Users of GitHub Copilot can now directly request and explain commands in Windows Terminal through the new Terminal Chat feature.
Microsoft is integrating GitHub Copilot into Windows Terminal. The feature is available in Windows Terminal Canary and is aimed at GitHub Copilot users with an Individual, Business, or Enterprise subscription. Terminal Chat enables interaction with GitHub Copilot without leaving the terminal.
Microsoft aims to minimize context switching, which involves navigating from one window to another, as it impacts productivity. This integration can be framed within that ambition.
Relevant Suggestions
Terminal Chat is currently an experimental feature in Windows Terminal Canary that allows users to request commands from GitHub Copilot through a chat window. The AI assistant provides suggestions based on the active shell in use, such as PowerShell or CMD, and offers explanations for commands or error messages.
To use Terminal Chat, users must activate GitHub Copilot as a provider in the Windows Terminal Canary settings. After authentication via GitHub, Copilot is activated as the active provider. You can find the settings under the Terminal Chat (Experimental) menu. Suggestions are copied to the command line but not automatically executed. This way, the user maintains control over which commands are actually executed.
Communication with GitHub Copilot only occurs when the user sends a message. The chat history and active shell name are also sent along. Organizations can manage the use of GitHub Copilot in the terminal through group policy.
Applications
Microsoft envisions various applications for Terminal Chat. Besides simple command requests, the feature can translate commands from, for example, Linux to PowerShell. Copilot can also explain error messages and suggest solutions to problems. Suggestions can be copied to a text editor in the command line, such as nano or vi within WSL.
Terminal Chat is currently only available in Windows Terminal Canary. Microsoft indicates that feedback from the open-source community will be incorporated into the further development of the feature. Interested users can follow the project via the ‘feature/llm’ branch of the Windows Terminal GitHub repository.