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To add Scoop command completion in PowerShell, install the separate scoop-completion module from Scoop’s extras bucket, import it, and—if you want it in future sessions—put the import command in the PowerShell profile used by your host.
Install the Scoop completion module
The completion feature is provided by a separate module; installing Scoop by itself does not enable this setup. The project documents Scoop and PowerShell 5 or later as prerequisites. Scoop’s current installer instructions specify PowerShell latest or Windows PowerShell 5.1, FullLanguage mode, and an execution policy of RemoteSigned, Unrestricted, or Bypass. See the Scoop installer instructions for the current setup requirements.
- Open a regular, non-administrator PowerShell terminal. Scoop describes installation from a non-admin terminal in its official repository.
- Add the extras bucket and install the module:
scoop bucket add extras scoop install scoop-completion
Scoop’s module design uses manifests that can identify a PowerShell module, which Scoop links into its modules directory. The PowerShell Modules wiki page explaining this behavior was last edited in 2017, so treat it as design background rather than a guarantee about module discovery in every current PowerShell Core setup.
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After installation, the project README documents importing the module with a path derived from the Scoop command location:
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Import-Module "$($(Get-Item $(Get-Command scoop.ps1).Path).Directory.Parent.FullName)modulesscoop-completion"This import enables completion for the current session. The project uses an explicit path because PowerShell Core may not respect $env:PSModulePath in this arrangement. If a plain Import-Module scoop-completion does not work, try the documented path-based command.
Make completion load in future sessions
PowerShell profiles are startup scripts, and more than one profile can apply depending on the user and host. Use the profile appropriate to the PowerShell host in which you run Scoop; editing one profile does not necessarily enable the module in every host or for every user. The project README recommends checking its documentation for all-users and all-hosts behavior.
- Check the profile path for the current host and user:
$PROFILE - If the file does not exist, create it:
if (!(Test-Path -Path $PROFILE)) { New-Item -ItemType File -Path $PROFILE -Force } - Open the profile, add the same
Import-Modulecommand shown above, and save it. For example:notepad $PROFILE - Open a new PowerShell session and test completion there.
Use Tab and menu completion
Type part of a Scoop command or an argument, then press Tab to cycle through completion entries. The project also documents Ctrl+Space for menu completion. Microsoft explains that PowerShell completion behavior can be configured, including through the MenuComplete function, and notes improvements in newer PowerShell versions in its tab-completion documentation. That general shell documentation does not establish that this particular Scoop module behaves identically in every PowerShell version.
Distinguish similarly named packages
The documented Scoop installation route is the scoop-completion module. Do not confuse it with scoop-tab-completion, a distinct PowerShell Gallery package whose own content says it is no longer maintained and recommends installing and importing PSCompletions, then running psc add scoop.
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The PowerShell Gallery listing for scoop-completion identifies version 0.2.3, a minimum PowerShell version of 5.0, and a last-updated date of June 4, 2020. Those are listing metadata, not proof that every installation is compatible or that the project is actively maintained. Check the project’s current compatibility information if your PowerShell environment differs from the documented prerequisites.
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Troubleshoot a missing completion
- The module cannot be found: Confirm that
scoop install scoop-completioncompleted, then use the project’s path-based import command. The project specifically flags PowerShell Core module-path behavior as a possible issue. - It works only until you close the terminal: The import was made in the current session but was not added to the profile that runs in the host you reopened.
- It works in one PowerShell window but not another: Check
$PROFILEin each host. PowerShell has separate profile scopes, so one profile may not cover all hosts. - Tab does something different: PowerShell’s completion interaction is configurable. Test the documented Ctrl+Space menu behavior and consult Microsoft’s tab-completion documentation for general shell settings.
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