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VS Code inserting 'Co-Authored-by Copilot' into commits regardless of usage
(news.ycombinator.com)
this post was submitted on 03 May 2026
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The bug was fixed, but it still adds itself as co-author by default if you as much as use code completion powered by Copilot.
Combined with the fact that this doesn't show up in your commit message dialog, and that is nothing but blatant advertising, this is just unacceptable.
I don't necessarily mind crediting Copilot if it did substantial amount of the work, but it also seems redundant nowadays when AI has become as ubiquitous as using an IDE. Having used it for code completion just doesn't seem to warrant co-author credit in that context. In other words if I had been able to edit that part of the commit message I'd probably be a lot less annoyed by this.
As it is, it's just blatant overreach by Microsoft. Microsoft doing Microsoft things. Nothing has changed since the 90s.
Yeah, I don't include the person down the hall when I ask for their help unless they are making final design decisions alongside me. If copilot is doing 40% of the work, sure. Just existing nearby isn't enough.
Also, CoPilot isn't a person. It shouldn't be a co-author for the same reason Google and StackOverflow aren't.
If I copy a solution from SO I usually put in a comment with a link to the answer to cite my source. I don't mind crediting where credit is due, but claiming co-author for a spelling correction is a bit much.
Absolutely. I was just describing where I put the bar, and it isn't even anywhere near it.
Especially after they dropped intellisense in favor of copilot. Just typical M$ shit.
If VSCode is just hijacking the in-IDE commit UI, is bypassing it as simple as committing from the command line?
Yes, you can get around it that way. You can also just disable it in VSCode settings. I could also just not use VSCode or CoPilot at all. It's not that can't be worked around; it's that we shouldn't have to. It's the violation of trust we're having issues with.