Target pwsh LTS .NET #5055

jshigetomi · 2026-01-07T22:33:49Z

PR Summary

This pull request upgrades the PSReadLine project to target .NET 8 and PowerShell 7.4+, removing legacy and polyfill code for older frameworks. It updates all project files, build scripts, and dependencies to use the latest versions, and enforces compatibility at both the module and script level. The most important changes are summarized below.

Framework and Dependency Upgrades:

All projects (PSReadLine, MockPSConsole, and tests) now target .NET 8.0 exclusively, removing support for older frameworks such as netstandard2.0, net472, and net6.0. Corresponding dependencies are updated to the latest compatible versions, including Microsoft.PowerShell.SDK 7.4.0. ([[1]](https://github.com/PowerShell/PSReadLine/pull/5055/files#diff-15b49bb2c4d47eeb9db538533ac5b972f85f34ba280b7acb42c1b5c27db438e9L8-R21), [[2]](https://github.com/PowerShell/PSReadLine/pull/5055/files#diff-3fcef917fe90ddf5a3b2ef1d86c3505ec20ab64f86c0febed8d682b19f8a84a3L7-R14), [[3]](https://github.com/PowerShell/PSReadLine/pull/5055/files#diff-08cd1f3a887d8dcf95b9437203d198df174e72fa3bed3645db09901adb95ac2fL8-R8), [[4]](https://github.com/PowerShell/PSReadLine/pull/5055/files#diff-08cd1f3a887d8dcf95b9437203d198df174e72fa3bed3645db09901adb95ac2fL17-R18))
The build process and global.json are updated to require .NET SDK 8.0.416. ([[1]](https://github.com/PowerShell/PSReadLine/pull/5055/files#diff-8df3cd354bc584349d04ad5675b33c042d8b99b741b8b95af394c55e0f5001bfR1-R7), [[2]](https://github.com/PowerShell/PSReadLine/pull/5055/files#diff-cf52a72665faf1250da83a9745360bf052fadf8f4a395bf0557d6f1b6ffcec18L22-L63))

PowerShell Version Requirement:

The module manifest (PSReadLine.psd1) and the main module script (PSReadLine.psm1) now require PowerShell 7.4 or later. The script throws a clear error if loaded in an older version, with instructions for users. ([[1]](https://github.com/PowerShell/PSReadLine/pull/5055/files#diff-249c945874c86bf263442fb1b4ffbc108e8642a3ce9b0d05a6e1b103a7933bbeL4-R10), [[2]](https://github.com/PowerShell/PSReadLine/pull/5055/files#diff-7a6a99977c8583b1131f983549f09dac821eb025205e76fa1d4ce533438bcb4aR1-R14))

Removal of Legacy and Polyfill Code:

The Polyfill project and related code (including CommandPrediction.cs and Polyfill.csproj) are deleted, simplifying the codebase and eliminating support for legacy PowerShell versions. Build scripts are updated to remove all polyfill-related tasks. ([[1]](https://github.com/PowerShell/PSReadLine/pull/5055/files#diff-ed6d8ebde2b95773782d7bbedbc734f0a7f97b1d70355fee2e6b9f130329481fL1-L232), [[2]](https://github.com/PowerShell/PSReadLine/pull/5055/files#diff-9bbfd47219535f7987f69c047ce2324aba293c39340a1edb0be346d75cde5f0aL1-L22), [[3]](https://github.com/PowerShell/PSReadLine/pull/5055/files#diff-cf52a72665faf1250da83a9745360bf052fadf8f4a395bf0557d6f1b6ffcec18L22-L63), [[4]](https://github.com/PowerShell/PSReadLine/pull/5055/files#diff-cf52a72665faf1250da83a9745360bf052fadf8f4a395bf0557d6f1b6ffcec18L100-R92), [[5]](https://github.com/PowerShell/PSReadLine/pull/5055/files#diff-cf52a72665faf1250da83a9745360bf052fadf8f4a395bf0557d6f1b6ffcec18L118-R110))

Version Bump:

The PSReadLine module version is updated to 3.0.0 across all relevant files, reflecting the breaking changes and new requirements. ([[1]](https://github.com/PowerShell/PSReadLine/pull/5055/files#diff-15b49bb2c4d47eeb9db538533ac5b972f85f34ba280b7acb42c1b5c27db438e9L8-R21), [[2]](https://github.com/PowerShell/PSReadLine/pull/5055/files#diff-249c945874c86bf263442fb1b4ffbc108e8642a3ce9b0d05a6e1b103a7933bbeL4-R10))

Development Environment Updates:

The VS Code launch configuration is updated to reference the new build output path for .NET 8.0. ([.vscode/launch.jsonL17-R17](https://github.com/PowerShell/PSReadLine/pull/5055/files#diff-bd5430ee7c51dc892a67b3f2829d1f5b6d223f0fd48b82322cfd45baf9f5e945L17-R17))

These changes modernize PSReadLine, streamline its development and deployment, and ensure compatibility with the latest PowerShell and .NET releases.

PR Checklist

PR has a meaningful title
- Use the present tense and imperative mood when describing your changes
Summarized changes
Make sure you've added one or more new tests
Make sure you've tested these changes in terminals that PowerShell is commonly used in (i.e. conhost.exe, Windows Terminal, Visual Studio Code Integrated Terminal, etc.)
User-facing changes
- Not Applicable
- OR
- Documentation needed at PowerShell-Docs
  - Doc Issue filed:

Microsoft Reviewers: Open in CodeFlow

daxian-dbw · 2026-01-08T00:17:16Z

PSReadLine/PSReadLine.psm1

+To upgrade PowerShell: https://aka.ms/install-powershell
+"@
+    throw $errorMessage
+}


PowerShellVersion = '7.4' in the psd1 file will prevent the module from being loaded, so if PSReadLine.psm1 will never get executed for a PS session older than 7.4. So, this change is not needed.

In that case where can we write the user friendly error message?
I think the error message will show up like this if we rely on psd1 file

Import-Module: The specified module 'PSReadLine' was not loaded because no valid module file was found in any module directory.

No, I think the error message will call out that the PSReadLine requires PowerShell 7.4 and thus cannot be loaded.

In the long run, I don't think we can always tell the user which PSReadLine version is for which PS version, they need to find out in document, something similar to the PowerShell Support Lifecycle.

test/PSReadLine.Tests.csproj

MockPSConsole/MockPSConsole.csproj

PSReadLine/PSReadLine.csproj

PSReadLine.build.ps1

…build.ps1

jshigetomi · 2026-01-13T17:33:33Z

Fix test failures after migrating to .NET 8.0 / PowerShell 7.4+

After migrating PSReadLine to .NET 8.0 targeting PowerShell 7.4+, the test
infrastructure needed updates to handle modern ANSI escape sequences that
PSReadLine now emits.

Root Cause:
The migration enabled PSReadLine to use more sophisticated ANSI rendering.
Code in Cmdlets.cs (lines 160-193) now dynamically selects between:

Modern: \x1b[97;2;3m (White + Dim + Italic) for newer terminals
Legacy: \x1b[38;5;238m (256-color gray) for older environments

Both rendering paths required MockConsole support to prevent test failures.

Changes:

test/MockConsole.cs
- Added 256-color ANSI parsing (38;5;n, 48;5;n sequences)
- Added font effects parsing (1=bold, 2=dim, 3=italic)
- These sequences were previously unhandled, causing KeyNotFoundException
- Implemented in both TestConsole.Write() and BasicScrollingConsole.Write()
test/UnitTestReadLine.cs
- Changed Colors[0] from ConsoleColor.DarkRed to ConsoleColor.White
- MockConsole's ANSI reset handler (\x1b[0m) sets ForegroundColor = Colors[0]
- Tests expect White for dimmed text, but were getting DarkRed after resets
- This mismatch caused 16 test failures on CI
test/InlinePredictionTest.cs
- Added documentation comment explaining Emitted256Colors tracking
- Helps future test authors validate 256-color emission

Why These Changes Were Necessary:

256-color parsing: Prevents KeyNotFoundException when PSReadLine emits
\x1b[38;5;238m on older Windows or specific terminal configurations
Font effects parsing: Prevents errors when PSReadLine emits \x1b[97;2;3m
for dimmed italic text on modern terminals (Windows 11 22H2+, Windows Terminal)
Colors[0] fix: Ensures ANSI reset sequences restore the expected default
color (White) rather than the arbitrary test default (DarkRed)

daxian-dbw · 2026-01-13T20:18:14Z

PSReadLine/PSReadLine.csproj

-    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.CSharp" version="4.7.0" />
-    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.PowerShell.Pager" version="1.0.0" />
-    <ProjectReference Include="..\Polyfill\Polyfill.csproj" />
+    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.PowerShell.SDK" Version="7.4.13" />


I don't think it's needed to reference the sdk package.

daxian-dbw · 2026-01-13T20:19:46Z

PSReadLine/PSReadLine.csproj

+      <ExcludeAssets>contentFiles</ExcludeAssets>
+      <PrivateAssets>All</PrivateAssets>
+    </PackageReference>
+    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.CSharp" Version="4.7.0" />


Is this still needed after targeting net8.0?

daxian-dbw · 2026-01-13T20:20:47Z

PSReadLine/PSReadLine.csproj

+    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.PowerShell.Pager" Version="1.0.0" />
  </ItemGroup>
-
+ 


Extra space

daxian-dbw · 2026-01-13T20:21:37Z

PSReadLine/PSReadLine.psm1

    Microsoft.PowerShell.Core\Set-StrictMode -Off
    [Microsoft.PowerShell.PSConsoleReadLine]::ReadLine($host.Runspace, $ExecutionContext, $lastRunStatus)
-}
+}


Can you please revert this change? I think you deleted the ending newline of this file.

daxian-dbw · 2026-01-13T20:23:35Z

test/UnitTestReadLine.cs

        internal static readonly ConsoleColor[] Colors = new []
        {
-        /*None*/      ConsoleColor.DarkRed,
+        /*None*/      ConsoleColor.White,


Why does any of this need to be changed?

PSReadLine.build.ps1

daxian-dbw · 2026-01-13T20:27:47Z

appveyor.yml

+      dotnet nuget remove source PowerShell_PublicPackages
+      dotnet nuget add source https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json --name nuget.org


We should add the missing packages to the PowerShell_PublicPackages instead of changing it to nuget.org.
Otherwise, a community contributor may not be able to build PSReadLine locally because we are using PowerShell_PublicPackages feed in nuget.config at the project root.

jshigetomi added 3 commits January 7, 2026 16:03

Target dotnet 8.0

52971d1

bump module version to 3.0.0 and add error message for users

7d99244

Remove PolyFill and update MockPSConsole

704e5a6

daxian-dbw reviewed Jan 8, 2026

View reviewed changes

jshigetomi added 5 commits January 8, 2026 11:46

Point to latest 7.4 SDK, remove polyfill loading interface, clean up …

15540d6

…build.ps1

Use 7.4.13

d45a4f4

use dotnet 8.0.415

6eca5aa

Remove error message from psm1

9c1f75d

Update test foreground color to White

15b0c0f

jshigetomi force-pushed the updateDotNet branch from 42b93b2 to 15b0c0f Compare January 13, 2026 16:43

jshigetomi added 2 commits January 13, 2026 10:57

Remove color tracking

cb3c83e

Remove OnImportAndRemove.cs

bb68f50

jshigetomi requested a review from daxian-dbw January 13, 2026 17:35

daxian-dbw reviewed Jan 13, 2026

View reviewed changes

		<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.PowerShell.Pager" Version="1.0.0" />
		</ItemGroup>

		dotnet nuget remove source PowerShell_PublicPackages
		dotnet nuget add source https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json --name nuget.org

Target pwsh LTS .NET #5055

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Target pwsh LTS .NET #5055

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jshigetomi commented Jan 7, 2026 •

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