[ci-fix] Needs review: expand $HELIX_PYTHONPATH via WindowsShell on Android Windows-queue Helix legs (refs #131382)

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Workflow artifact: ci-fix
Artifact kind: help
Linked KBE: #131382

Note

This is an AI/Copilot-generated best-effort fix attempt. The reasoning is high-confidence, but a Helix/MSBuild condition change like this can only be exercised in a live Send to Helix run, so I could not validate it locally. Please confirm before merging.

Root cause

Every Windows Helix work item on the affected runtime-extra-platforms legs fails after the test run completes, with:

'$HELIX_PYTHONPATH' is not recognized as an internal or external command

The gen-debug-dump-docs.py post-command in src/libraries/sendtohelixhelp.proj picks its shell syntax from TargetOS:

• Condition="'$(TargetOS)' == 'windows'" → %HELIX_PYTHONPATH% ... \gen-debug-dump-docs.py (cmd syntax)
• Condition="'$(TargetOS)' != 'windows' ..." → $HELIX_PYTHONPATH .../gen-debug-dump-docs.py (POSIX syntax)

But Android (linux-bionic RID) test legs run their Helix work items on Windows queues. Those work items have TargetOS == android, so they take the POSIX branch, yet the command actually runs under cmd.exe. cmd.exe does not expand $HELIX_PYTHONPATH, so the token is treated as a command name, is not found, and the work item exits with code 1 — after results were already reported.

Attempted fix

The project already computes a WindowsShell property (line 8) that is true precisely when a work item runs under cmd.exe, including the linux-bionic + Windows-queue case:

<WindowsShell Condition="'$(TargetOS)' == 'windows' or '$(BrowserHost)' == 'windows' or ($(TargetRuntimeIdentifier.ToLowerInvariant().StartsWith('linux-bionic')) and $(HelixTargetQueue.ToLowerInvariant().Contains('windows')))">true</WindowsShell>

WindowsShell is already the shell-syntax selector used throughout this file (e.g. HelixPreCommand, HelixCommandPrefixEnvVarItem). This change keys the two gen-debug-dump-docs post-commands off WindowsShell instead of TargetOS == 'windows', so Android-on-Windows work items get the cmd-syntax command. browser/wasi remain excluded from the POSIX branch as before.

What is unverified / where I need help

• The fix cannot be locally build-validated; it only takes effect in a live Send to Helix run on the affected Windows-queue Android legs. A maintainer should confirm the post-command now expands correctly (and that no non-Android Windows-queue leg regresses).
• Please confirm WindowsShell is the intended selector here (it is used elsewhere in this same file for exactly this shell-syntax decision).

Validation

• Command: not run — MSBuild Condition / Helix post-command change with no local test path; exercised only in CI Send to Helix.
• Result: not run

Evidence

• Failing build: https://dev.azure.com/dnceng-public/public/_build/results?buildId=1524472
• First build it occurred: within the scanned window (source build 1524472, recurring through 1526281); the true origin is whenever gen-debug-dump-docs post-commands began running on Android Windows-queue legs.
• Suspected regressing change: none identified with sufficient confidence.

Help wanted

• Likely author: none identified with sufficient confidence.
• Area owners (area-Infrastructure): @agocke, @dotnet/runtime-infrastructure

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Filed by ci-failure-fix. Comment here or on the workflow file to suggest changes; ci-failure-scan-feedback reads in-scope feedback daily and opens (or updates) a PR with prompt edits.

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