to-symlink.ps1

# Converts a Shortcut to a Symbolic Link.
# Place this somewhere on your PATH.
#
# Usage:
# $ to-symlink .\path-to-shortcut.lnk
#    Converted ".\path-to-shortcut.lnk" to symlink.
$obj = New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell

function Convert-ShortcutToSymlink {
  param (
    [Parameter(Mandatory)]
    [string]$ShortcutPath
  )

  if (!(Test-Path -Path $ShortcutPath)) {
    Write-Error "Shortcut ""$ShortcutPath"" does not exist."
    return
  }

  $shortcut = $obj.CreateShortcut($ShortcutPath)
  $targetPath = $shortcut.TargetPath
  $symlinkPath = $ShortcutPath -replace '\.lnk$'

  New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink -Path $symlinkPath -Target $targetPath -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Out-Null
  Remove-Item $ShortcutPath

  Write-Output "Converted ""$ShortcutPath"" to symlink."
}

Convert-ShortcutToSymlink -ShortcutPath $args[0]