While Constellation's MCP server provides raw code intelligence capabilities, this plugin enhances your GitHub Copilot experience with:
| Feature | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Contextual Skills | Copilot automatically loads relevant knowledge when needed |
| Proactive Agents | Copilot suggests analysis before you make risky changes |
| Safety Hooks | Reminders to check impact before modifying code |
Copilot automatically activates specialized analysis based on your questions:
| Skill | Triggers When You Ask About... |
|---|---|
| status | API connectivity, authentication, service health |
| diagnose | Health checks, indexing status, connectivity issues |
| impact | Impact of changes, blast radius, risk assessment |
| deps | File dependencies, circular dependencies, module coupling |
| unused | Dead code, orphaned exports, unused functions |
| architecture | Codebase structure, language distribution, project overview |
| troubleshooting | Error codes, debugging, connection problems |
Specialized AI agents for autonomous analysis:
| Agent | Purpose |
|---|---|
| source-scout | Explores and navigates codebase, discovers symbols and architectural patterns |
| impact-investigator | Proactively assesses risk before refactoring, renaming, or deleting code |
| dependency-detective | Detects circular dependencies and unhealthy coupling patterns |
Example Trigger:
You: "Rename AuthService to AuthenticationService"
Copilot: "Before renaming, let me analyze the potential impact..."
[Launches impact-investigator agent]
Event hooks enable intelligent, transparent assistance:
| Hook | Event | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Code Intel Preference | sessionStart |
Establishes code_intel as the primary tool for code understanding |
| Search Nudge | preToolUse |
Reminds to prefer code_intel over grep for structural queries |
- Constellation Account (see Constellation)
- Project indexed in Constellation
- Access key configured
- GitHub Copilot subscription (CLI or VS Code)
Install the plugin directly from GitHub:
# Install the plugin
copilot plugin install ShiftinBits/constellation-copilotcopilot plugin uninstall constellationCall the status command on the constellation plugin within Copilot:
/constellation:status
Example result:
• Status: Connected /
- API Connection: Active
- Authentication: Valid
- Project Access: Confirmed
- Last Indexed: 2026-04-07 at 22:42:17 UTC
- Response Time: 569ms
The Constellation code intelligence service is running and fully operational. To check indexing status and available capabilities, use api.getCapabilities().
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
AUTH_ERROR |
Check CONSTELLATION_ACCESS_KEY is set correctly, use constellation auth CLI command to set |
PROJECT_NOT_INDEXED |
Run constellation index --full in your project |
| Skills not activating | Restart the CLI/editor or reinstall the plugin |
| Changes not taking effect | Plugin components are cached — uninstall and reinstall: copilot plugin uninstall constellation && copilot plugin install ./path |
- Constellation Documentation — Full platform documentation
- Copilot CLI Plugins — Plugin development guide
GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0)
Copyright (c) 2026 ShiftinBits Inc.
See LICENSE file for details.