VS Code PR #310226 changes git.addAICoAuthor default from off to all, automatically appending Co-authored-by: Copilot trailers to git commits when AI contributions are detected.
Key Takeaways
The change is in extensions/git/package.json; the config default flips to "all" but the runtime fallback in extensions/git/src/repository.ts still hardcodes 'off', creating a schema/runtime mismatch.
The setting was subsequently changed again to chatAndAgent (PR #312880), meaning the default went off -> all -> chatAndAgent in rapid succession.
Co-authored-by trailers are a git standard used in legal and attribution contexts; adding them by default without explicit user consent alters commit history semantics.
The PR author is a Microsoft PM working on VS Code and GitHub Copilot, suggesting this is a product-driven metrics push rather than a developer-experience improvement.
Hacker News Comment Review
The runtime/config mismatch was flagged by Copilot itself in a review comment on the PR, which was ignored – commenters found this ironic and telling about internal review culture.
Strong consensus that this is a vanity/usage-metric play: injecting co-author tags inflates Copilot adoption stats while polluting git history, with no opt-in from developers.
Commenters drew the “Sent from my iPhone” parallel but noted it inverts the dynamic – developers do not want to advertise AI tool use in commit records, especially in regulated or open-source contexts.
Notable Comments
@ddkto: Copilot’s own PR review flagged the schema/runtime sync bug and suggested reverting; the comment was ignored by the PR author.
@MaKey: Documents the full default progression – off -> all -> chatAndAgent – via PR #312880, showing rapid backpedaling after community pushback.
