Remove resource data from `aspire ps`; use `aspire describe` for resource streaming by mitchdenny · Pull Request #17479 · microsoft/aspire

mitchdenny · 2026-05-25T22:52:28Z

Description

aspire ps --resources overlapped heavily with aspire describe --follow --apphost <path> and emitted the full resource set per AppHost on every change, making ps behave less like its docker ps / kubectl get pods namesakes. This PR drops --resources (and --include-hidden, which only existed to filter the resource payload) so ps stays an AppHost-level summary. Consumers that need resource data should use aspire describe instead.

Highlights:

PsCommand: removed the --resources / --include-hidden options, AppHostDisplayInfo.Resources, the resource fetch path, and the follow-mode resource watcher plumbing (file goes from ~575 to ~290 lines).
Resources: removed ResourcesOptionDescription and reworded FollowOptionDescription; regenerated all 13 xlf files.
Tests: dropped the 7 --resources-specific tests in PsCommandTests; the remaining 28 tests pass.
Docs (docs/specs/cli-output-formats.md): removed the --resources example and pointed readers at aspire describe for per-resource streaming.
VS Code extension (AppHostDataRepository): removed the _supportsResources field and the --resources fallback branch in _fetchAppHosts; updated tests accordingly. 515 extension unit tests pass; lint clean. (2 pre-existing RPC tests fail on main too because they require a packaged dist/extension.js.)

Behavior note: the extension's global-mode tree previously nested resources under each AppHost from the ps --resources payload. With ps no longer returning resources, that nesting goes away in global mode; per-AppHost resource streaming is already available via describe --apphost, which the extension uses in workspace mode.

Fixes: #17472

Checklist

Is this feature complete?
- Yes. Ready to ship.
- No. Follow-up changes expected.
Are you including unit tests for the changes and scenario tests if relevant?
- Yes
- No
Did you add public API?
- Yes
  - If yes, did you have an API Review for it?
    - Yes
    - No
  - Did you add <remarks /> and <code /> elements on your triple slash comments?
    - Yes
    - No
- No
Does the change make any security assumptions or guarantees?
- Yes
  - If yes, have you done a threat model and had a security review?
    - Yes
    - No
- No

Resource snapshot streaming from 'aspire ps --resources' overlapped heavily with 'aspire describe --follow --apphost <path>' and emitted the full resource set per AppHost on every change. Drop --resources (and --include-hidden, which only filtered the resource payload) so ps stays an AppHost-level summary similar to 'docker ps'. Consumers that need resource data should use 'aspire describe' instead. - Remove the --resources/--include-hidden options, AppHostDisplayInfo.Resources and the resource fetch/follow watcher plumbing from PsCommand. - Drop ResourcesOptionDescription from PsCommandStrings and reword FollowOptionDescription; regenerate xlf for all locales. - Drop --resources tests from PsCommandTests; remaining 28 tests pass. - Update docs/specs/cli-output-formats.md to remove the --resources example and point readers at 'aspire describe' for resource streaming. - VS Code extension: drop the _supportsResources branch in AppHostDataRepository (and its --resources fallback path), and update the matching tests. Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

github-actions · 2026-05-25T22:52:47Z

🚀 Dogfood this PR with:

⚠️ WARNING: Do not do this without first carefully reviewing the code of this PR to satisfy yourself it is safe.

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/aspire/main/eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli-pr.sh | bash -s -- 17479

Or

Run remotely in PowerShell:

iex "& { $(irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/aspire/main/eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli-pr.ps1) } 17479"

Copilot

Pull request overview

This PR narrows aspire ps back to an AppHost-level listing by removing the --resources and --include-hidden options and all related resource-fetch/watch plumbing, directing consumers to aspire describe for per-resource inspection and streaming.

Changes:

Removed ps resource-related options, payload fields, and follow-mode resource watcher logic.
Updated localized CLI strings to reflect the new ps --follow semantics and removed the resources option string.
Updated the VS Code extension and CLI output-format spec docs to no longer rely on ps --resources, and adjusted unit tests accordingly.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Commands/PsCommandTests.cs	Removes `ps --resources`-specific tests and updates remaining coverage to match the new `ps` contract.
src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/PsCommand.cs	Removes `--resources` / `--include-hidden` options and resource snapshot plumbing from `ps` (including follow-mode resource watching).
src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/PsCommandStrings.resx	Removes the resources option description and updates follow description text.
src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/PsCommandStrings.Designer.cs	Regenerates strongly-typed resource accessors to match updated `.resx`.
src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/PsCommandStrings.zh-Hant.xlf	Updates follow description translation source; removes resources option string.
src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/PsCommandStrings.zh-Hans.xlf	Updates follow description translation source; removes resources option string.
src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/PsCommandStrings.tr.xlf	Updates follow description translation source; removes resources option string.
src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/PsCommandStrings.ru.xlf	Updates follow description translation source; removes resources option string.
src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/PsCommandStrings.pt-BR.xlf	Updates follow description translation source; removes resources option string.
src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/PsCommandStrings.pl.xlf	Updates follow description translation source; removes resources option string.
src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/PsCommandStrings.ko.xlf	Updates follow description translation source; removes resources option string.
src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/PsCommandStrings.ja.xlf	Updates follow description translation source; removes resources option string.
src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/PsCommandStrings.it.xlf	Updates follow description translation source; removes resources option string.
src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/PsCommandStrings.fr.xlf	Updates follow description translation source; removes resources option string.
src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/PsCommandStrings.es.xlf	Updates follow description translation source; removes resources option string.
src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/PsCommandStrings.de.xlf	Updates follow description translation source; removes resources option string.
src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/PsCommandStrings.cs.xlf	Updates follow description translation source; removes resources option string.
extension/src/views/AppHostDataRepository.ts	Stops passing `--resources` to `ps` and removes the resources-capability fallback logic.
extension/src/test/appHostDataRepository.test.ts	Updates extension tests for the new `ps` invocation behavior (no `--resources`).
docs/specs/cli-output-formats.md	Removes the `ps --resources` example and points readers to `aspire describe` for resource streaming.

Copilot's findings

Files not reviewed (1)

src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/PsCommandStrings.Designer.cs: Language not supported

Files reviewed: 19/20 changed files
Comments generated: 3

The previous commit removed --resources from 'aspire ps' but left the global (multi-AppHost) view in the VS Code extension with no source for per-AppHost resource data, since 'aspire describe --follow' is per-AppHost (takes a single --apphost). Add a per-AppHost describe fan-out in AppHostDataRepository: while the panel is visible in global mode, maintain one 'aspire describe --follow --apphost <path>' stream per AppHost discovered by 'ps', merging resources into appHost.resources so the tree provider's existing rendering path lights up again. Streams are reconciled on every ps update, torn down when an AppHost stops or when leaving global mode/hiding the panel, and restarted with exponential backoff if they exit unexpectedly. Update the global ps-follow test to feed resources via describe instead of ps, and add two new tests covering the fan-out reconciliation and the mode-switch teardown. Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Update AppHostDataRepository tests so ps payload fixtures match the current aspire ps output shape. Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

The 'possibly unbuildable AppHost candidates do not force global mode' test races on Windows CI because the aspire ls exit handler awaits getConfiguredAppHostPathFromWorkspaceRoot, which probes for the workspace config files via vscode workspace fs. That probe can take more than the single setTimeout(0) tick that waitForAppHostDiscovery covers, so workspaceAppHostPath was still undefined when the assertion ran. Switch to the existing waitForCondition polling helper so the test waits until the path is actually populated. Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

JamesNK

1 issue found (bug in error recovery path for global describe streams).

Node's spawn can emit error (e.g., ENOENT when the CLI binary is missing or its path changes) without a subsequent exit. The previous errorCallback only cleared stream.process, leaving a zombie entry in _globalDescribeStreams that blocked _reconcileGlobalDescribes from recreating the stream. Drop the entry (and clear cached resources + fire a change event so the UI reflects the removal) so the next ps reconcile recreates it from scratch. Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

JamesNK · 2026-05-26T03:55:41Z

I tried testing it locally but it never found AppHosts. Have you tested it locally?

I debugged a bit as it looks like aspire ps is never called because _showPoll() always returns false.

mitchdenny · 2026-05-26T04:10:24Z

@JamesNK are you running within the context of the workspace? If you aren't you'll need to press this button:

JamesNK · 2026-05-26T04:25:01Z

Yes, I have the aspire app open in a workspace.

Going into global mode does make the AppHost appear in VS Code, but I would have expected it display in both modes because it's inside the workspace.

extensions-workspace.mp4

mitchdenny · 2026-05-26T04:31:45Z

That is possibly a good improvement, but I don't know if that is what Adam was originally going for with this feature.

mitchdenny · 2026-05-26T04:32:18Z

Either way this PR is about addressing using aspire ps vs. aspire describe

davidfowl · 2026-05-26T04:38:20Z

Sounds like we regressed something.

JamesNK

Ok. Maybe it is a regression in the previous PR.

I think the code looks good. But wait for @adamint to review and test before merge.

mitchdenny · 2026-05-26T04:59:15Z

@JamesNK @davidfowl looks like it was a regression but it happened a while ago. See issue I just created with analysis. If we want to fix it we should submit another PR, I don't think we should hold this one up.

mitchdenny · 2026-05-26T04:59:30Z

#17490

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

In multi-AppHost workspace mode, non-selected running AppHosts had no resources displayed because only the selected AppHost got a workspace describe stream. This adds _reconcileWorkspaceDescribes() which fans out global describe streams for every running workspace AppHost that is not the selected one, so the tree view can show their resources. Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

adamint · 2026-05-28T03:19:57Z