The MSIX Identity Crisis

What Even Is an MSIX Package?

You know how when you install an app from the Microsoft Store, it just... works? No "Next → Next → Finish" wizard. That's MSIX — Microsoft's modern app packaging format.

Think of it like a zip file that contains three things:

• The app's binaries (like pwsh.exe)
• A manifest (AppxManifest.xml) that tells Windows: "My name is X, my publisher is Y, I need these capabilities"
• Digital signatures proving it's legit

The format is {IdentityName}_{PublisherIdHash}. The 8wekyb3d8bbwe part is a hash of Microsoft's publisher certificate — same for all Microsoft apps. The first part comes from the <Identity Name="..."> field in the manifest.

How Windows Terminal Finds PowerShell

When you open Windows Terminal, it auto-detects installed PowerShell versions and creates profiles for them. But here's the thing — it does this with hardcoded phone numbers.

microsoft/terminal — PowershellCoreProfileGenerator.cpp

static constexpr std::wstring_view POWERSHELL_PFN{
    L"Microsoft.PowerShell_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
};

static constexpr std::wstring_view POWERSHELL_PREVIEW_PFN{
    L"Microsoft.PowerShellPreview_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
};

Terminal searches for apps with exactly these two PFNs. If it finds one, it creates a profile (that's the entry you see in your Terminal dropdown with source: "Windows.Terminal.PowershellCore"). If it doesn't find a match — no profile.

What Broke in 7.6.0

PowerShell 7.6.0 was special. It was the first release that's both the current Stable release AND an LTS (Long-Term Support) release simultaneously. Previous LTS releases (7.2, 7.4) were always separate from the "latest" track.

The build pipeline reads a config file called tools/metadata.json:

tools/metadata.json (at build time)

{
  "LTSRelease":    { "Package": true  },  // ← build LTS MSIX
  "StableRelease": { "Package": true  }   // ← build Stable MSIX
}

When LTSRelease.Package is true, the pipeline passes -LTS to the MSIX builder function. That function has this logic:

tools/packaging/packaging.psm1 — New-MSIXPackage

if ($LTS) {
    $ProductName += '-LTS'   # "PowerShell" → "PowerShell-LTS"
}

This changes the identity baked into the manifest:

<Identity Name="Microsoft.PowerShell-LTS" ... />

Which produces the PFN:

The Fix (PR #27056)

The fix was elegant: build TWO MSIX packages when a release is both LTS and Stable.

The pipeline logic now forks when both flags are true:

.pipelines/templates/packaging/windows/package.yml

$LTS    = $metadata.LTSRelease.Package
$Stable = $metadata.StableRelease.Package

# Build LTS package (with -LTS identity)
Start-PSPackage -Type msix -LTS:$LTS

# NEW: When both LTS + Stable, build a second MSIX with stable identity
if ($LTS -and $Stable) {
    Start-PSPackage -Type msix  # no -LTS → "Microsoft.PowerShell"
}

These get bundled into two separate .msixbundle files:

The Remaining Gaps (What no-identd Is Saying)

The original symptom — Terminal can't find PowerShell — was fixed by PR #27056. But no-identd looked deeper and found four more problems that are all consequences of the LTS/Stable split being rushed out the door.

And Then There's the Terminal PFN Gap

Even after the fix, there's a downstream problem: users who intentionally install the LTS-identity package still won't get a Terminal profile, because Terminal only knows two PFNs.

The fix would be adding a third PFN constant to Terminal's source:

PowershellCoreProfileGenerator.cpp (proposed addition)

static constexpr std::wstring_view POWERSHELL_PFN{
    L"Microsoft.PowerShell_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
};

static constexpr std::wstring_view POWERSHELL_PREVIEW_PFN{
    L"Microsoft.PowerShellPreview_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
};

static constexpr std::wstring_view POWERSHELL_LTS_PFN{
    L"Microsoft.PowerShell-LTS_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
};

Timeline of Events

Your Move

Why This Is a Great Opportunity

• Clear scope — Add ~3 lines to PowershellCoreProfileGenerator.cpp and the corresponding lookup function
• You already have the analysis — Your #27064 comment traced the entire chain from metadata.json through manifest generation to Terminal's PFN lookup
• Cross-repo visibility — Gets your name in the Terminal repo, not just PowerShell. Different team, broader exposure.
• Natural follow-through — You identified the root cause in PowerShell, now you're helping the downstream consumer (Terminal) adapt. That's what serious contributors do.