# PowerShell Tool Migration Guide
## Quick Reference for Fixing Existing Tools
### 🔄 Migration Patterns
#### Before (Broken Pipes)
```powershell
# ❌ OLD: Direct pipe usage
Get-Process | Where-Object {$_.CPU -gt 100} | Select-Object Name, CPU
# ❌ OLD: Complex pipe chains
Get-ChildItem -Path $path | Where-Object {$_.Extension -eq ".txt"} | Sort-Object Name | Format-Table
# ❌ OLD: External commands with pipes
& npm list | findstr "express"
```
#### After (File Redirect)
```powershell
# ✅ NEW: File redirect pattern
$tempFile = "C:\temp\processes_$(Get-Date -Format 'HHmmss').txt"
Get-Process | Where-Object {$_.CPU -gt 100} | Select-Object Name, CPU > $tempFile
Get-Content $tempFile -Encoding UTF8
Remove-Item $tempFile -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
# ✅ NEW: Complex operations with error handling
$tempFile = "C:\temp\files_$(Get-Date -Format 'HHmmss').txt"
try {
Get-ChildItem -Path $path | Where-Object {$_.Extension -eq ".txt"} | Sort-Object Name | Format-Table > $tempFile
if (Test-Path $tempFile) {
Get-Content $tempFile -Encoding UTF8
}
} finally {
Remove-Item $tempFile -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
# ✅ NEW: External commands properly handled
$tempFile = "C:\temp\npm_$(Get-Date -Format 'HHmmss').txt"
Start-Process -FilePath "cmd.exe" -ArgumentList "/c npm list | findstr express" -Wait -RedirectStandardOutput $tempFile -WindowStyle Hidden
Get-Content $tempFile -Encoding UTF8
Remove-Item $tempFile -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
```
### 🛠️ Tool Update Checklist
For each PowerShell tool function:
1. **Identify Pipe Usage**: Search for `|` operators
2. **Add Temp File Generation**: Use `"C:\temp\op_$(Get-Date -Format 'HHmmss').txt"`
3. **Replace Pipe with Redirect**: Change `|` chains to `> $tempFile`
4. **Add Content Read**: `Get-Content $tempFile -Encoding UTF8`
5. **Add Cleanup**: `Remove-Item $tempFile -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue`
6. **Test Error Cases**: Ensure proper error handling
### 🎯 Priority Tool Fixes
Based on common MCP operations, prioritize fixing these tool types:
1. **Process Management Tools**: `Get-Process` operations
2. **File System Tools**: `Get-ChildItem`, `Search-Files`
3. **Git Operations**: All git command wrappers
4. **System Info**: `Get-SystemInfo`, resource monitoring
5. **External Command Wrappers**: npm, python, docker commands
### 🧪 Testing Each Fix
```powershell
# Test pattern for each updated tool
function Test-ToolFunction {
param([string]$ToolName)
Write-Output "Testing $ToolName..."
try {
# Call your updated tool function here
$result = & $ToolName
if ($result) {
Write-Output "✅ $ToolName works correctly"
} else {
Write-Output "⚠️ $ToolName returned no output"
}
} catch {
Write-Output "❌ $ToolName failed: $($_.Exception.Message)"
}
}
```
---
**Implementation Priority**: Critical - Fix immediately for reliable MCP operation
**Testing Required**: Yes - Test each updated tool thoroughly
