which/type)
2. Suggest a fix (PATH entry, package install, correct binary name)
3. For docs/CI, document prerequisites explicitly (export PATH=…, install step)

Alternative shells

fish, POSIX sh, and other shells: see alternative-shells. Do not assume bash syntax without confirmation.

Replaces external batch-files

The batch-files vendor skill is superseded by cmd/SKILL.md in this library. Uninstall external batch-files after adopting terminal/cmd.

Additional resources

• context-detection.md
• terminal-emulators.md
• alternative-shells.md