# psake/psake

A build automation tool written in PowerShell

Repository: https://github.com/psake/psake
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/psake
Homepage: https://psake.dev
Language: PowerShell
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: powershell, psake, build, powershell-module
Last push: 2026-04-30T18:57:07+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 59/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 80, release rhythm 9, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 6195, "days_push": 125, "days_rel": 399, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 1}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1617, forks 267 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:11.942966+00:00)

## What it is
psake is a build automation tool written in PowerShell, inspired by rake, that lets you define build tasks and dependencies in plain PowerShell syntax instead of XML. It provides a task-based DSL with dependency resolution, preconditions, assertions, and properties, runnable via Invoke-psake on any platform where PowerShell runs.

## Use cases
- automate build tasks in PowerShell instead of MSBuild XML
- define build pipelines with task dependencies like rake or make
- run clean, build, test, and package tasks for .NET projects
- script CI/CD build steps in GitHub Actions or Azure DevOps with PowerShell
- replace executable XML build scripts with readable PowerShell task files
- conditionally skip deployment tasks based on environment preconditions

## When to choose
- your team already knows PowerShell and wants build scripts in that language
- you want a lightweight rake-style task runner without XML configuration
- you build or publish PowerShell modules and can use the PowerShellBuild companion tasks
- you need cross-platform builds via PowerShell 7+ on Windows, macOS, and Linux

## When to avoid
- your project already standardizes on MSBuild, Cake, or Nuke with existing investment
- you need a build tool for teams without any PowerShell knowledge
- you require IDE-integrated build orchestration or advanced dependency caching beyond task graphs

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: build-tool, cli, workflow-automation, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools
- platform: cross-platform, windows, cli
- tags: powershell, build-automation, task-runner, rake-inspired, psakefile, ci-cd, automation, devops, command-line, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- psake/psake (main) score 59

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:11.942966+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:49:55.020091+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/psake/psake (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:11.942966+00:00, sha 98db42e31be3)
  - homepage: https://psake.dev (fetched 2026-08-29T11:22:25.019003+00:00, sha c790306db82c)
  - site_page: https://psake.dev/docs/intro (fetched 2026-08-29T11:22:25.028050+00:00, sha d9401d5e5115)
  - site_page: https://psake.dev/docs/tutorial-basics/default-build-files (fetched 2026-08-29T11:22:25.029887+00:00, sha 3741c40a1491)
  - site_page: https://psake.dev/docs/powershellbuild/introduction (fetched 2026-08-29T11:22:25.031384+00:00, sha 9e9b6cb3b823)
  - site_page: https://psake.dev/docs/commands/Assert (fetched 2026-08-29T11:22:25.033011+00:00, sha 5b31c78a6e4c)
  - site_page: https://psake.dev/docs/commands/Invoke-psake (fetched 2026-08-29T11:22:25.035062+00:00, sha 1e62c0b0ffc1)
  - site_page: https://psake.dev/docs/commands/Invoke-Psake (fetched 2026-08-29T11:22:25.036788+00:00, sha 1e62c0b0ffc1)
  - site_page: https://psake.dev/docs/code_of_conduct (fetched 2026-08-29T11:22:25.038507+00:00, sha 86017198671b)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.