bugs

Prerequisites

• I have written a descriptive issue title.
• I have searched all open and closed issues to ensure it has not already been reported.
• I have read the troubleshooting guide.
• I am sure this issue is with the extension itself and does not reproduce in a standalone PowerShell instance.
• I have verified that I am using the latest version of Visual Studio Code and the PowerShell extension.
• If this is a security issue, I have read the security issue reporting guidance.

Summary

2026-08-09 22:47:04.732 [info] Visual Studio Code: v1.107.0 64-bit on Windows 64-bit
2026-08-09 22:47:04.732 [info] PowerShell Extension: v2025.4.0
2026-08-09 22:47:04.848 [info] Starting 'Windows PowerShell (x64)' at: C:\WINDOWS\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
2026-08-09 22:47:05.799 [info] PowerShell process started with PID: 9340
2026-08-09 22:47:39.278 [warning] Loading the PowerShell extension is taking longer than expected. If you're using privilege enforcement software, this can affect start up performance.
2026-08-09 22:49:10.369 [warning] PowerShell process terminated or Extension Terminal was closed, PID: 9340
2026-08-09 22:49:10.417 [error] Extension Terminal is undefined.
2026-08-09 22:49:10.981 [error] PowerShell Language Server process didn't start!
2026-08-09 22:49:11.545 [warning] Re-entered 'start' so waiting...
2026-08-09 22:49:11.624 [info] Starting 'Windows PowerShell (x64)' at: C:\WINDOWS\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
2026-08-09 22:49:12.076 [info] PowerShell process started with PID: 20496
2026-08-09 22:49:45.075 [warning] Loading the PowerShell extension is taking longer than expected. If you're using privilege enforcement software, this can affect start up performance.

PowerShell Version

Name                           Value                                                                                   
----                           -----                                                                                   
PSVersion                      5.1.19041.7548                                                                          
PSEdition                      Desktop                                                                                 
PSCompatibleVersions           {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0...}                                                                 
BuildVersion                   10.0.19041.7548                                                                         
CLRVersion                     4.0.30319.42000                                                                         
WSManStackVersion              3.0                                                                                     
PSRemotingProtocolVersion      2.3                                                                                     
SerializationVersion           1.1.0.1

Visual Studio Code Version

1.107.0
x64

Extension Version

ms-vscode.powershell@2025.4.0

Steps to Reproduce

2026-08-09 22:47:04.732 [info] Visual Studio Code: v1.107.0 64-bit on Windows 64-bit
2026-08-09 22:47:04.732 [info] PowerShell Extension: v2025.4.0
2026-08-09 22:47:04.848 [info] Starting 'Windows PowerShell (x64)' at: C:\WINDOWS\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
2026-08-09 22:47:05.799 [info] PowerShell process started with PID: 9340
2026-08-09 22:47:39.278 [warning] Loading the PowerShell extension is taking longer than expected. If you're using privilege enforcement software, this can affect start up performance.
2026-08-09 22:49:10.369 [warning] PowerShell process terminated or Extension Terminal was closed, PID: 9340
2026-08-09 22:49:10.417 [error] Extension Terminal is undefined.
2026-08-09 22:49:10.981 [error] PowerShell Language Server process didn't start!
2026-08-09 22:49:11.545 [warning] Re-entered 'start' so waiting...
2026-08-09 22:49:11.624 [info] Starting 'Windows PowerShell (x64)' at: C:\WINDOWS\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
2026-08-09 22:49:12.076 [info] PowerShell process started with PID: 20496
2026-08-09 22:49:45.075 [warning] Loading the PowerShell extension is taking longer than expected. If you're using privilege enforcement software, this can affect start up performance.

Visuals

2026-08-09 22:47:04.732 [info] Visual Studio Code: v1.107.0 64-bit on Windows 64-bit
2026-08-09 22:47:04.732 [info] PowerShell Extension: v2025.4.0
2026-08-09 22:47:04.848 [info] Starting 'Windows PowerShell (x64)' at: C:\WINDOWS\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
2026-08-09 22:47:05.799 [info] PowerShell process started with PID: 9340
2026-08-09 22:47:39.278 [warning] Loading the PowerShell extension is taking longer than expected. If you're using privilege enforcement software, this can affect start up performance.
2026-08-09 22:49:10.369 [warning] PowerShell process terminated or Extension Terminal was closed, PID: 9340
2026-08-09 22:49:10.417 [error] Extension Terminal is undefined.
2026-08-09 22:49:10.981 [error] PowerShell Language Server process didn't start!
2026-08-09 22:49:11.545 [warning] Re-entered 'start' so waiting...
2026-08-09 22:49:11.624 [info] Starting 'Windows PowerShell (x64)' at: C:\WINDOWS\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
2026-08-09 22:49:12.076 [info] PowerShell process started with PID: 20496
2026-08-09 22:49:45.075 [warning] Loading the PowerShell extension is taking longer than expected. If you're using privilege enforcement software, this can affect start up performance.

Logs

No response

Start by reproducing the extension startup failure with the reported Visual Studio Code, PowerShell, and extension versions, focusing on the PowerShell process and language server startup sequence. The issue is complete when the extension terminal and language server start reliably without the reported timeout and undefined-terminal errors.