Open-source AI functionality provided by the Copilot Chat extension · Issue #249031 · microsoft/vscode (original) (raw)

Our blog post outlines our motivation to open-source the client-side code of our AI features in VS Code. We also compiled FAQs.

Goals

  1. Open source is only useful, if you can participate in the development process of the AI features. We need a development story that allows you to make code changes and debug AI interactions end-to-end. You need to be able to run the AI tests suites. Since all AI features are powered by models, you need to have access to models during development.
  2. Once open source, we re-evaluate how we split the functionality between VS Code Core, built-in extension(s), and the Chat extension. We want to improve the user experience and simplify our architecture and build processes.

Approach

We'll first open-source the GitHub Copilot Chat extension. To do so we need:

  1. Ensure code compliance
  2. Define the strategy for service access
  3. Define how to run tests
  4. Define OSS builds
  5. Issue management

Note: Today, NES functionality is separate from code completions. NES is implemented in the Chat extension, while completions are implemented in the GitHub Copilot completions extension. We have concrete plans to bring NES and completions together in the Chat extension. Therefore, at the moment, we don't have concrete plans to open-source the Copilot completions extension.

Compliance Review

Service Access

Tests

Builds

Issues