Based on my research starting from the GitHub pull request #310226 and exploring related issues and discussions, here's why VS Code adds 'Co-Authored-by Copilot' to commits: ## **Why VS Code Adds 'Co-Authored-by Copilot' to Commits** ### **1. Attribution for AI-Assisted Code** The primary reason is **transparency and attribution**. When GitHub Copilot generates or significantly contributes to code, VS Code automatically adds a `Co-authored-by: Copilot <copilot@github.com>` trailer to the commit message. This serves several purposes: - **Acknowledges AI contribution**: It makes it clear that AI was involved in the code generation - **Maintains audit trail**: Provides a record of when and how AI tools were used - **Follows Git conventions**: Uses the standard Git `Co-authored-by` trailer format for attribution ### **2. Implementation Details** From the pull request #310226 ("Enabling ai co author by default"), this feature was introduced in **VS Code 1.118** (released April 29, 2026). The implementation: - **Default setting**: `git.addAICoAuthor` defaults to `chatAndAgent` - **Automatic detection**: VS Code detects when AI-assisted content is being committed - **UI-only**: Currently only applies to commits made through the VS Code UI, not CLI commits ### **3. Controversy and Concerns** This feature has generated significant debate: - **Copyright/ownership concerns**: Some developers worry about AI being listed as a co-author for legal/IP reasons - **Over-attribution**: The feature sometimes adds the co-author even for minor autocomplete suggestions - **Opt-out vs opt-in**: The default "on" setting has been criticized as too aggressive ### **4. How to Disable It** If you want to disable this feature, you can set: ```json "git.addAICoAuthor": "off" ``` ### **5. Related Discussions** - GitHub issue #313064: Users reporting unexpected "Co-authored-by: Copilot" additions - GitHub issue #297415: Questions about whether the setting should specify which commits it applies to - Community discussions about AI attribution in Git commits ## **Summary** VS Code adds 'Co-Authored-by Copilot' to commits primarily for **transparency and attribution** of AI-assisted code generation. While intended to provide clear audit trails, the default implementation has sparked controversy about ownership, copyright, and user control over commit metadata.