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[PR #8455] Spec for Elevation QOL improvements #27199

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opened 2026-01-31 09:20:36 +00:00 by claunia · 0 comments
claunia commented 2026-01-31 09:20:36 +00:00
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Original Pull Request: https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/pull/8455

State: closed
Merged: Yes

⇒ doc link ⇐

Summary of the Pull Request

Despite my best efforts to mix elevation levels in a single Terminal window, it seems that there's no way to do that safely. With the dream of mixed elevation dead, this spec outlines a number of quality-of-life improvements we can make to the Terminal today. These should make using the terminal in elevated scenarios better, since we can't have M/E.

Abstract

For a long time, we've been researching adding support to the Windows Terminal
for running both unelevated and elevated (admin) tabs side-by-side, in the same
window. However, after much research, we've determined that there isn't a safe
way to do this without opening the Terminal up as a potential
escalation-of-privilege vector.

Instead, we'll be adding a number of features to the Terminal to improve the
user experience of working in elevated scenarios. These improvements include:

  • A visible indicator that the Terminal window is elevated ([#1939])
  • Configuring the Terminal to always run elevated ([#632])
  • Configuring a specific profile to always open elevated ([#632])
  • Allowing new tabs, panes to be opened elevated directly from an unelevated
    window
  • Dynamic profile appearance that changes depending on if the Terminal is
    elevated or not. ([#1939], [#8311])

PR Checklist

Detailed Description of the Pull Request / Additional comments

*** read the spec ***

Why are these two separate documents?

I felt that the spec that is currently in review in #7240 and this doc should remain separate, yet closely related documents. #7240 is more about showing how this large set of problems discussed in #5000 can all be solved technically, and how those solutions can be used together. It establishes that none of the proposed solutions for components of #5000 will preclude the possibility of other components being solved. What it does not do however is drill too deeply on the user experience that will be built on top of those architectural changes.

This doc on the other hand focuses more closely on a pair of scenarios, and establishes how those scenarios will work technically, and how they'll be exposed to the user.

TODO:

  • Discuss how a cross-elevation splitPane should work
  • Add a warning dialog before auto-elevating a profile. Otherwise someone might inject malicious.exe into your auto-elevate profile, and have you run it without knowing it was changed.
  • Get someone from the security team's eyes on this
  • There's #3637 tracking "different profiles if we're elevated or unelevated". I'm not sure if the current solution will work for this.
    • I should add a section on "hiddenWhenElevated"/"hiddenWhenUnelevated" to future considerations for this
**Original Pull Request:** https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/pull/8455 **State:** closed **Merged:** Yes --- ### ⇒ [doc link](https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/blob/dev/migrie/s/1032-elevation-qol/doc/specs/%235000%20-%20Process%20Model%202.0/%231032%20-%20Elevation%20Quality%20of%20Life%20Improvements.md) ⇐ ## Summary of the Pull Request Despite my best efforts to mix elevation levels in a single Terminal window, it seems that there's no way to do that safely. With the dream of mixed elevation dead, this spec outlines a number of quality-of-life improvements we can make to the Terminal today. These should make using the terminal in elevated scenarios better, since we can't have M/E. ### Abstract > For a long time, we've been researching adding support to the Windows Terminal > for running both unelevated and elevated (admin) tabs side-by-side, in the same > window. However, after much research, we've determined that there isn't a safe > way to do this without opening the Terminal up as a potential > escalation-of-privilege vector. > > Instead, we'll be adding a number of features to the Terminal to improve the > user experience of working in elevated scenarios. These improvements include: > > * A visible indicator that the Terminal window is elevated ([#1939]) > * Configuring the Terminal to always run elevated ([#632]) > * Configuring a specific profile to always open elevated ([#632]) > * Allowing new tabs, panes to be opened elevated directly from an unelevated > window > * Dynamic profile appearance that changes depending on if the Terminal is > elevated or not. ([#1939], [#8311]) ## PR Checklist * [x] Specs: #1032, #632 * [x] References: #5000, #4472, #2227, #7240, #8135, #8311 * [x] I work here ## Detailed Description of the Pull Request / Additional comments _\*<sup>\*</sup><sub>\*</sub> read the spec <sub>\*</sub><sup>\*</sup>\*_ ### Why are these two separate documents? I felt that the spec that is currently in review in #7240 and this doc should remain separate, yet closely related documents. #7240 is more about showing how this large set of problems discussed in #5000 can all be solved technically, and how those solutions can be used together. It establishes that none of the proposed solutions for components of #5000 will preclude the possibility of other components being solved. What it does _not_ do however is drill too deeply on the user experience that will be built on top of those architectural changes. This doc on the other hand focuses more closely on a pair of scenarios, and establishes how those scenarios will work technically, and how they'll be exposed to the user. ### TODO: * [x] Discuss how a cross-elevation `splitPane` should work * [x] Add a warning dialog before auto-elevating a profile. Otherwise someone might inject `malicious.exe` into your auto-elevate profile, and have you run it without knowing it was changed. * [x] Get someone from the security team's eyes on this * [x] There's #3637 tracking "different profiles if we're elevated or unelevated". I'm not sure if the current solution will work for this. - I should add a section on "hiddenWhenElevated"/"hiddenWhenUnelevated" to future considerations for this
claunia added the pull-request label 2026-01-31 09:20:36 +00:00
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Reference: starred/terminal#27199
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