feat: add copilotHome option for configurable data directory by patniko · Pull Request #1191 · github/copilot-sdk

patniko · 2026-05-04T02:56:01Z

Summary

Adds a first-class copilotHome option to CopilotClientOptions in all four SDKs (Node/TS, Python, Go, .NET) that sets the COPILOT_HOME environment variable on the spawned CLI process. This allows users to control where the CLI stores session state, config, and other data files.

Motivation

Addresses github/copilot-sdk-partners#29 — a team reported that the SDK writes temp/internal files to AppData which is not writable (only D:\data is allowed). There was no discoverable option to override the data directory.

Changes

SDK	Option	Files
Node/TS	`copilotHome?: string`	`types.ts`, `client.ts`
Python	`copilot_home: str \| None`	`client.py`
Go	`CopilotHome string`	`types.go`, `client.go`, `embeddedcli.go`
.NET	`CopilotHome: string?`	`Types.cs`, `Client.cs`

All four SDK READMEs are updated with documentation for the new option.

Behavior

Sets COPILOT_HOME env var on the spawned CLI process
Takes priority over any COPILOT_HOME set in the raw env option
Ignored when connecting to an external server via cliUrl
Go: embedded CLI binary cache also respects COPILOT_HOME/cache/copilot-sdk as a fallback directory

Usage example (Node)

const client = new CopilotClient({
  copilotHome: "D:\\data\\copilot",
});

Testing

✅ TypeScript type check
✅ Node client tests (71 passed)
✅ Go build + tests
✅ .NET build + unit tests (62 passed)
✅ Python smoke test

Related issues

Closes https://github.com/github/copilot-sdk-partners/issues/29

Copilot

Pull request overview

Adds a first-class copilotHome / copilot_home / CopilotHome option across the Node/TS, Python, Go, and .NET SDKs to control where the spawned Copilot CLI stores its data by setting COPILOT_HOME.

Changes:

Added a new client option in each SDK to set COPILOT_HOME on the spawned CLI process.
Updated spawn/launch code paths to apply the environment variable during CLI startup.
Updated SDK READMEs to document the new option and its behavior.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
python/copilot/client.py	Adds `copilot_home` to `SubprocessConfig` and applies it to the CLI subprocess environment.
python/README.md	Documents `copilot_home` option behavior and intended use cases.
nodejs/src/types.ts	Adds `copilotHome?: string` to `CopilotClientOptions`.
nodejs/src/client.ts	Plumbs `copilotHome` through options normalization and sets `COPILOT_HOME` in spawn env.
nodejs/README.md	Documents `copilotHome` option behavior and when it’s ignored.
go/types.go	Adds `CopilotHome string` to `ClientOptions` with behavior documentation.
go/internal/embeddedcli/embeddedcli.go	Uses `COPILOT_HOME` (process env) to influence embedded CLI install/cache directory fallback.
go/client.go	Plumbs `CopilotHome` and appends `COPILOT_HOME=...` to CLI subprocess env.
go/README.md	Documents `CopilotHome`, including embedded CLI cache implications.
dotnet/src/Types.cs	Adds `CopilotHome` to `CopilotClientOptions`.
dotnet/src/Client.cs	Sets `COPILOT_HOME` in `ProcessStartInfo.Environment` when spawning the CLI.
dotnet/README.md	Documents `CopilotHome` option behavior and use cases.

Copilot's findings

Files reviewed: 12/12 changed files
Comments generated: 6

github-actions

Generated by SDK Consistency Review Agent for issue #1191 · ● 288.9K

Add a first-class option to CopilotClientOptions in all four SDKs (Node/TS, Python, Go, .NET) that sets the COPILOT_HOME environment variable on the spawned CLI process, allowing users to control where the CLI stores session state, config, and other data files. This addresses environments with restricted write access (e.g., M365 B2 service where only specific directories like D:\data are writable). - Node/TS: copilotHome?: string - Python: copilot_home: str | None - Go: CopilotHome string (also used as fallback for embedded CLI cache) - .NET: CopilotHome: string? The explicit option takes priority over any COPILOT_HOME set in the raw env option. The option is ignored when connecting to an external server via cliUrl. Closes github/copilot-sdk-partners#29 Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

- Add unit tests for copilotHome option in all 4 SDKs - Fix Python README: add missing 'Ignored when using ExternalServerConfig' caveat - Fix Go README: clarify that CopilotHome option controls CLI subprocess env, not embedded binary cache (use COPILOT_HOME env var or embeddedcli.Config.Dir for that) Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

github-actions

Generated by SDK Consistency Review Agent for issue #1191 · ● 879.9K

Clarify that ClientOptions.CopilotHome configures the spawned CLI process only, while embedded CLI extraction remains controlled by embeddedcli.Config.Dir. Also make Go env overrides deterministic by replacing duplicate SDK-managed entries before spawning the CLI, and cover COPILOT_HOME precedence in the Go client-options E2E test. Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Extend the existing client-options E2E suites in Node, Python, and .NET to capture COPILOT_HOME and assert that the explicit client option overrides any raw environment value passed into the subprocess. Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

github-actions · 2026-05-04T11:44:42Z

Cross-SDK Consistency Review ✅

This PR adds copilotHome / copilot_home / CopilotHome to all four SDK implementations simultaneously. Cross-SDK consistency looks excellent:

SDK	Option name	Convention
Node.js/TypeScript	`copilotHome?: string`	camelCase ✅
Python	`copilot_home: str \| None`	snake_case ✅
Go	`CopilotHome string`	PascalCase ✅
.NET	`CopilotHome: string?`	PascalCase ✅

Behavioral parity confirmed:

All four SDKs set COPILOT_HOME on the spawned CLI process with the option value taking priority over any COPILOT_HOME in the user-supplied env — and this is tested via E2E tests in all four SDKs
All four skip setting the env var when the option is empty/null
All four ignore the option when connecting to an external server via cliUrl / cli_url / CLIUrl / CliUrl
All four READMEs updated with equivalent documentation

Go-specific nuance (appropriate): The Go SDK also reads COPILOT_HOME from the calling process environment to determine where to cache the embedded CLI binary (embeddedcli.go). This is Go-only (other SDKs don't embed a CLI binary), is well-documented in the README ("This does not affect where the Go SDK extracts the embedded CLI binary"), and is a reasonable use of the same env var for a related purpose.

No inconsistencies found. 🎉

Generated by SDK Consistency Review Agent for issue #1191 · ● 493.1K · ◷

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings May 4, 2026 02:56

patniko requested a review from a team as a code owner May 4, 2026 02:56

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of patniko May 4, 2026 02:56 View session

patniko requested a review from SteveSandersonMS May 4, 2026 02:59

Copilot AI reviewed May 4, 2026

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patniko and others added 2 commits May 4, 2026 12:23

SteveSandersonMS force-pushed the configurable-copilot-home branch from 9678a79 to 625ddeb Compare May 4, 2026 11:26

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SteveSandersonMS and others added 2 commits May 4, 2026 12:39

SteveSandersonMS merged commit 662f270 into main May 4, 2026
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SteveSandersonMS deleted the configurable-copilot-home branch May 4, 2026 11:59

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feat: add copilotHome option for configurable data directory#1191

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patniko commented May 4, 2026 •

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patniko commented May 4, 2026 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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Summary

Motivation

Changes

Behavior

Usage example (Node)

Testing

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Pull request overview

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github-actions Bot commented May 4, 2026

Cross-SDK Consistency Review ✅

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patniko commented May 4, 2026 •

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