[BUG] Context says powershell, but commands run using cmd.exe (when using inline terminal) #9933

Problem (one or two sentences)

When using the inline terminal mode (execa), Roo executes commands in cmd.exe instead of PowerShell, even though the system context reports PowerShell as the default shell and VS Code is configured to use PowerShell.

Context (who is affected and when)

Affects Windows users who have PowerShell set as their default terminal in VS Code or as their system default shell. The issue occurs when using Roo's inline terminal execution mode (not the VS Code integrated terminal mode). Users attempting to run PowerShell-specific commands directly will encounter errors.

Reproduction steps

1. Environment:

   • Windows 10/11
   • VS Code OSS with PowerShell configured as default terminal profile
   • Roo Code v3.36.2-universal
   • System default shell: PowerShell

2. Steps:

   • Start a Roo task in "code" mode
   • Request Roo to execute a PowerShell-specific command (e.g., Get-Location | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Path)
   • Observe the error: "'Get-Location' is not recognized as an internal or external command"

3. Verification:

   • Run echo %COMSPEC% through Roo → returns C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe
   • Contrast with reported context which states default shell is PowerShell

Expected result

PowerShell cmdlets should execute successfully. The command Get-Location should return the current directory path, respecting the user's configured default shell (PowerShell).

Actual result

Commands fail with "'Get-Location' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file." The terminal uses cmd.exe despite system/VS Code configuration specifying PowerShell.

Variations tried (optional)

• Workaround: Wrapping PowerShell commands with powershell -Command "..." works but is not user-friendly
• Temporary fix: Manually editing extension.js line 5488 to change shell:!0 to shell:"powershell.exe" resolves the issue

App Version

v3.36.2-universal

API Provider (optional)

None

Model Used (optional)

N/A (terminal execution issue, not model-specific)

Roo Code Task Links (optional)

No response

Relevant logs or errors (optional)

Example error when running PowerShell cmdlet:


'Get-Location' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.



Terminal shell verification:


echo %COMSPEC%
C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe


Context reports (misleading):

Their operating system is Windows_NT and their default shell is
C:\WINDOWS\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe


**Root cause location:**
File: `dist/extension.js`, Line 5488
Code: `this.subprocess=Dnt({shell:!0,cwd:...})`

The `shell:!0` (shell:true) causes execa library to default to cmd.exe on Windows, 
ignoring user shell preferences.

**Suggested fix:**
Replace `shell:!0` with `shell:"powershell.exe"` or detect from VS Code settings.