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When python resolves to C:\Users\Harnoor\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\python.exe (the Microsoft Store stub), running scripts via Bash background tasks produces zero stdout/stderr and the process hangs until killed. This blocked the SES send for newsletter #016 (2026-05-04) until I switched executables.

The real interpreter: C:\Users\Harnoor\AppData\Local\Python\bin\python.exe — Python 3.14.2, with boto3, requests, etc. installed.

Why: The WindowsApps directory is a redirector that opens the Store on first use. In headless/subprocess contexts there's no UI to redirect to, so it just blocks. python --version returns synchronously because that path triggers a fast-fail, but actual script execution stalls indefinitely.

How to apply:

• For any TITAN script invoked from Bash/PowerShell with redirected stdio, use the full path /c/Users/Harnoor/AppData/Local/Python/bin/python.exe (Bash) or C:\Users\Harnoor\AppData\Local\Python\bin\python.exe (PowerShell).
• Set PY=/c/Users/Harnoor/AppData/Local/Python/bin/python.exe at the top of any inline shell snippet that calls Python.
• For long-running scripts, also pass -u (unbuffered) so output streams to redirected files immediately — boto3 imports + AWS API calls take 10–30s and you want progress visible.
• If you ever see a Bash task report "Command running in background" with a 0-byte output file that never grows, suspect this and check ps -ef | grep WindowsApps.
• Worth proposing: a TITAN hook that rewrites bare python to the real path in scripted invocations.