The Sitecore PowerShell extensions script library

SitecoreAI includes a number of PowerShell scripts to automate the most common tasks. The open source Sitecore PowerShell Extensions (SPE) module provides a command line and a scripting environment and enables you to use PowerShell from within Sitecore. In this way, you can run commands and write scripts according to Windows PowerShell syntax. Some scripts are embedded into the Content Editor interface, where every module that uses SPE has its own script library in: sitecore/System/Modules/PowerShell/Script Library/JSS SXA.

Note

To write your own scripts, or view code of existing scripts, use the PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE). To access this tool, in SitecoreAI's Desktop interface, click the Sitecore Start button > Development Tools > PowerShell ISE.

To use the ISE, you might need to set the correct value for the SITECORE_SPE_ELEVATION environment variable.

The following types of scripts are available:

Scaffolding – scripts that support the creation of a site or site collection by generating its foundational structure.
Context Menu – scripts that are available for editors using the Content Editor. For example, the cleanup data sources script:
Cmdlets – lightweight commands that are used in SPE and can be reused by other developers.
Insert Item – a script that extends the Insert section in the Content Editor.

The following table describes the script modules (where scripts are stored in module folders) in the Sitecore PowerShell extensions script library, their functions, descriptions, and type of script:

Module	Function	Description	Type of script
Basic Site	Add home renderings	Builds the basic content structure of the site.	Scaffolding
Multisite	Add content fields	Adds new fields to Site Collection templates, as well as Content and Title fields to a Page template.	Scaffolding
Multisite	Set home item title field	Sets the home item title after the site is created.	Scaffolding
Scaffolding	Add-JSSTenant	Contains all the functions used to create a new headless site collection.	Cmdlet
Scaffolding	Get-AllJSSSite	Gets all headless sites.	Cmdlet
Scaffolding	Get-AllJSSTenant	Gets all headless site collections.	Cmdlet
Scaffolding	Get-JSSSiteDefinition	Gets headless site modules.	Cmdlet
Scaffolding	Get-JSSTenantDefinition	Gets headless site collection modules.	Cmdlet
Scaffolding	Install Headless Site module	Installs a headless site module.	Cmdlet
Scaffolding	Install Headless Site Collection module	Installs a headless site collection module.	Cmdlet
Scaffolding	Headless Site	Adds a script to the insert options in the context menu that lets users create a new headless site.	Insert item
Scaffolding	Headless Site Collection	Adds a script to the insert options in the context menu that lets users create a new headless site collection.	Insert item
Scaffolding	New-JSSTenant	Contains functions used to create a new headless site collection.	Cmdlet
Scaffolding	New-JSSSite	Contains functions used to create a new headless site.	Cmdlet

Custom PowerShell scripts best practice and limitations

For scripts written by users, SitecoreAI does not define a fixed maximum number of items that can be processed in a single PowerShell operation. Depending on content size, number of languages and versions, custom pipelines, and available memory, there is a risk of a System.OutOfMemoryException error.

To prevent memory exhaustion and service instability, follow these guidelines:

Always process large create, update, or publish operations in small batches. A practical starting point is 200–500 items per batch for heavy operations.
Avoid scripts that load or loop through the entire content tree or store very large item lists in memory.
Do not store large item collections in variables; process items as a stream and release references between batches.
Schedule heavy PowerShell jobs outside business hours and avoid running them alongside other resource-intensive tasks.
Always test at small scale first in a non-production environment and increase batch sizes gradually while monitoring memory usage.
Split long-running jobs into multiple executions instead of running a single prolonged script.

Large unbounded PowerShell operations are not supported in SitecoreAI and may lead to service restarts or temporary outages.

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