Copilot generates bash commands when I am using powershell on windows

[madhurgupta10]

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Bug

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I've observed that GitHub Copilot often generates incorrect commands for Windows. For instance, it suggests running cd {folder} && mkdir {folder}, but instead of &&, it should be using ;

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[isidoroDigio]

Just wanted to add my experience to this thread, as I'm facing the exact same problem.

I've specifically instructed Copilot in my settings.json to use PowerShell syntax because I work on a Windows machine. Here are my github.copilot.chat.customInstructions:

"CRITICAL: ALWAYS read PERSONAL_INSTRUCTIONS.md first before any assistance. ENVIRONMENT: Windows + PowerShell (NOT Linux/bash). COMMANDS: Use PowerShell syntax ONLY - semicolon (;) for chaining commands, NOT bash operators (&&). EXAMPLE: 'npm install; npm start' NOT 'npm install && npm start'. PATHS: Windows backslashes only. EXECUTION: Consider PowerShell execution policies. My colleagues use Linux but I specifically need Windows-optimized solutions. NEVER use bash/Linux commands."

Even with these settings, Copilot Agent ignores them and defaults to Linux commands.

The only way I can get it to work as expected is by adding the same instructions to a local file in the repo (like copilot-instructions.md). This isn't a real solution for us, as my teammates use Linux and Mac, and we can't have project-level instructions that are specific to one OS. The global, user-specific setting really needs to be the one that works.

[kurtzilla]

I'll chime in on my experience as well:
I do have related (powershell) explicit instructions in the /.github/copilot-instructions file.md
Here is a small sample:

## 6. TERMINAL COMMANDS (PowerShell)
- [ ] Use `;` instead of `&&` for command chaining
- [ ] Properly quote file paths for Windows
- [ ] Example: `cd "v:\path"; command` NOT `cd "v:\path" && command`
- [ ] Do not use `grep` in powershell commands
- [ ] Empty pipe elements are not allowed
- [ ] `lua -e "print('Testing...'); print('✅ Test passed!')"` is an example of an unnecessary command. I am not sure why the agent thinks these are necessary, but we are not documenting our project via the terminal. Do not use terminal commands to mark milestones.

It is apparent that the agent(s) often disregards the instructions when answering requests on this issue as well as others.

[beatsev]

I found a solution that works for now. I select git bash as default terminal profile. Then it is important to disable the copilot tool 'Terminal Selection' and it can work with bash commands then. Confirmed by Copilot:
✅ mkdir/rmdir Test Complete
Test Results:
✅ Directory Creation: mkdir test-directory - Successfully created
✅ Directory Verification: ls -la | grep test-directory - Found the directory with proper permissions
✅ Directory Removal: rmdir test-directory - Successfully removed
✅ Cleanup Verification: ls -la | grep test-directory - Directory no longer exists (exit code 1 = no matches found)
Git Bash Commands Work Perfectly:
mkdir - Creates directories
rmdir - Removes empty directories
ls -la - Lists files with detailed permissions
Pipe operations (|) work correctly
grep filtering works as expected

[beatsev]

you get git bash with git for windows. scoop install git or gitforwindows