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Terminal/Shell Commands Fail with spawn powershell.exe ENOENT Error #12079

@omur00

Description

@omur00

Before submitting your bug report

Relevant environment info

OS: Windows
Continue version: 1.3.38
IDE version: 1.114.0
Model: DeepSeek

Description

The run_terminal_command tool consistently fails with the error spawn powershell.exe ENOENT when attempting to execute any shell commands. This prevents file deletion operations and other terminal-based tasks within the Continue workspace.

Key symptoms:

File creation and editing tools work correctly (create_new_file, edit_existing_file, single_find_and_replace)
All terminal commands fail with the same error regardless of command type (rm, del, echo, etc.)
Cannot delete files from filesystem despite being able to create and edit them
Error suggests PowerShell executable cannot be found/spawned
Impact:

Limits file management capabilities (cannot delete files)
Prevents execution of shell scripts or commands
Reduces overall functionality of the agent
To reproduce
Create a test file using the agent:

Javascript

Apply
// Agent creates test.jsx with React component
Attempt to delete the file using terminal command:

Bash
Run
rm test.jsx
or

Cmd

Apply
del test.jsx
Observe the error:

Run
run_terminal_command failed with the message: spawn powershell.exe ENOENT
Alternative reproduction steps:

Try any simple shell command:
Bash
Run
echo "test"
Same error occurs
Environment details observed:

Workspace: Node.js/Next.js project
User Settings: Contains editor/formatter settings but no terminal configuration
Workspace Settings: Empty {} object
Security restriction: Cannot create/modify .vscode/settings.json due to security concerns in the workspace
Log output
[Please follow the troubleshooting guide in Continue Docs to obtain logs and add them here]

Expected behavior:

Terminal commands should execute successfully
File deletion should be possible via shell commands
Shell environment should be properly configured or have fallback mechanisms
Actual behavior:

All terminal commands fail with spawn powershell.exe ENOENT
No shell commands can be executed
File deletion is impossible via terminal

To reproduce

No response

Log output

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    area:toolsRelates to tool usagekind:bugIndicates an unexpected problem or unintended behavioros:windowsHappening specifically on Windows

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