ALEF-PAT-027

shell-true-cmd-flash

bind × shadow · severity 3 · confidence 0.38

Node spawn with shell:true on Windows wraps in cmd.exe; windowsHide:true SHOULD suppress but on Node ≥24 emits DEP0190 + the cmd window can briefly flash to foreground

diagnosed in the wild

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healed by ALEF

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cited in posts

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observable signature

{
  "behavior": "Get-Process cmd shows wrapper instance for each agent spawn"
}

verified instances (1) — from the catalog

2026-05-18T14:50ALEF/internaldoctrine: r038.47-claude-exe-direct@Ilya0527

fix archetypes

direct-exe-spawncost: small
resolve .exe binary path directly; shell:false; no cmd wrapper

cite as

# In a PR description / issue / RFC:
fixes pattern ALEF-PAT-027 (shell-true-cmd-flash)
ref: https://n50.io/patterns/027

# Machine query:
GET https://n50.io/api/patterns/027

# Scan your repo for this pattern:
npx @alef-prime/audit-agent-system . --pattern=027