[java] Using the SDK seems to reset the folder trust

[laeubi]

One thing I noticed after making a quick test with the sdk was that whenever I started it and use copilot cli afterwards I getting again asked what folders to trust.

1. start copilot cli and allow a folder for future sessions
2. start copilot cli again --> it starts without asking again
3. execute something with the sdk (e.g. the tutorial code)
4. start copilot cli again --> it asks again if one would like to trust the folder

I'm using the latest 1.0.9-preview.3

[github-actions]

Investigation findings

Label applied: bug

What I investigated

• java/src/main/java/com/github/copilot/CliServerManager.java — how the CLI is spawned by the SDK
• java/src/main/java/com/github/copilot/rpc/PermissionHandler.java — the APPROVE_ALL handler used in the tutorial
• java/src/main/java/com/github/copilot/rpc/PermissionRequestResultKind.java — what APPROVED actually sends to the CLI
• nodejs/src/generated/rpc.ts — folder trust APIs (session.permissions.folderTrust.isTrusted / addTrusted)

Root cause

The SDK tutorial code uses PermissionHandler.APPROVE_ALL, which resolves permission requests with "approve-once" (a single-session, ephemeral approval). This is distinct from a persistent folder trust grant.

When the interactive Copilot CLI prompts you to trust a folder, it stores the answer in persistent state under ~/.copilot/. However, when the SDK spawns the CLI in --server mode, any folder-trust prompt that flows through the SDK's permission handler is answered with "approve-once" — not with a persistent addTrusted call — so the trust is not saved. After the SDK session ends, the next interactive CLI run no longer finds the persistent trust entry and prompts again.

Why this is a bug

The APPROVE_ALL handler in the tutorial is documented as "approves all requests," but it only grants ephemeral (single-session) approval for folder trust. A user who followed the CLI's normal interactive trust flow reasonably expects that approval to persist, but SDK use silently overwrites or bypasses the persistent trust state.

Possible fix

The SDK's permission handler for folder trust should either:

1. Call session.permissions.folderTrust.addTrusted to persist the approval when responding to a folder trust request, or
2. Check folderTrust.isTrusted before answering so it returns the already-persisted interactive answer rather than generating a new ephemeral response.

Additionally, the tutorial and documentation should clarify the difference between ephemeral approval (APPROVE_ALL) and persistent folder trust.

Generated by Bug Handler for #2289 · sonnet46 100 AIC · ⌖ 5.27 AIC · ⊞ 5.9K · ◷