Cross-platform development patterns for macOS, Windows, and Linux
Scanned 2/12/2026
Install to Claude Code
npx -y skills add mylee04/code-notify --skill cross-platform --agent claude-codeInstalls into .claude/skills of the current project.
Are you the author of Cross Platform?
Add the live security badge to your README — it updates automatically with every re-scan.
[](https://www.skillsdirectory.com/skills/mylee04-cross-platform)More formats (shields.io, HTML) on the badges page.
---
name: cross-platform
description: Cross-platform development patterns for macOS, Windows, and Linux
---
# Cross-Platform Development
## When to Use
- Adding new platform support
- Writing platform-specific code
- Testing across platforms
## Platform Detection
### Bash (macOS/Linux)
```bash
detect_os() {
case "$(uname -s)" in
Darwin*) echo "macos" ;;
Linux*)
# Check for WSL
if grep -qi microsoft /proc/version 2>/dev/null; then
echo "wsl"
else
echo "linux"
fi
;;
CYGWIN*|MINGW*|MSYS*) echo "windows" ;;
*) echo "unknown" ;;
esac
}
```
### PowerShell (Windows)
```powershell
function Get-Platform {
if ($IsWindows -or $env:OS -eq "Windows_NT") {
return "windows"
} elseif ($IsLinux) {
return "linux"
} elseif ($IsMacOS) {
return "macos"
}
return "unknown"
}
```
## Notification Tools by Platform
| Platform | Primary | Fallback |
| -------- | ----------------- | -------------------- |
| macOS | terminal-notifier | osascript |
| Linux | notify-send | zenity, wall |
| Windows | BurntToast | System.Windows.Forms |
| WSL | wsl-notify-send | notify-send |
## Platform-Specific Patterns
### macOS
```bash
send_macos_notification() {
local title="$1"
local message="$2"
if command -v terminal-notifier &> /dev/null; then
terminal-notifier \
-title "$title" \
-message "$message" \
-sound "Glass"
else
osascript -e "display notification \"$message\" with title \"$title\""
fi
}
```
### Linux
```bash
send_linux_notification() {
local title="$1"
local message="$2"
if command -v notify-send &> /dev/null; then
notify-send "$title" "$message" \
--urgency=normal \
--app-name="Code-Notify"
elif command -v zenity &> /dev/null; then
zenity --notification --text="$title\n$message"
else
echo "[$title] $message" | wall 2>/dev/null
fi
}
```
### Windows (PowerShell)
```powershell
function Send-WindowsNotification {
param(
[string]$Title,
[string]$Message
)
if (Get-Module -ListAvailable -Name BurntToast) {
New-BurntToastNotification -Text $Title, $Message
} else {
Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Windows.Forms
$notification = New-Object System.Windows.Forms.NotifyIcon
$notification.Icon = [System.Drawing.SystemIcons]::Information
$notification.BalloonTipTitle = $Title
$notification.BalloonTipText = $Message
$notification.Visible = $true
$notification.ShowBalloonTip(10000)
}
}
```
### WSL
```bash
send_wsl_notification() {
local title="$1"
local message="$2"
if command -v wsl-notify-send.exe &> /dev/null; then
wsl-notify-send.exe --category "$title" "$message"
else
# Fall back to Linux notification
send_linux_notification "$title" "$message"
fi
}
```
## Path Handling
### Unix vs Windows Paths
```bash
# Convert Unix path to Windows path (in WSL)
to_windows_path() {
local unix_path="$1"
wslpath -w "$unix_path"
}
# Convert Windows path to Unix path (in WSL)
to_unix_path() {
local win_path="$1"
wslpath -u "$win_path"
}
```
### Home Directory
```bash
# Bash
HOME_DIR="$HOME"
# PowerShell
$HomeDir = $env:USERPROFILE
```
## Git Handling Across Platforms
### Safe Git Commands
```bash
# Works on all platforms
get_project_name() {
local git_root
if git rev-parse --git-dir &> /dev/null; then
git_root=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null)
if [[ -n "$git_root" ]]; then
basename "$git_root"
return 0
fi
fi
basename "$PWD"
}
```
### PowerShell Git Handling
```powershell
function Get-ProjectName {
try {
$gitRoot = & git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>$null
if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0 -and $gitRoot) {
return Split-Path $gitRoot -Leaf
}
} catch {
# Not in git repo
}
return Split-Path (Get-Location) -Leaf
}
```
## Testing Strategy
### CI/CD Matrix
```yaml
strategy:
matrix:
os: [macos-latest, ubuntu-latest, windows-latest]
```
### Platform-Specific Tests
```bash
# test/test-platform.sh
test_current_platform() {
local os=$(detect_os)
case "$os" in
macos) test_macos_notification ;;
linux) test_linux_notification ;;
wsl) test_wsl_notification ;;
*) echo "Unknown platform: $os" ;;
esac
}
```
## Common Pitfalls
1. **Line Endings**: Windows uses CRLF, Unix uses LF
- Use `.gitattributes` to enforce line endings
2. **Path Separators**: Windows uses `\`, Unix uses `/`
- Use variables like `$HOME` instead of hardcoded paths
3. **Case Sensitivity**: Windows is case-insensitive
- Be consistent with file naming
4. **Command Availability**: Commands differ by platform
- Always check with `command -v` before use
## Success Metrics
- Works on macOS 10.14+
- Works on Ubuntu 20.04+
- Works on Windows 10+ (PowerShell 5.1+)
- Works on WSL2
- Graceful fallback when tools missing
Is this your skill, or is something wrong with this listing? Request removal or report an issue. Author removals are honored within 72 hours.
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!