Render console instructions instead of editing existing MCP/setup files in init command by Copilot · Pull Request #13769 · github/gh-aw

Copilot · 2026-02-04T17:57:57Z

The init command was modifying existing .vscode/mcp.json and .github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml files, disrupting user formatting and customizations.

Changes

File detection and console rendering

ensureMCPConfig: Detects existing .vscode/mcp.json, renders JSON snippet to console instead of editing
ensureCopilotSetupSteps: Detects existing .github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml, renders YAML steps to console instead of editing
Added renderMCPConfigUpdateInstructions and renderCopilotSetupUpdateInstructions helpers for formatted output

Behavior

New files: created as before
Existing files: left unchanged, instructions displayed
Upgrade command: continues to modify files (backward compatibility)

Example output

ℹ Existing file detected: .vscode/mcp.json

To enable GitHub Copilot Agent MCP server integration, please add the following
to the "servers" section of your .vscode/mcp.json file:

{
  "github-agentic-workflows": {
    "command": "gh",
    "args": ["aw", "mcp-server"],
    "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}"
  }
}

Original prompt

The init command should not edit existing .vscode/mcp.json or .github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml . Instead it should render to the console output what updates needs to be done. The reason is that editing can disrupt the formatting and is generally not great.

💡 You can make Copilot smarter by setting up custom instructions, customizing its development environment and configuring Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. Learn more Copilot coding agent tips in the docs.

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

… existing files - Modified ensureMCPConfig to detect existing .vscode/mcp.json and render console output with required changes - Modified ensureCopilotSetupSteps to detect existing .github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml and render console output - Added renderMCPConfigUpdateInstructions helper to display JSON configuration for MCP - Added renderCopilotSetupUpdateInstructions helper to display YAML steps for copilot setup - Updated tests to verify files are NOT modified when they already exist - Updated tests to expect console output instructions instead of file editing - Maintains backward compatibility with upgrade command which still modifies files Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

- Verified all tests pass with new behavior - Manually tested init command with existing files - Confirmed files are NOT modified when they already exist - Console output provides clear instructions for manual updates - Maintains backward compatibility with upgrade command Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot

Pull request overview

Updates the init command behavior to avoid modifying existing user files for MCP/Copilot setup, and instead prints console instructions for manual updates.

Changes:

Update MCP config initialization to create .vscode/mcp.json only when missing; otherwise render a JSON snippet with instructions.
Update Copilot setup workflow initialization to create .github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml only when missing; otherwise render YAML step instructions (while keeping upgrade’s version-update behavior).
Adjust unit tests to assert that existing files remain unchanged when present.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 5 out of 5 changed files in this pull request and generated 6 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
pkg/cli/mcp_config_file.go	Stops editing existing `.vscode/mcp.json`; prints update instructions instead.
pkg/cli/copilot_setup.go	Stops editing existing `copilot-setup-steps.yml` during init; prints update instructions instead; preserves upgrade path.
pkg/cli/mcp_config_file_test.go	Updates expectations for existing MCP config files to remain unchanged.
pkg/cli/init_mcp_test.go	Updates MCP init tests to verify existing files aren’t modified.
pkg/cli/copilot_setup_test.go	Updates workflow setup tests to verify existing files aren’t modified.

Comments suppressed due to low confidence (1)

pkg/cli/mcp_config_file.go:114

renderMCPConfigUpdateInstructions ignores the json.MarshalIndent error. If marshaling fails for any reason, the function will print an empty/partial snippet without indicating failure. Handle the error and print a fallback message (or return an error so callers can surface it).

	// Generate the JSON to add
	serverJSON, _ := json.MarshalIndent(map[string]VSCodeMCPServer{
		serverName: serverConfig,
	}, "", "  ")

	fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, string(serverJSON))

💡 Add Copilot custom instructions for smarter, more guided reviews. Learn how to get started.

Copilot · 2026-02-04T19:05:37Z

pkg/cli/copilot_setup.go

+// ensureCopilotSetupStepsWithUpgrade creates .github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml
+// If the file already exists, it renders console instructions instead of editing
+// When upgradeVersion is true and called from upgrade command, this is a special case
 func ensureCopilotSetupStepsWithUpgrade(verbose bool, actionMode workflow.ActionMode, version string, upgradeVersion bool) error {
 	copilotSetupLog.Printf("Creating copilot-setup-steps.yml with action mode: %s, version: %s, upgradeVersion: %v", actionMode, version, upgradeVersion)



In ensureCopilotSetupStepsWithUpgrade, the os.Stat(setupStepsPath) existence check later in this function treats any non-nil error as "file doesn't exist" and will fall through to os.WriteFile(...). If Stat fails for reasons other than ErrNotExist (permissions/IO), this can overwrite an existing workflow—contradicting the new "don’t edit existing files" init behavior. Recommend handling ErrNotExist explicitly and returning an error on other Stat failures.

Copilot · 2026-02-04T19:05:37Z

pkg/cli/mcp_config_file.go

+	// Check if file already exists
+	if data, err := os.ReadFile(mcpConfigPath); err == nil {
+		mcpConfigLog.Printf("File already exists: %s", mcpConfigPath)
+
+		// Parse existing config
+		var config MCPConfig
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(data, &config); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to parse existing mcp.json: %w", err)
+		}
+
+		// Check if the server is already configured correctly
+		if existingConfig, exists := config.Servers[ghAwServerName]; exists {
+			existingJSON, _ := json.Marshal(existingConfig)
+			newJSON, _ := json.Marshal(ghAwConfig)
+			if string(existingJSON) == string(newJSON) {
+				mcpConfigLog.Print("Configuration is identical, skipping")
+				if verbose {
+					fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "MCP server '%s' already configured in %s\n", ghAwServerName, mcpConfigPath)
+				}
+				return nil
 			}
-			return nil
 		}
-		mcpConfigLog.Print("Configuration differs, updating")
+
+		// File exists but needs update - render instructions instead of editing
+		mcpConfigLog.Print("File exists, rendering update instructions instead of editing")
+		renderMCPConfigUpdateInstructions(mcpConfigPath, ghAwServerName, ghAwConfig)
+		return nil
 	}

+	// File doesn't exist - create it
+	mcpConfigLog.Print("No existing config found, creating new one")
+	config := MCPConfig{


ensureMCPConfig treats any os.ReadFile error as "file doesn't exist" and proceeds to create/write .vscode/mcp.json. If the file exists but is unreadable (permissions/IO error), this can overwrite a user’s existing config—contradicting the new "do not edit existing files" behavior. Handle os.ErrNotExist explicitly and return an error for other read failures (and avoid writing in that case).

Copilot · 2026-02-04T19:05:37Z

pkg/cli/mcp_config_file.go

+		if existingConfig, exists := config.Servers[ghAwServerName]; exists {
+			existingJSON, _ := json.Marshal(existingConfig)
+			newJSON, _ := json.Marshal(ghAwConfig)
+			if string(existingJSON) == string(newJSON) {


Errors from json.Marshal are ignored when comparing existingConfig vs ghAwConfig. Even if errors are unlikely here, ignoring them can mask unexpected marshal failures and lead to incorrect "identical" detection. Prefer handling the error (or compare the structs directly, e.g., field-by-field / reflect.DeepEqual for the slice).

Copilot · 2026-02-04T19:05:38Z

pkg/cli/copilot_setup.go

+			copilotSetupLog.Print("Extension install step already exists, file is up to date")
 			if verbose {
 				fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Skipping %s (already has gh-aw extension install step)\n", setupStepsPath)


The message "Extension install step already exists, file is up to date" is stronger than what the code verifies (it only checks for presence of an install step substring, not correctness/version/mode). Consider rewording to something like "install step detected; leaving file unchanged" to avoid misleading logs/output.

Suggested change

copilotSetupLog.Print("Extension install step already exists, file is up to date")

if verbose {

fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Skipping %s (already has gh-aw extension install step)\n", setupStepsPath)

copilotSetupLog.Print("Extension install step detected; leaving file unchanged")

if verbose {

fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Skipping %s (detected existing gh-aw extension install step)\n", setupStepsPath)

Copilot · 2026-02-04T19:05:38Z

pkg/cli/mcp_config_file_test.go

@@ -55,14 +55,16 @@ func TestEnsureMCPConfig(t *testing.T) {
 			verbose: true,
 			wantErr: false,


These cases are now named "renders instructions…" but the test only asserts the file is unchanged; it doesn’t verify that the expected instructions/snippet were actually printed. Consider capturing os.Stderr (as done in other tests in this repo) and asserting it contains e.g. "Existing file detected" and the github-agentic-workflows JSON block.

Copilot · 2026-02-04T19:05:38Z

pkg/cli/copilot_setup_test.go

@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ func TestEnsureCopilotSetupSteps(t *testing.T) {
 			verbose: false,
 			wantErr: false,
 			validateContent: func(t *testing.T, content []byte) {


This test asserts the workflow file remains unchanged, but it doesn’t assert that update instructions were rendered. Since the new behavior is "render to console instead of editing", please capture os.Stderr and verify it includes a recognizable instruction header (e.g. "Existing file detected") and the expected step snippet for the chosen action mode.

Initial plan

caaa46f

Copilot AI assigned Copilot and pelikhan Feb 4, 2026

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan February 4, 2026 17:58 View session

Copilot AI and others added 2 commits February 4, 2026 18:03

Initial plan for init command console output instead of file editing

bc34540

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

github-actions bot mentioned this pull request Feb 4, 2026

Smoke Test: Copilot - 21682660379 #13774

Closed

Copilot AI changed the title ~~[WIP] Update init command to avoid editing existing config files~~ Render console instructions instead of editing existing MCP/setup files in init command Feb 4, 2026

Copilot AI requested a review from pelikhan February 4, 2026 18:14

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan February 4, 2026 18:14

github-actions bot mentioned this pull request Feb 4, 2026

[PR Triage Report] PR Triage Report - February 4, 2026 #13779

Open

Merge branch 'main' into copilot/update-init-command-behavior

503f453

pelikhan marked this pull request as ready for review February 4, 2026 18:57

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings February 4, 2026 18:57

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of pelikhan February 4, 2026 18:58 View session

pelikhan merged commit 5d7a9f5 into main Feb 4, 2026
61 checks passed

pelikhan deleted the copilot/update-init-command-behavior branch February 4, 2026 19:01

Copilot AI reviewed Feb 4, 2026

View reviewed changes

This was referenced Feb 4, 2026

Smoke Test: Copilot - 21686713922 #13782

Closed

[code-simplifier] Simplify docker pull retry loop in download_docker_images.sh #13781

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Render console instructions instead of editing existing MCP/setup files in init command#13769

Render console instructions instead of editing existing MCP/setup files in init command#13769
pelikhan merged 5 commits intomainfrom
copilot/update-init-command-behavior

Copilot AI commented Feb 4, 2026 •

edited

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		@@ -55,14 +55,16 @@ func TestEnsureMCPConfig(t *testing.T) {
		verbose: true,
		wantErr: false,

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Copilot AI commented Feb 4, 2026 •

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