fix(cli): hide Windows console windows from kimi web and file opens

.changeset/fix-windows-console-windows.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@moonshot-ai/kimi-code": patch
+---
+
+Windows: stop flashing a console window when `kimi web` opens the browser and when the web UI launches files/editors. `openUrl`, `launchDetached`, and the win32 `where` probe now pass `windowsHide: true`, matching the earlier fixes for spawned commands (#957), the background updater (#1336), and hooks (#1466).

apps/kimi-code/src/utils/open-url.ts

@@ -1,11 +1,16 @@
 import { execFile } from 'node:child_process';
 
+// `windowsHide` is ignored off Windows (kept unconditional, matching kaos).
+// Without it, a console-less parent (e.g. a GUI-launched `kimi web`) makes
+// Windows allocate a visible console for the transient `cmd /c start`.
+const SPAWN_OPTIONS = { windowsHide: true } as const;
+
 export function openUrl(url: string): void {
   const command: [string, string[]] =
     process.platform === 'darwin'
       ? ['open', [url]]
       : process.platform === 'win32'
         ? ['cmd', ['/c', 'start', '', url]]
         : ['xdg-open', [url]];
-  execFile(command[0], command[1], () => {});
+  execFile(command[0], command[1], SPAWN_OPTIONS, () => {});
 }

apps/kimi-code/test/utils/open-url.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+
+const mocks = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+  execFile: vi.fn(),
+}));
+
+vi.mock('node:child_process', () => ({
+  execFile: mocks.execFile,
+}));
+
+import { openUrl } from '#/utils/open-url';
+
+describe('openUrl', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.clearAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  it('passes windowsHide so opening the browser never flashes a console window on Windows', () => {
+    openUrl('http://127.0.0.1:58627/#token=t');
+    expect(mocks.execFile).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.any(String),
+      expect.any(Array),
+      expect.objectContaining({ windowsHide: true }),
+      expect.any(Function),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('uses cmd /c start on win32, open on darwin, xdg-open elsewhere', () => {
+    const originalPlatform = process.platform;
+    try {
+      for (const [platform, expectedCommand] of [
+        ['win32', 'cmd'],
+        ['darwin', 'open'],
+        ['linux', 'xdg-open'],
+      ] as const) {
+        Object.defineProperty(process, 'platform', { value: platform });
+        mocks.execFile.mockClear();
+        openUrl('http://example.com');
+        expect(mocks.execFile).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+          expectedCommand,
+          expect.any(Array),
+          expect.objectContaining({ windowsHide: true }),
+          expect.any(Function),
+        );
+      }
+    } finally {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, 'platform', { value: originalPlatform });
+    }
+  });
+});

packages/kap-server/src/lib/fileLaunch.ts

@@ -122,6 +122,8 @@ function commandExists(command: string, platform: NodeJS.Platform): boolean {
     if (platform === 'win32') {
       const result = spawnSync('cmd', ['/c', 'where', command], {
         stdio: 'ignore',
+        // Hide the transient cmd.exe console window on Windows.
+        windowsHide: true,
       });
       return result.status === 0;
     }
@@ -184,13 +186,27 @@ function openInMacApp(
   return openFileCommandFor(absolutePath, undefined, process.env, platform);
 }
 
+/** True when the spawned child is console-subsystem on Windows (a shell or
+ * cmd.exe itself), so its console window should be hidden. GUI binaries
+ * (explorer.exe, editors) keep their windows visible. */
+function launchesConsole(cmd: LaunchCommand): boolean {
+  if (cmd.shell === true) return true;
+  const base = cmd.command.split(/[\\/]/).pop()?.toLowerCase();
+  return base === 'cmd' || base === 'cmd.exe';
+}
+
 export async function launchDetached(cmd: LaunchCommand): Promise<void> {
   return new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
     let settled = false;
     const child = spawn(cmd.command, cmd.args, {
       detached: true,
       stdio: 'ignore',
       shell: cmd.shell,
+      // Hide the console window Windows allocates for console-subsystem
+      // children (shell shims / cmd.exe). GUI targets (explorer.exe,
+      // editors) must stay visible — SW_HIDE would hide their first
+      // window too.
+      windowsHide: launchesConsole(cmd),
     });
     child.once('error', (err) => {
       if (settled) return;

packages/kap-server/test/fileLaunch.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
+
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+
+const mocks = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+  spawn: vi.fn(),
+  spawnSync: vi.fn(),
+}));
+
+vi.mock('node:child_process', () => ({
+  spawn: mocks.spawn,
+  spawnSync: mocks.spawnSync,
+}));
+
+import { getAvailableOpenInApps, launchDetached } from '../src/lib/fileLaunch';
+
+describe('launchDetached', () => {
+  async function launchAndCapture(cmd: Parameters<typeof launchDetached>[0]) {
+    const child = Object.assign(new EventEmitter(), { unref: vi.fn() });
+    mocks.spawn.mockReturnValue(child);
+    const promise = launchDetached(cmd);
+    child.emit('spawn');
+    await promise;
+    return mocks.spawn.mock.calls.at(-1);
+  }
+
+  it('hides the console window for shell-shim launches', async () => {
+    await launchAndCapture({ command: 'code file.ts', args: [], shell: true });
+    expect(mocks.spawn).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      'code file.ts',
+      [],
+      expect.objectContaining({ detached: true, windowsHide: true }),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('hides the console window for direct cmd.exe launches', async () => {
+    await launchAndCapture({ command: 'cmd', args: ['/c', 'start', '""', 'C:\\f'] });
+    expect(mocks.spawn).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      'cmd',
+      ['/c', 'start', '""', 'C:\\f'],
+      expect.objectContaining({ windowsHide: true }),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('keeps GUI windows visible (explorer.exe reveal)', async () => {
+    await launchAndCapture({ command: 'explorer.exe', args: ['/select,C:\\f'] });
+    expect(mocks.spawn).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      'explorer.exe',
+      ['/select,C:\\f'],
+      expect.objectContaining({ windowsHide: false }),
+    );
+  });
+});
+
+describe('commandExists probe on win32', () => {
+  it('hides the transient cmd.exe console window', () => {
+    mocks.spawnSync.mockReturnValue({ status: 0 });
+    getAvailableOpenInApps('win32');
+    expect(mocks.spawnSync).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      'cmd',
+      ['/c', 'where', expect.any(String)],
+      expect.objectContaining({ stdio: 'ignore', windowsHide: true }),
+    );
+  });
+});