The-transit-Project/.github/agents/shared-references/prerequisites.md

Important: This skill provides guidance and recommended instructions to assist the AI system. Outputs are not guaranteed to be complete, correct, secure, or applicable to every scenario. Results should be reviewed and validated by a human before being applied. The AI model may choose not to follow all instructions exactly, and additional verification may be required.

Prerequisites

Instructions for detecting which developer tools and VS Code extensions a user has installed, plus a catalog of the tools commonly required to build, run, and debug Azure projects.

There are two phases:

1. Identify required tools — derive the required tool set from a set of service criteria (runtime, package manager, project type, orchestrator, etc.).
2. Inventory what's installed — check the user's machine to see which of those tools are already installed and ready, recording the install status and version.

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Phase 1: Identify required tools

The calling custom agent is responsible for gathering its inputs during this phase — the inputs that describe each service of the project (runtime(s), package manager(s), project type(s), Azure dependencies, orchestrator, execution mode, and so on). How those inputs are obtained is up to the agent, but the agent should come with those in hand.

Those inputs are then used to identify which tools the user should have installed. Phase 1 always derives both sets — Run and Debug. The calling custom agent then decides which set(s) to surface — e.g. show only Run, or both — according to its workflow.

These catalogs are not meant to be exhaustive, but illustrative - map any stack/runtime or Azure dependency to the tool that builds or runs it, and assign it to the set that fits.

When the calling agent writes its output table, it should also record which planned service(s) require each tool (e.g. api, worker), using * for global toolchain shared by all services (or listing each service explicitly). For a container runtime or Compose provider (Docker or Podman, plus Docker Compose or Podman Compose), list the service(s) whose Azure dependencies its emulators stand in for, rather than *.

Run Tools

Dependencies that are required to run the project locally. If a run tool is missing the project cannot start. These are a list of illustrative examples, they are not exhaustive:

Tool	Category	Detect with	Needed for
Node.js	Runtime	node --version	node-ts / node-js stacks
npm	Package manager	npm --version	Node dependency management
pnpm	Package manager	pnpm --version	Node dependency management (pnpm projects)
yarn	Package manager	yarn --version	Node dependency management (yarn projects)
Python	Runtime	python --version (or python3 --version)	python stacks
pip	Package manager	pip --version (or pip3 --version)	Python dependency management
.NET SDK	Runtime / SDK	dotnet --version	dotnet stacks
Azure Functions Core Tools	Runtime	func --version	Azure Functions backends

Debug Tools

Tooling needed to debug the project locally, not just to run it through the terminal. Three independent kinds of entries belong here and all must be evaluated every time: container tooling (a container runtime — Docker or Podman — plus its Compose provider) for any Azure-dependency emulators; a Chromium-based browser (Chrome or Edge) for any frontend project type that debugs in a browser; and the VS Code debug-integration extension for each detected project type that has a matching row in the table below. The extensions are required for the debug experience — task types, problem matchers, launch integration — even when the project has no Azure emulator dependencies and even when the matching CLI or runtime tool already appears in the Run group.

This table is the authoritative list — include every row whose trigger matches the project, and maintainers must add any new debug tool or extension here so it is considered. Some project types require a specific VS Code extension for the debug experience (e.g. Azure Functions needs the Functions extension for its func task type and problem matchers), so do not infer these from memory — take them from this table.

Prefer to use the debug tools listed here. Also, never list VS Code itself — the plan is already running inside VS Code, so it is always present — and never list a VS Code extension for an emulator (e.g. an "Azurite Extension"). Emulators will run as containers via the chosen container runtime (Docker or Podman) and its Compose provider, not as extensions.

Tool / Extension	Category	Trigger When	Detect with
Docker or Podman	Container runtime	Project has Azure dependencies that run as local emulators	docker --version or podman --version
Docker Compose or Podman Compose	Compose provider	Orchestrating emulators	docker compose version or podman compose version
Chrome or Edge	Browser	Project has a frontend/SPA project type that debugs in a browser	See Browser detection in Phase 2 — detect Chrome/Edge; if neither is found, fall back by OS
ms-azuretools.vscode-azurefunctions	VS Code extension	Has an Azure Functions service	extensions filesystem check (Phase 2); installed (✅) if found, otherwise unknown (❓)

Container runtime is Docker or Podman — pick one, don't list both. Docker Desktop and Podman are interchangeable engines for the emulator containers, and the generated docker-compose.yml is identical for either. Detect both (see Container runtime detection in Phase 2), then emit prerequisite rows for the one the plan will use — Docker + Docker Compose, or Podman + Podman Compose (or Podman via Docker's socket — see below). Prefer the Podman engine whenever it's ready — select native Podman if the podman CLI is ready (even when Docker is also ready), or Podman-in-Docker-compatibility mode when the docker CLI is backed by Podman, unless the user explicitly asked for Docker; fall back to Docker when Podman isn't ready, and default to Docker only when neither can be confirmed. Record the chosen runtime and its Compose command in the plan's Orchestrator table so the generation phase emits matching task commands.

For a frontend project that debugs in a browser, always include a single browser row (Chrome or Edge). Record the specific browser chosen (Chrome or Edge) in the row name; the generate phase reads it to pick the frontend debug adapter type (chrome for Chrome, msedge for Edge). See Browser detection in Phase 2.

Always emit a Debug row for every VS Code extension whose project type is present. Run the Phase 2 filesystem check: if the extension folder is found, record it installed (✅); otherwise record it unknown (❓). Never drop the row just because the extension wasn't found, and never treat it as already covered by a Run tool. For example, an Azure Functions project must include a ms-azuretools.vscode-azurefunctions row even though Azure Functions Core Tools already appears under Run — the Core Tools CLI and the extension are separate prerequisites.

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Phase 2: Inventory what's installed

For each needed tool, run its detection and record whether it is installed and at what version. Mind any details in the sections below.

Every prerequisite resolves to exactly two states:

• installed (✅) — a detection positively found the tool (a version command returned, or an app/extension folder exists). Record the version when you have it.
• unknown (❓) — the detection did not find it. This does not mean the tool is absent: a version manager or a restricted/sandboxed shell can hide an installed tool, and the extension/Compose lookups fail silently in those shells. So a failed probe is inconclusive. A ❓ is informational; it just tells the user to double-check the tool is installed and, for CLI tools, to run a recheck.

There is no "not-installed" state — never mark a prerequisite with ❌. When you cannot positively confirm a tool, it is ❓.

Re-run this inventory whenever the calling agent builds the plan from scratch or regenerates the whole plan, and whenever the tool set itself changes (a runtime edit, or an added/removed service). Do not re-run it for a partial regeneration that doesn't touch the tool set — unless the user explicitly asks to recheck prerequisites. Never carry a stale result across a full rebuild.

Shell environment caveats

The agent's bash probes often run in a non-interactive or sandboxed shell that never sourced the user's startup files (~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc, ~/.config/fish/config.fish, …). Many users expose Node.js, Python, and other runtimes only through a shell version manager — fnm, nvm, asdf, mise, or Volta — that adds its shims to PATH from those startup files. So a tool the user has installed can be invisible to the first probe.

Do not work around this by sourcing another shell's rc file from bash — those files can contain shell-specific syntax bash can't parse. Instead retry through the user's own default shell, initialized (see CLI tool detection). And because a failed probe can't tell "genuinely absent" from "hidden by the environment," a tool that fails detection is ❓, never ❌.

On Windows this rarely applies: PATH is set at the system/user level via the registry, so tools installed with winget, choco, etc. are visible in every shell without sourcing a profile.

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CLI tool detection

Probe each CLI tool (Node.js, npm, pnpm, yarn, Python, pip, dotnet, func, and any other CLI in the catalog) in two stages, and stop at the first success. Record ✅ with the detected version as soon as either stage returns a version. Only if both stages fail do you record ❓.

Stage 1 — direct check. Run the catalog's version command directly in the current shell.

# macOS/Linux — direct probe in the current and likely non-interactive shell.
# `command -v <tool>` gates the version call so we only run it when the tool is
# actually on PATH, and it keeps a shell greeting or "not found" message from
# being mistaken for a version. `2>&1` merges stderr because some tools print
# their version there (e.g. older Python and Java).
command -v node >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "node:" && node --version 2>&1

Reproduce for any tool by substituting its name in all three spots — the command -v <tool> gate, the echo "<tool>:" label, and the version command. The version flag varies by tool (--version, -v, -V, version); use the one from its catalog entry.

Stage 2 — retry through the user's initialized shell. If Stage 1 returns nothing, re-run the same version command, but this time launch the user's configured default shell ($SHELL) as a login + interactive shell. This is a single invocation — the -l (login) and -i (interactive) flags make the shell source the user's startup files as part of starting up, and -c '<command>' runs your version command inside that now-initialized environment. There is no separate "start the shell, then send a second command" step; the initialization and the version command happen in one call. That startup is what puts a version manager's shims (fnm, nvm, asdf, mise, Volta) on PATH so the tool becomes visible.

Two guards make this reliable: check $SHELL is set and executable first, and gate the version command behind command -v <tool> so a shell greeting or startup banner can't be mistaken for a version. Wrap the real output in unique markers and read only the line between them.

# macOS/Linux — retry through the user's own default shell, initialized.
# Pass -l -i -c as SEPARATE flags: some shells like fish reject the bundled `-lic` form.
# `command -v` gates the version command, and 2>&1 keeps versions printed to
# stderr. A login+interactive shell sources the user's startup files, which can
# emit greetings/banners/MOTD to stdout; the echo markers fence the real version
# output so we parse only the line between them and ignore that noise. They stay
# portable across bash, zsh, fish, etc.
[ -n "$SHELL" ] && [ -x "$SHELL" ] && \
  "$SHELL" -l -i -c 'command -v node >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo __COR_START__ && node --version 2>&1 && echo __COR_END__'

For example, to confirm Python the same way, swap the tool name in the command -v gate and version command (keep the markers as-is):

[ -n "$SHELL" ] && [ -x "$SHELL" ] && \
  "$SHELL" -l -i -c 'command -v python >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo __COR_START__ && python --version 2>&1 && echo __COR_END__'

Run Stage 2 for every CLI tool that failed Stage 1. On Windows, registry-level PATH means Stage 1 is normally enough:

# Windows PowerShell
Get-Command node -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Source

When the inventory produces any ❓ CLI results, tell the user those tools couldn't be confirmed and to run a recheck. The recheck retries detection through the host default shell and can confirm version-manager-provided runtimes the initial sandboxed scan couldn't see; a tool confirmed there flips to ✅.

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Container runtime detection

Only when the project has Azure dependencies that run as local emulators. The emulators run in containers, so the plan needs exactly one container runtime and its Compose provider. Docker and Podman are interchangeable here — detect both, then record the one the plan will use.

Follow the same two states as every other prerequisite: installed (✅) when a probe positively confirms the runtime is present and ready, unknown (❓) otherwise. Never ❌.

Step 1 — detect each engine's CLI and Compose provider. Use the same first-success, two-stage shell approach as CLI tool detection (a version-manager or sandboxed shell can hide an installed tool):

# Docker
command -v docker >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "docker:" && docker --version 2>&1
command -v docker >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "docker compose:" && docker compose version 2>&1

# Podman
command -v podman >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "podman:" && podman --version 2>&1
command -v podman >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "podman compose:" && podman compose version 2>&1

# Windows
Get-Command docker -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Source
Get-Command podman -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Source

podman compose needs an external Compose provider. podman compose is a thin wrapper that shells out to docker-compose or podman-compose; installing the podman CLI alone does not guarantee Compose works. Treat Podman's Compose provider as ✅ only when podman compose version returns a version.

Step 2 — confirm the engine is ready, not just installed. A CLI on PATH is not the same as a running engine.

• Linux: the runtime is usually ready once the CLI resolves; a quick docker info / podman info confirms the daemon/socket is reachable.

• Windows and macOS: both engines run containers inside a Linux VM. Docker Desktop must be running; Podman needs a Podman machine that exists and is started. Probe it without mutating anything:

  # Is a Podman machine defined and running? (never init/start it here — see the plan phase)
  podman machine list --format '{{.Name}} {{.Running}}' 2>&1
  

  If no machine exists, or the machine is stopped, record Podman as ❓ and note in the plan that the user must run podman machine init / podman machine start before F5. Do not create or start a Podman machine during detection — that is a slow, stateful action the user should approve (handled in the generation preflight).

Step 2b — detect Podman running behind Docker's socket (Docker-compatibility mode). Podman Desktop can expose a Docker-compatible socket so plain docker / docker compose commands actually drive the Podman engine. When you detected a working docker CLI in Step 1, check which engine actually answers before labeling it Docker:

# The Docker CLI reports its backing server engine here.
docker info --format '{{.ServerVersion}}' 2>&1        # a Podman backend shows e.g. "5.x.y" with Podman in the full `docker info`
docker version --format '{{.Server.Version}}' 2>&1

If the Docker CLI's server identifies as Podman (the full docker info / docker version names Podman, or podman is the only engine installed yet docker resolves), the machine is running Podman in Docker-compatibility mode: the engine is Podman but the Compose command stays docker compose. Record this as its own runtime (see Step 3, option for Docker-compat).

Step 3 — choose the runtime and record it.

1. If an existing docker-compose.yml/compose.yaml and project tooling already imply a runtime, keep it (don't override a deliberate existing setup).
2. Prefer the Podman engine whenever it's ready.
   • If native Podman is ✅ (the podman CLI is ready — engine reachable, machine running on Win/mac, podman compose provider present), select Podman with the podman compose command — even if Docker is also ready — unless the user explicitly asked for Docker.
   • Else if the docker CLI is ready but backed by Podman (Step 2b), select Podman (Docker-compatible): the engine is Podman, but the Compose command stays docker compose. Prefer this over plain Docker too, since the engine is still Podman.
3. Otherwise, if Docker is ✅ (backed by the real Docker engine), select Docker with docker compose.
4. If neither can be confirmed, default the plan to Docker, record the container runtime + Compose provider as ❓, and surface the action-required callout so the user installs/starts one before approving.

Record the choice in the plan's Orchestrator table so the generation phase emits the matching Compose command:

Selection	Container Runtime cell	Compose Command cell
Native Podman	Podman	podman compose
Podman via Docker socket	Podman (Docker-compatible)	docker compose
Docker	Docker	docker compose

This preference is the same in autopilot: autopilot selects the Podman engine (native, else Docker-compatible) when it's ready and falls back to Docker, with no chat prompt.

Emit prerequisite rows for the selected runtime only (Docker + Docker Compose, or Podman + Podman Compose), and record the same choice — plus its Compose command (docker compose or podman compose) — in the plan's Orchestrator table so the generation phase emits matching task commands.

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VS Code extension detection

Check the extensions filesystem — do NOT use code --list-extensions (it launches a new VS Code instance). Users may have VS Code, VS Code Insiders, or both — always check all possible locations using find (more reliable than piping ls through grep):

# macOS/Linux
find ~/.vscode/extensions ~/.vscode-insiders/extensions -maxdepth 1 -name "<extension-id-prefix>*" 2>/dev/null

# Windows
Get-ChildItem "$env:USERPROFILE\.vscode\extensions", "$env:USERPROFILE\.vscode-insiders\extensions" -Filter "<extension-id-prefix>*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

The extensions to check come from the VS Code debug-integration extensions table in Phase 1 — that table is the authoritative list. Detect each one with the extensions filesystem check above. If the check finds the extension folder, record it installed (✅); if it finds nothing, record it unknown (❓) — the scan can come up empty in restricted shells even when the extension is installed.

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Browser detection

Only when the project has a frontend/SPA project type that debugs in a browser. Frontend debugging launches a Chromium-based browser — Chrome or Edge — so detect which one is already installed and record that browser. The chosen browser drives the generated debug config type: Chrome → chrome, Edge → msedge.

Detect both, then choose in this order:

1. If Chrome is installed, choose Chrome and record it installed (✅) with its version if available.
2. Otherwise if Edge is installed, choose Edge and record it installed (✅) with its version if available.
3. If neither is detected, fall back by operating system and record the fallback as unknown (❓):
   • Windows → Edge (msedge). Edge ships with Windows and is normally detected as installed in step 2, so this fallback rarely triggers.
   • macOS / Linux → Chrome (chrome).

# macOS — installed if the app bundle exists
ls -d "/Applications/Google Chrome.app" 2>/dev/null   # Chrome
ls -d "/Applications/Microsoft Edge.app" 2>/dev/null  # Edge

# Linux — installed if any binary resolves
which google-chrome google-chrome-stable chromium chromium-browser 2>/dev/null   # Chrome / Chromium
which microsoft-edge microsoft-edge-stable 2>/dev/null                            # Edge

# Windows — installed if any path exists
Test-Path "$env:ProgramFiles\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe", "${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe"  # Chrome
Test-Path "$env:ProgramFiles\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe", "${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe"  # Edge

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Never author install links

Do not add an Install column, and never emit an install link or URL for any tool — not in the tables, the browser fallback, or anywhere else. The plan webviews append a deterministic Install link resolved from a built-in catalog keyed on the tool name, so any link authored here is ignored, and keeping install URLs out of the plan avoids surfacing an untrusted, model-authored link to the user. Just name the tool accurately (matching the catalog labels above) so the webview can resolve its link.