did you try xonsh?

I did, and i found it a pretty big chore in practice. Its two modes (shell mode and python mode), never quite knowing which one you're in, I could never quite get used to that. PowerShell doesn't have this problem, because it was designed for the command line first and for scripts second (which is, incidentally, also its major downside if you ask me).

> Its two modes (shell mode and python mode), never quite knowing which one you're in, I could never quite get used to that.

Drive-by armchair comment: it seems like the obvious answer would be to change the prompt depending on what mode you're in?

I find this criticism of xonsh's "modes" baffling. Xonsh is brilliant precisely because it isn't modal the way, e.g., vi is.

Xonsh lets you freely mix python code and command invocations in a highly transparent way.

you can force captured subprocess mode if necessary