Windows PowerShell breakpoints introduce errors before script debugger launch

[dbaileyut]

Prerequisites

• I have written a descriptive issue title.
• I have searched all open and closed issues to ensure it has not already been reported.
• I have read the troubleshooting guide.
• I am sure this issue is with the extension itself and does not reproduce in a standalone PowerShell instance.
• I have verified that I am using the latest version of Visual Studio Code and the PowerShell extension.
• If this is a security issue, I have read the security issue reporting guidance.

Summary

When I create a minimal test script and set the powerShellDefaultVersion to "Windows Powershell (x64)" and run the script with a breakpoint, 6 errors are introduced prior to the launch of the script related to PowerShellGet and PackageMangement.

PowerShell Version

Name                           Value                                                                                   
----                           -----                                                                                   
PSVersion                      5.1.22621.4391                                                                          
PSEdition                      Desktop                                                                                 
PSCompatibleVersions           {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0...}                                                                 
BuildVersion                   10.0.22621.4391                                                                         
CLRVersion                     4.0.30319.42000                                                                         
WSManStackVersion              3.0                                                                                     
PSRemotingProtocolVersion      2.3                                                                                     
SerializationVersion           1.1.0.1

Visual Studio Code Version

1.99.0-insider
x64

Extension Version

ms-vscode.powershell@2025.3.0

Steps to Reproduce

Open a new folder in VS Code, add "powershell.powerShellDefaultVersion": "Windows Powershell (x64)" to .vscode/settings.json.

Create a test script TestEarlyErrors.ps1 with the following:

Write-Host "We haven't done anything yet! Errors: $($Error.Count)"
Write-Host "We haven't done anything yet! Errors: $($Error.Count)"
'done'

Hit F5 to debug the test script.
Note there are no errors.

Add a breakpoint to line 2.

Hit F5 to debug the script with the break point
Note that there are 6 errors prior to the script launching.

Running $Error | clip produces the output below to the clipboard:

ImportCimAndScriptKeywordsFromModule : A second CIM class definition for 'MSFT_PSRepository' was found while processing the schema file 'C:\Program 
Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PowerShellGet\2.2.1\DSCResources\MSFT_PSRepository\MSFT_PSRepository.Schema.mof'. This class was already defined in the file(s) 'C:\Users\dbailey\OneDrive - The University of Texas at 
Austin\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PowerShellGet\2.2.1\DSCResources\MSFT_PSRepository\MSFT_PSRepository.Schema.mof,C:\Program 
Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PowerShellGet\2.2.5\DSCResources\MSFT_PSRepository\MSFT_PSRepository.Schema.mof'. Remove the redundant definition, and then try again.
At C:\windows\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\PSDesiredStateConfiguration\PSDesiredStateConfiguration.psm1:4143 char:29
+ ...     $null = ImportCimAndScriptKeywordsFromModule -Module $mod -Resour ...
+                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Write-Error], PSInvalidOperationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : System.Management.Automation.PSInvalidOperationException,ImportCimAndScriptKeywordsFromModule
 
ImportCimAndScriptKeywordsFromModule : A second CIM class definition for 'MSFT_PSModule' was found while processing the schema file 'C:\Program 
Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PowerShellGet\2.2.1\DSCResources\MSFT_PSModule\MSFT_PSModule.Schema.mof'. This class was already defined in the file(s) 'C:\Users\dbailey\OneDrive - The University of Texas at 
Austin\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PowerShellGet\2.2.1\DSCResources\MSFT_PSModule\MSFT_PSModule.Schema.mof,C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PowerShellGet\2.2.5\DSCResources\MSFT_PSModule\MSFT_PSModule.Schema.mof'. Remove the 
redundant definition, and then try again.
At C:\windows\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\PSDesiredStateConfiguration\PSDesiredStateConfiguration.psm1:4143 char:29
+ ...     $null = ImportCimAndScriptKeywordsFromModule -Module $mod -Resour ...
+                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Write-Error], PSInvalidOperationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : System.Management.Automation.PSInvalidOperationException,ImportCimAndScriptKeywordsFromModule
 
ImportCimAndScriptKeywordsFromModule : A second CIM class definition for 'MSFT_PackageManagementSource' was found while processing the schema file 'C:\Program 
Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PackageManagement\1.0.0.1\DSCResources\MSFT_PackageManagementSource\MSFT_PackageManagementSource.schema.mof'. This class was already defined in the file(s) 'C:\Users\dbailey\OneDrive - The University of Texas 
at Austin\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PackageManagement\1.4.4\DSCResources\MSFT_PackageManagementSource\MSFT_PackageManagementSource.Schema.mof,C:\Program Files 
(x86)\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PackageManagement\1.0.0.1\DSCResources\MSFT_PackageManagementSource\MSFT_PackageManagementSource.schema.mof,C:\Program 
Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PackageManagement\1.4.8.1\DSCResources\MSFT_PackageManagementSource\MSFT_PackageManagementSource.Schema.mof,C:\Program 
Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PackageManagement\1.4.4\DSCResources\MSFT_PackageManagementSource\MSFT_PackageManagementSource.Schema.mof'. Remove the redundant definition, and then try again.
At C:\windows\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\PSDesiredStateConfiguration\PSDesiredStateConfiguration.psm1:4143 char:29
+ ...     $null = ImportCimAndScriptKeywordsFromModule -Module $mod -Resour ...
+                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Write-Error], PSInvalidOperationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : System.Management.Automation.PSInvalidOperationException,ImportCimAndScriptKeywordsFromModule
 
ImportCimAndScriptKeywordsFromModule : A second CIM class definition for 'MSFT_PackageManagement' was found while processing the schema file 'C:\Program 
Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PackageManagement\1.0.0.1\DSCResources\MSFT_PackageManagement\MSFT_PackageManagement.schema.mof'. This class was already defined in the file(s) 'C:\Users\dbailey\OneDrive - The University of Texas at 
Austin\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PackageManagement\1.4.4\DSCResources\MSFT_PackageManagement\MSFT_PackageManagement.Schema.mof,C:\Program Files 
(x86)\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PackageManagement\1.0.0.1\DSCResources\MSFT_PackageManagement\MSFT_PackageManagement.schema.mof,C:\Program 
Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PackageManagement\1.4.8.1\DSCResources\MSFT_PackageManagement\MSFT_PackageManagement.Schema.mof,C:\Program 
Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PackageManagement\1.4.4\DSCResources\MSFT_PackageManagement\MSFT_PackageManagement.Schema.mof'. Remove the redundant definition, and then try again.
At C:\windows\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\PSDesiredStateConfiguration\PSDesiredStateConfiguration.psm1:4143 char:29
+ ...     $null = ImportCimAndScriptKeywordsFromModule -Module $mod -Resour ...
+                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Write-Error], PSInvalidOperationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : System.Management.Automation.PSInvalidOperationException,ImportCimAndScriptKeywordsFromModule
 
ImportCimAndScriptKeywordsFromModule : A second CIM class definition for 'MSFT_PackageManagementSource' was found while processing the schema file 'C:\Program 
Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PackageManagement\1.4.4\DSCResources\MSFT_PackageManagementSource\MSFT_PackageManagementSource.Schema.mof'. This class was already defined in the file(s) 'C:\Users\dbailey\OneDrive - The University of Texas at 
Austin\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PackageManagement\1.4.4\DSCResources\MSFT_PackageManagementSource\MSFT_PackageManagementSource.Schema.mof,C:\Program Files 
(x86)\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PackageManagement\1.0.0.1\DSCResources\MSFT_PackageManagementSource\MSFT_PackageManagementSource.schema.mof,C:\Program 
Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PackageManagement\1.4.8.1\DSCResources\MSFT_PackageManagementSource\MSFT_PackageManagementSource.Schema.mof'. Remove the redundant definition, and then try again.
At C:\windows\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\PSDesiredStateConfiguration\PSDesiredStateConfiguration.psm1:4143 char:29
+ ...     $null = ImportCimAndScriptKeywordsFromModule -Module $mod -Resour ...
+                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Write-Error], PSInvalidOperationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : System.Management.Automation.PSInvalidOperationException,ImportCimAndScriptKeywordsFromModule
 
ImportCimAndScriptKeywordsFromModule : A second CIM class definition for 'MSFT_PackageManagement' was found while processing the schema file 'C:\Program 
Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PackageManagement\1.4.4\DSCResources\MSFT_PackageManagement\MSFT_PackageManagement.Schema.mof'. This class was already defined in the file(s) 'C:\Users\dbailey\OneDrive - The University of Texas at 
Austin\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PackageManagement\1.4.4\DSCResources\MSFT_PackageManagement\MSFT_PackageManagement.Schema.mof,C:\Program Files 
(x86)\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PackageManagement\1.0.0.1\DSCResources\MSFT_PackageManagement\MSFT_PackageManagement.schema.mof,C:\Program 
Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PackageManagement\1.4.8.1\DSCResources\MSFT_PackageManagement\MSFT_PackageManagement.Schema.mof'. Remove the redundant definition, and then try again.
At C:\windows\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\PSDesiredStateConfiguration\PSDesiredStateConfiguration.psm1:4143 char:29
+ ...     $null = ImportCimAndScriptKeywordsFromModule -Module $mod -Resour ...
+                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Write-Error], PSInvalidOperationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : System.Management.Automation.PSInvalidOperationException,ImportCimAndScriptKeywordsFromModule
 

Visuals

VSCodeWindowsPowerShellDebugIssue-20250328.zip

Logs

ms-vscode.powershell.zip

PowerShell: Trace LSP output

2025-03-28 13:42:21.556 [info] No result returned.
2025-03-28 13:42:23.331 [info] No parameters provided.
2025-03-28 13:42:26.461 [info] No parameters provided.
2025-03-28 13:42:26.462 [info] No parameters provided.
2025-03-28 13:42:28.668 [info] No result returned.
2025-03-28 13:43:01.239 [info] No parameters provided.

[dbaileyut]

Ack, I realized I was behind on the VS Code Insiders version. Reproduced with:

Version: 1.99.0-insider (system setup)
Commit: 88c05937becd43f3bc9457b65f2185e4cdaeae6e
Date: 2025-03-27T23:30:01.317Z
Electron: 34.3.2
ElectronBuildId: 11161073
Chromium: 132.0.6834.210
Node.js: 20.18.3
V8: 13.2.152.41-electron.0
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.22631

[JustinGrote]

Thanks for the submission!

It looks like you have a ton of PackageManagement versions installed on your computer. Can you try cleaning those up first and retrying? Looks like you have a MOF conflict that isn't directly related to vscode. Also please try testing in PowerShell 7, as PowerShell 5.1 support is best-effort currently.

[dbaileyut]

Cleaning up my module versions resolved the issue. It's odd to me that it was even considering the older versions. Thanks!