A build automation tool written in PowerShell that leverages your existing command-line knowledge.

What is psake?

psake is a build automation tool written in PowerShell. It avoids the angle-bracket tax associated with executable XML by leveraging the PowerShell syntax in your build scripts. psake has a syntax inspired by rake (aka make in Ruby) and bake (aka make in Boo), but is easier to script because it leverages your existing command-line knowledge.

Note: psake is pronounced "sake" – as in Japanese rice wine. It does NOT rhyme with make, bake, or rake.

Installation

psake can be installed in several ways:

Option 1: PowerShell Gallery (Recommended)

Install-Module -Name psake -Scope CurrentUser

Option 2: Chocolatey

Option 3: Manual Installation

1. Download and extract the project from the releases page

2. Unblock the zip file before extracting (right-click → Properties → Unblock)

3. Import the module:

   Import-Module .\psake.psm1

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• PowerShell 5.1 or later

• Execution policy set to allow script execution:

  Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Your First Build Script

We highly recommend reading the psake docs for a more thorough walk through.

1. Create a build script file (e.g., psakefile.ps1):

   Task Default -Depends Test, Package
   
   Task Test {
       Write-Host "Running tests..."
   }
   
   Task Package {
       Write-Host "Creating package..."
   }

2. Run the build:

Running Examples

Navigate to the examples directory and try out the sample build scripts:

cd .\examples
Invoke-psake                    # Runs the default task
Invoke-psake .\psakefile.ps1 Clean  # Runs the Clean task

Getting Help

Get detailed help and examples:

Get-Help Invoke-psake -Full

Troubleshooting

PSScriptAnalyzer Warnings in Properties Blocks

When using PSScriptAnalyzer with psake build scripts, you may encounter warnings like:

PSUseDeclaredVarsMoreThanAssignments: The variable 'build_dir' is assigned but never used.

This is a known limitation - PSScriptAnalyzer's static analysis cannot detect that psake dot-sources Properties blocks into task scope at runtime. The variables ARE actually used, but the analyzer can't see it.

Solution: Use script-scoped variables in your Properties blocks:

Properties {
    $script:build_dir = "c:\build"
    $script:connection_string = "datasource=localhost;..."
}

Task Compile {
    "Building to: $build_dir"  # Works identically at runtime
}

The $script: prefix has no functional difference at runtime but satisfies PSScriptAnalyzer's static analysis requirements.

For more details, see Get-Help Properties -Full or visit our troubleshooting documentation.

Visual Studio Integration

For Visual Studio 2017 and later, psake can automatically locate MSBuild. If you encounter issues, you may need to install the VSSetup PowerShell module:

Install-Module -Name VSSetup -Scope CurrentUser

Release Notes

You can find information about each release of psake in the releases section and the Changelog.

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how you can get involved:

Community

• GitHub Discussions - Ask questions and share ideas
• PowerShell Discord - Join the #psake channel
• PowerShell Slack - Join the #psake channel

Development

• Fork the main repository and submit pull requests
• Check out the psake docs for documentation
• Browse the issues list for bugs and feature requests
• Explore psake-contrib for additional scripts and modules

License

psake is released under the MIT license.