Az modules not added to $env:PSModulePath as part of Install-PowershellAzModules.ps1

[ChrisGibson1982]

Description

The script "images/windows/scripts/build/Install-PowershellAzModules.ps1" downloads the powershell Az modules to c:\modules. At the end of the script, it should add c:\modules to the psmodulepath. This doesn't happen and the modules are not available to powershell. If you try and find them in a pipeline (Get-module az* -listavailable) or use them, it doesn't find them.

Platforms affected

• Azure DevOps
• GitHub Actions - Standard Runners
• GitHub Actions - Larger Runners

Runner images affected

• Ubuntu 20.04
• Ubuntu 22.04
• Ubuntu 24.04
• macOS 13
• macOS 13 Arm64
• macOS 14
• macOS 14 Arm64
• macOS 15
• macOS 15 Arm64
• Windows Server 2019
• Windows Server 2022
• Windows Server 2025

Image version and build link

Built from git tag : win25/20250303.1

Starting: Initialize job
Agent name: 'Agent1'
Agent machine name: 'Server1'
Current agent version: '4.251.0'
Current image version: 'dev'
Agent running as: 'Server1$'
Prepare build directory.
Set build variables.
Download all required tasks.
Checking job knob settings.
Knob: DockerActionRetries = true Source: $(VSTSAGENT_DOCKER_ACTION_RETRIES)
Knob: AgentToolsDirectory = C:\hostedtoolcache\windows Source: ${AGENT_TOOLSDIRECTORY}
Knob: UseGitLongPaths = true Source: $(USE_GIT_LONG_PATHS)
Knob: EnableIssueSourceValidation = true Source: $(ENABLE_ISSUE_SOURCE_VALIDATION)
Knob: AgentEnablePipelineArtifactLargeChunkSize = true Source: $(AGENT_ENABLE_PIPELINEARTIFACT_LARGE_CHUNK_SIZE)
Knob: ContinueAfterCancelProcessTreeKillAttempt = true Source: $(VSTSAGENT_CONTINUE_AFTER_CANCEL_PROCESSTREEKILL_ATTEMPT)
Knob: ProcessHandlerSecureArguments = false Source: $(AZP_75787_ENABLE_NEW_LOGIC)
Knob: ProcessHandlerSecureArguments = false Source: $(AZP_75787_ENABLE_NEW_LOGIC_LOG)
Knob: ProcessHandlerTelemetry = true Source: $(AZP_75787_ENABLE_COLLECT)
Knob: UseNewNodeHandlerTelemetry = True Source: $(DistributedTask.Agent.USENEWNODEHANDLERTELEMETRY)
Knob: ProcessHandlerEnableNewLogic = true Source: $(AZP_75787_ENABLE_NEW_PH_LOGIC)
Knob: EnableResourceMonitorDebugOutput = true Source: $(AZP_ENABLE_RESOURCE_MONITOR_DEBUG_OUTPUT)
Knob: EnableResourceUtilizationWarnings = true Source: $(AZP_ENABLE_RESOURCE_UTILIZATION_WARNINGS)
Knob: IgnoreVSTSTaskLib = true Source: $(AZP_AGENT_IGNORE_VSTSTASKLIB)
Knob: FailJobWhenAgentDies = true Source: $(FAIL_JOB_WHEN_AGENT_DIES)
Knob: CheckForTaskDeprecation = true Source: $(AZP_AGENT_CHECK_FOR_TASK_DEPRECATION)
Knob: CheckIfTaskNodeRunnerIsDeprecated246 = True Source: $(DistributedTask.Agent.CheckIfTaskNodeRunnerIsDeprecated246)
Knob: UseNode20ToStartContainer = True Source: $(DistributedTask.Agent.UseNode20ToStartContainer)
Knob: LogTaskNameInUserAgent = true Source: $(AZP_AGENT_LOG_TASKNAME_IN_USERAGENT)
Knob: UseFetchFilterInCheckoutTask = true Source: $(AGENT_USE_FETCH_FILTER_IN_CHECKOUT_TASK)
Knob: Rosetta2Warning = true Source: $(ROSETTA2_WARNING)
Knob: AddForceCredentialsToGitCheckout = True Source: $(DistributedTask.Agent.AddForceCredentialsToGitCheckout)
Finished checking job knob settings.
Start tracking orphan processes.
Finishing: Initialize job

Is it regression?

i don't know

Expected behavior

The Az Modules in c:\modules should be added to the psmodulespath at the machine scope

Actual behavior

The Az Modules in c:\modules are not added to the psmodulespath at the machine scope

Repro steps

Create a build agent image from the the git tag win25/20250303.1
Deploy the image as a vm
try and access the Az modules natively in powershell

[ChrisGibson1982]

Also the tests don't cover checking if this path gets added to $env:psmodulepath succcesfully

[ChrisGibson1982]

Actually looking at this, it only adds it to the path if it has something specified "default" in the toolset json. So how do these get added to the path? 🤷‍♂️ I can't see any files that reference "C:\Modules" that are not related to either saving the Az module to this folder or testing that they are there.

[RaviAkshintala]

Hi @ChrisGibson1982 Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. We will look into this issue and will update you after investigating.