Run .sh scripts inline in Windows Terminal (PowerShell) via Git Bash

run-sh-in-windows-terminal-via-git-bash.md

Run .sh scripts inline in Windows Terminal (PowerShell) via Git Bash

Goal: type .\some-script.sh in a Windows Terminal PowerShell tab and have it run in that same window using Git Bash — instead of a separate Git Bash window that flashes open and closes.

Tested on Windows 10/11, Windows PowerShell 5.1 and PowerShell 7, with Git for Windows.

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TL;DR

Two ways, pick one (or both):

1. Explicit helper — call a gbash function: gbash ./scripts/build.sh
2. Transparent hook (recommended) — a $PROFILE hook so .\scripts/build.sh just works like any command.

Both run Git Bash as a console child process in the current tab, not as a popup window, and not WSL.

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Why the popup window happens

When you run .\build.sh in PowerShell, .sh is not in $env:PATHEXT, so PowerShell doesn't treat it as an executable. It falls back to the Windows file association for .sh, which Git for Windows points at git-bash.exe — and git-bash.exe opens a new terminal window (then closes when the script ends).

The fix is to invoke bash.exe (a console program) instead of git-bash.exe (a window launcher):

git-bash.exe                                   # opens a NEW window
& "C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe" -lc "…"  # runs INLINE in the current console

& is PowerShell's call operator (needed because the path has spaces). -l = login shell (sources your profile so e.g. docker is on PATH); -c = run the following command string.

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⚠️ The WSL gotcha (important)

On a typical machine there are three bash.exe on PATH, and a bare bash resolves to the first one:

C:\Windows\system32\bash.exe                                  ← WSL bash   (WRONG for these scripts)
C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe                             ← Git Bash   (what you want)
C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\bash.exe   ← MS-Store WSL stub

system32\bash.exe is WSL, not Git Bash. Scripts written for Git Bash (MSYS/MinGW path handling, Docker Desktop on Windows, python vs python3 quirks) misbehave under WSL. Always pin the full Git path — never rely on a bare bash.

Tell them apart at runtime: Git Bash mounts your drive as /c, /e, … (pwd → /e/proj). WSL mounts as /mnt/c, /mnt/e (pwd → /mnt/e/proj).

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Option 1 — gbash helper function

Put this in your PowerShell profile (notepad $PROFILE; create it first with New-Item -ItemType File -Force $PROFILE if missing):

function gbash {
    param([Parameter(ValueFromRemainingArguments = $true)][string[]] $Command)
    & "C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe" -lc ($Command -join ' ')
    if ($LASTEXITCODE) { Write-Error "bash exited $LASTEXITCODE" }
}

Usage:

gbash ./scripts/build.sh
gbash "git status && ./scripts/deploy.sh --force"

Simple and explicit. The downside: you have to prefix with gbash — .\build.sh alone still pops a window.

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Option 2 — Transparent $PROFILE hook (recommended)

This makes .\anything.sh run inline automatically, with no prefix. It uses PowerShell's PreCommandLookupAction, which fires before PowerShell falls back to the file-association popup, and reroutes any *.sh command to Git Bash.

Add to your $PROFILE:

# >>> sh-inline hook >>>
# Run *.sh scripts inline via Git Bash (not a popup window, not WSL).
# To disable: delete this block, or run
#   $ExecutionContext.InvokeCommand.PreCommandLookupAction = $null
$ExecutionContext.InvokeCommand.PreCommandLookupAction = {
    param($CommandName, $eventArgs)
    if ($CommandName -like '*.sh') {
        $scriptPath = $CommandName
        $eventArgs.CommandScriptBlock = {
            $resolved = Resolve-Path -LiteralPath $scriptPath -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
            $p = if ($resolved) { $resolved.Path -replace '\\','/' } else { $scriptPath -replace '\\','/' }
            & 'C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe' -l $p @args
        }.GetNewClosure()
        $eventArgs.StopSearch = $true
    }
}
# <<< sh-inline hook <<<

Reload (. $PROFILE) or open a new tab, then:

.\scripts\build.sh                 # inline, in this window
.\scripts\local-start.sh --force   # extra args pass straight through

How it works

• PreCommandLookupAction runs for every command lookup. When the command ends in .sh, it replaces the invocation with an inline Git Bash call and stops the normal search (StopSearch = $true) — so the popup association never fires.
• Path fix: Resolve-Path turns .\scripts\build.sh into an absolute path, and -replace '\\','/' swaps backslashes for forward slashes so Git Bash doesn't treat \ as an escape (C:/proj/scripts/build.sh is accepted as-is).
• .GetNewClosure() captures the script path per-invocation; @args forwards your arguments; $LASTEXITCODE propagates the script's exit code back to PowerShell.
• -l loads the login profile (so docker, etc. are on PATH); the Git path is pinned, so it never falls through to WSL.

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Gotchas

• PowerShell 5.1 vs 7 have different $PROFILE paths. If you use both, add the block to each:
  • 5.1: …\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1
  • 7: …\Documents\PowerShell\Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1
  • Check yours with echo $PROFILE in each. (In Windows Terminal, the built-in "Windows PowerShell" profile is 5.1; "PowerShell" is 7.)
• Invoke the script as a path PowerShell recognizes: .\foo.sh, a full path, or foo.sh in the current directory. A bare name not in the cwd won't resolve.
• It only affects PowerShell (it's in your profile). cmd.exe and other shells are untouched.
• If Git isn't at C:\Program Files\Git, update that one path.
• WSL vs Git Bash for the script itself: Git Bash covers sed/awk/grep/find/cp/rm/mkdir -p, etc. If a script needs Linux-only things (apt, systemctl, /proc, real symlinks, Docker-in-Linux), use WSL2 instead.

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Verify

# Quick check that a .sh runs inline and reports Git Bash (not WSL):
Set-Content .\_t.sh "echo \"inline ok: bash=$(command -v bash) cwd=$(pwd)\""
.\_t.sh                      # expect: cwd=/c/... or /e/...  (NOT /mnt/...)
Remove-Item .\_t.sh

Uninstall

Delete the # >>> sh-inline hook >>> … <<< block from your $PROFILE (and/or the gbash function), then open a new tab. To disable for just the current session:

$ExecutionContext.InvokeCommand.PreCommandLookupAction = $null