Predictive IntelliSense in Azure Cloud Shell

Beginning January 2023 Azure Cloud Shell uses the version of PSReadLine that has Predictive IntelliSense enabled by default. We've also installed and enabled the Azure PowerShell predictor Az.Tools.Predictor module. Together, these changes enhance the command-line experience by providing suggestions that help new and experienced users of Azure discover, edit, and execute complete commands.

What is Predictive IntelliSense?

Predictive IntelliSense is a feature of the PSReadLine module. It provides suggestions for complete commands based on items from your history and from predictor modules, like Az.Tools.Predictor.

Prediction suggestions appear as colored text following the user's cursor. The following image shows the default InlineView of the suggestion. Pressing RightArrow key accepts an inline suggestion. After accepting the suggestion, you can edit the command line before hitting Enter to run the command.

PSReadLine also offers a ListView presentation of the suggestions.

In ListView mode, use the arrow keys to scroll through the available suggestions. List view also shows the source of the prediction.

You can switch between InlineView and ListView by pressing the F2 key.

How to change the prediction color

The default color of the suggestions may be difficult for some people. PSReadLine allows you to configure the color of the suggestions.

The following command changes the color of inline suggestions to white text on a gray background.

Set-PSReadLineOption -Colors @{
    InlinePrediction = $PSStyle.Foreground.White + $PSStyle.Background.BrightBlack
}

Learn more about color settings for Set-PSReadLineOption.

How to disable Predictive IntelliSense

If you don't want to take advantage of these updated features, PSReadLine allows you to turn off Predictive IntelliSense.

To disable Predictive IntelliSense, execute the following Set-PSReadLineOption command or add to the PowerShell profile script.

Set-PSReadLineOption -PredictionSource None

Keep your changes permanent

The commands to change the prediction color and enable or disable predictions only affect the current session. Add these commands to your PowerShell profile so that they're available every time you start Cloud Shell. The following instructions will guide you through configuring a profile for Cloud Shell. For more information on PowerShell profiles, see About_Profiles

How to check if you have a PowerShell profile in Cloud Shell

A PowerShell profile is a script that runs when PowerShell starts. Use Test-Path to check if the profile exists in Cloud Shell.

Test-Path -Path $Profile

How to Create a PowerShell profile in Cloud Shell

If the output is False, create a profile and add the customized color and behavior commands.

To store configuration commands for Predictive IntelliSense, Use the New-Item cmdlet to create a PowerShell profile.

New-Item -Path $Profile -ItemType File -Force

    Directory: /home/jason/.config/PowerShell

UnixMode   User             Group                 LastWriteTime           Size Name
--------   ----             -----                 -------------           ---- ----
-rw-r--r-- jason            jason              11/19/2022 18:21              0 Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1

Use the built-in open-source editor to edit the profile. To learn more, see Azure Cloud Shell editor.

The following example shows the profile commands that set the prediction color to default light grey and enables History predictions.

Set-PSReadLineOption -PredictionSource History
Set-PSReadLineOption -Colors @{ InLinePrediction = '#8d8d8d' }

How to Edit a PowerShell profile in Cloud Shell

If the output is True, then a profile already exists. Edit the existing profile to add the commands to configure the color and behavior of Predictive IntelliSense. Use the built-in open-source editor to edit the profile. To learn more, see Azure Cloud Shell editor.

Use the built-in Cloud Shell editor to edit the profile:

code $Profile

Next steps

For more information about configuring PSReadLine and managing predictors, see Using predictors in PSReadLine.

For more information on PowerShell profiles, see About_Profiles.