shell-session-integration.md

Shell Session Integration

Status

Planned.

Goal

Update the current shell session after set and delete commands.

Constraint

The CLI runs as a child process and cannot directly mutate the parent shell's environment block.

Current State

• OS-level User and Machine environment variables are updated correctly.
• The tool also updates its own process environment for internal consistency.
• Existing shell sessions are not updated automatically.

Intended Direction

Add shell integration so the current shell session can apply the same change immediately after the CLI succeeds.

Proposed Approach

• add an --emit-shell mode that outputs shell-specific patch commands
• add thin shell wrappers that invoke the CLI and evaluate the emitted patch on success

Likely Shell Targets

Nushell

• set: load-env { FOO: "Bar" }
• delete: hide-env FOO

PowerShell

• set: $env:FOO = "Bar"
• delete: Remove-Item Env:FOO

cmd.exe

• set: set FOO=Bar
• delete: set FOO=

Requirements

• do not claim to update the parent shell from the standalone executable
• make shell integration explicit and opt-in
• keep the base CLI useful even without shell integration
• preserve exact scope validation and existing mutation behavior

Non-Goals

• mutating arbitrary already-running processes
• forcing all applications to reload environment variables
• rewriting the parent shell environment directly from the standalone CLI