hashicorp/vagrant · error · Vagrant::Errors::PowerShellNotFound

Failed to locate the powershell executable on the available

Error message

Failed to locate the powershell executable on the available PATH. Please
ensure powershell is installed and available on the local PATH, then
run the command again.

What it means

Vagrant::Util::PowerShell.validate_install! memoizes its result and, on first call, raises PowerShellNotFound when available? is false — no powershell executable could be located on PATH. Windows-side features (elevated shell, Hyper-V operations, network configuration) call this before executing anything through PowerShell.

Source

Thrown at lib/vagrant/util/powershell.rb:246

              timeout: timeout,
            ) {|io_name,data| version = data}
          rescue Vagrant::Util::Subprocess::TimeoutExceeded
            LOGGER.debug("Timeout exceeded while attempting to determine version of Powershell.")
          end

          @_powershell_version = version
        end
        @_powershell_version
      end

      # Validates that powershell is installed, available, and
      # at or above minimum required version
      #
      # @return [Boolean]
      # @raises []
      def self.validate_install!
        if !defined?(@_powershell_validation)
          raise Errors::PowerShellNotFound if !available?
          if version.to_i < MINIMUM_REQUIRED_VERSION
            raise Errors::PowerShellInvalidVersion,
              minimum_version: MINIMUM_REQUIRED_VERSION,
              installed_version: version ? version : "N/A"
          end
          @_powershell_validation = true
        end
        @_powershell_validation
      end

      # Powerup the given command to perform privileged operations.
      #
      # @param [String] path
      # @param [Array<String>] args
      # @return [Array<String>]
      def self.powerup_command(path, args, opts)
        Dir.mktmpdir("vagrant") do |dpath|
          all_args = [path] + args.flatten.map{ |a|

View on GitHub (pinned to 35f3160f4a)

Solutions

Install Windows PowerShell (built into full Windows; add via `Add-WindowsCapability` on stripped images)
Add the PowerShell directory (typically C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\) to PATH
Restart the terminal/service so the updated PATH reaches Vagrant, then confirm with `where powershell`

Example fix

# before: powershell missing from the CI agent's PATH
> vagrant up   # PowerShellNotFound

# after (Windows)
> setx PATH "%PATH%;C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0"
> vagrant up

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

require 'vagrant/util/powershell'

unless Vagrant::Util::PowerShell.available?
  abort 'powershell is not on PATH; install it or fix PATH before continuing'
end

Try / catch

begin
  Vagrant::Util::PowerShell.validate_install!
rescue Vagrant::Errors::PowerShellNotFound
  abort 'install Windows PowerShell and ensure it is on PATH'
end

Prevention

Assert PowerShell availability in provisioning scripts before vagrant runs
Do not strip System32 PowerShell paths from service environments
Verify with `where powershell` in the shell that runs vagrant

When it happens

Trigger: Any Windows-path code that shells out through PowerShell when powershell(.exe) is absent from PATH: Server Core images without PowerShell on PATH, sanitized PATH in service/CI agent contexts, or PowerShell genuinely not installed.

Common situations: CI agents running as services with a minimal PATH; broken PATH/PATHEXT after system tweaks; custom stripped Windows container images.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of hashicorp/vagrant@35f3160f4a (2026-08-21). Data as JSON: /api/errors/2b10c9318e77072d. Report an issue: GitHub.