SnippetPredictor

SnippetPredictor is a command-line predictor written in F#. It suggests code snippets based on the input. This module requires PowerShell 7.2 and PSReadLine 2.2.2.

This project builds upon the following article:

How to create a command-line predictor - PowerShell | Microsoft Learn

Installation

Install SnippetPredictor from the PowerShell Gallery:

PowerShell Gallery | SnippetPredictor

# Recommended: PSResourceGet (PowerShellGet 3.0)
Install-PSResource -Name SnippetPredictor

# Alternatively, if you are using PowerShellGet 2.x:
Install-Module -Name SnippetPredictor

Before using SnippetPredictor, ensure that your PowerShell PredictionSource equals HistoryAndPlugin¹:

# PredictionSource = HistoryAndPlugin required.
Get-PSReadLineOption | Select-Object PredictionSource
#
# PredictionSource
# ----------------
# HistoryAndPlugin

Import the SnippetPredictor module and verify that the predictor loads:

Import-Module SnippetPredictor

# Confirm SnippetPredictor(Snippet) loaded.
Get-PSSubsystem -Kind CommandPredictor
#
# Kind              SubsystemType      IsRegistered Implementations
# ----              -------------      ------------ ---------------
# CommandPredictor  ICommandPredictor          True {Snippet, Windows Package Manager - WinGet}

Set the prediction view style to ListView²:

Set-PSReadLineOption -PredictionViewStyle ListView

Optionally enable the SnippetPredictor key handlers:

Enable-SnippetPredictorKeyHandler

The command binds Tab and Shift+Tab to SnippetPredictor completion. Type : or a partial identifier to complete :snp and configured group identifiers. After an exact :snp or group identifier, use the bindings to complete matching snippets. Repeated key presses select the next or previous matching candidate. The :tip identifier isn't included in key handler completion. Completion requires the cursor at the end of the line. Every character before the identifier must be whitespace. Unsupported Tab input falls back to standard PSReadLine completion. The prediction ListView keeps the standard PSReadLine UpArrow and DownArrow navigation. The command overwrites the selected chord bindings in the current PowerShell session. Use Disable-SnippetPredictorKeyHandler to clean up bindings registered by the enable command. Cleanup restores TabCompleteNext and TabCompletePrevious for the default chords. Cleanup removes SnippetPredictor-owned bindings from custom chords. It leaves bindings replaced later by the user unchanged. Removing the SnippetPredictor module performs the same cleanup automatically. Use New-SnippetPredictorKeyHandler to compose custom completion or prediction bindings. Bindings created with those composable handlers remain under the caller's control.

Cmdlet help

Refer to the following documents for detailed cmdlet help:

• Add-Snippet.md
• Disable-SnippetPredictorKeyHandler.md
• Enable-SnippetPredictorKeyHandler.md
• Get-Snippet.md
• New-SnippetPredictorKeyHandler.md
• Remove-Snippet.md

Usage

First, set up your ~/.snippet-predictor.json file. The easiest way to do this is to run the Add-Snippet command:

Add-Snippet "echo 'hello'" -Tooltip 'say hello' -Group 'greeting'

This will create a file with the following content. You can also create the file manually if you prefer.

{
  "Snippets": [
    {
      "Snippet": "echo 'hello'",
      "Tooltip": "say hello.",
      "Group": "greeting"
    }
  ]
}

Filter snippets in your ~/.snippet-predictor.json file using the following keywords:

• Use :snp {input} to search for {input} in the Snippet field.
• Use :tip {input} to search for {input} in the Tooltip field.
• Use :{group} {input} to search for {input} in the Snippet field for snippets in a specified Group.
  • Allowed characters for the Group field: ^[a-zA-Z0-9]+$. (Group names must consist of alphanumeric characters.)
  • Typing a partial group name (e.g., :p) suggests matching groups like :pwsh.

By default, the predictor searches snippets in a case-insensitive manner. To enable case-sensitive search, set SearchCaseSensitive to true in .snippet-predictor.json. The default value is false.

You can list your registered snippets with the Get-Snippet command.

To remove a snippet, use the Remove-Snippet command.

Remove-Snippet "echo 'hello'"

You can also delete it directly from ~/.snippet-predictor.json.

By combining Get-Snippet and Remove-Snippet, you can remove snippets that match a specific pattern. Perform this in one step:

Get-Snippet | Where-Object -Property Tooltip -like *test* | Remove-Snippet

Footnotes

1. Using predictors in PSReadLine - PowerShell | Microsoft Learn ↩

2. Using predictors in PSReadLine - PowerShell | Microsoft Learn ↩