VS Code 1.117.0 Automatically Adds Copilot as Co-Author on Commit — Here's What Triggers It

VS Code v1.117.0 is adding Co-authored-by: Copilot <[email protected]> to git commits when Copilot inline suggestions (autocomplete) are used. A HN user discovered this when a PR they authored without actively using Copilot still had the co-author line. Investigations confirmed the trigger: accepting even a single character from Copilot's inline suggestion — like fixing a typo in a changelog — appends the co-author attribution.

How it Happens

• The feature is enabled by default with Copilot autocomplete (inline suggestions).
• If you accept any suggestion (even a single comma), the commit gets Co-authored-by: Copilot <[email protected]> appended.
• Manually writing commit messages or using Copilot's commit message generation does not trigger it — only inline acceptance does.
• The commit line reads: "Committed by USERNAME and Copilot".

Community Reaction

• Misattribution: Users argue that claiming authorship by default for minor autocomplete is deceptive, especially when not explicitly using Copilot for that commit.
• No Disclosure: The feature was not clearly communicated in the UI — only buried in release notes from the day prior.
• Opt-Out Available: The entire Copilot feature set can be disabled via chat.disableAIFeatures in settings, though no granular toggle for co-author exists.

What You Can Do

• Disable Copilot autocomplete entirely to prevent unwanted co-author tags.
• Set chat.disableAIFeatures: true to kill all Copilot features.
• Review commit messages before push — the co-author line will appear in the commit body.

For developers relying on Copilot autocomplete, this means every accepted suggestion automatically watermarks your commit history. Consider whether you want that on your PRs before updating.