## [5.0.0] - 2026-03-21 Alpha

[HeyItsGilbert]

Added

• Declarative Task syntax: Task 'Build' @{ DependsOn = 'Clean'; Action = { ... } } with validated keys (typos throw errors)
• Version declaration: Version 5 at the top of a build file enforces the required psake major version
• Hashtable Properties syntax: Properties @{ Config = 'Release' } as alternative to scriptblock
• Two-phase compile/run model: dependency graph is validated via topological sort before any task executes; circular dependencies and missing tasks are caught at compile time
• -CompileOnly parameter on Invoke-psake: returns the build plan without executing tasks (for tooling/testing)
• Local file-based caching: tasks with Inputs/Outputs (glob patterns or scriptblocks) are content-addressed cached in .psake/cache/; unchanged tasks are skipped
• -NoCache parameter on Invoke-psake: bypass caching for a single run
• Structured output: Invoke-psake returns a PsakeBuildResult with per-task PsakeTaskResult (status, duration, cached flag)
• -OutputFormat JSON|GitHubActions parameter on Invoke-psake for CI integration; GitHubActions emits ::error::, ::warning::, ::debug:: workflow annotations
• -Quiet parameter on Invoke-psake: suppress all console output while still returning structured results
• Get-PsakeBuildPlan function: testability API to compile a build file and inspect the plan without executing
• Test-PsakeTask function: testability API to execute a single task in isolation without triggering dependencies
• Clear-PsakeCache function: clear the local task cache
• Cached column in Build Time Report showing which tasks were served from cache
• Inputs, Outputs, InputHash, Cached, Executed properties on PsakeTask class
• PsakeBuildPlan class for compile-phase build plan representation
• PsakeBuildResult and PsakeTaskResult classes for structured output
• Migration guide at docs/migration-v4-to-v5.md

Changed

• Minimum PowerShell version raised to 5.1 (was 3.0)
• Default .NET Framework version changed from 4.0 to 4.7.2
• Invoke-psake now returns a PsakeBuildResult object (previously returned nothing); $psake.build_success is retained for backward compatibility
• New-Object PSObject replaced with [PSCustomObject] in module internals
• Console output uses Write-BuildMessage with $env:NO_COLOR support; colored output is disabled automatically when NO_COLOR is set

Removed

• default.ps1 fallback: build files must be named psakefile.ps1 (or specified explicitly via -BuildFile)
• Standalone runner scripts psake.ps1 and psake.cmd: use Import-Module psake; Invoke-psake instead
• .NET Framework versions 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.5: only 4.0 and above are supported
• Deprecated $framework global variable: use the Framework function or psake-config.ps1 instead
• PowerShell 2.0 compatibility code
• LegacyBuildFileName configuration option
• OutputHandler, OutputHandlers, and ColoredOutput configuration properties: output is now handled by Write-BuildMessage with format-based routing (-OutputFormat GitHubActions for CI annotations)
• Write-PsakeOutput and Write-ColoredOutput internal functions
• psake-config.ps1 output handler override examples

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This discussion was created from the release ## [5.0.0] - 2026-03-21 Alpha.