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[v2] Consolidate runtime discovery, acquisition, and embedding #2524
Description
Activity
- added a parent issue
on Sep 4, 2026 This issue is a tracking/assessment item for the SDK v2 effort (sub-issue of #2522), asking the team to evaluate and consolidate runtime discovery/acquisition/embedding decisions across repos rather than describing a single bug, feature request, question, or doc gap. It doesn't fit the automated bug/enhancement/question/documentation classifications, so it hasn't been routed to a handler. A human maintainer should review and triage it directly.
Generated by Issue Classification Agent for #2524 · copilot · auto · 8.47 AIC · ⌖ 7.06 AIC · ⊞ 8.7K · ◷
Reconciliation with landed/in-flight work
I checked latest
main(0921029) and the in-flightroji-unify-runtime-artifactsbranch (#2505, currently open, all review threads resolved, approved, CI green as of this writing) before making any change, to avoid duplicating work.Already satisfied:
- Minimal bootstrap + native-lib packaging (no full-SEA duplication): Launch managed SDK servers through the Rust runtime wrapper #2395 (merged) introduced the
copilot-runtime[.exe]wrapper staged besideruntime.node, retaining the rootcopilotSEA only for residual/in-process compatibility. I verified the currentgithub-copilot-<version>-<platform>.tgzrelease asset (e.g.github-copilot-1.0.82-linux-x64.tgzfromgithub/copilot-cliv1.0.82) containsprebuilds/<platform>/copilot-runtimeandprebuilds/<platform>/runtime.nodebut not the root SEA — so this asset is already the coherent minimal pair the required outcome describes. - Raw native binaries as separate GitHub Release assets, checksum-verified: already published today by
github/copilot-cli(github-copilot-<version>-<platform>.tgzper platform +SHA256SUMS.txt), confirmed on the v1.0.82 release. No outstandingcopilot-clichange is needed for this outcome. - SDKs acquiring pinned/checksummed Release artifacts instead of
@github/copilotnpm: Node.js/Rust/Java(partial) via Use Copilot CLI releases for Node runtime #2463 (merged); Python/.NET/Go and the remaining Java (codegen + smoke tests) via Use GitHub Releases for SDK runtime artifacts #2505 (open, not yet merged — see below).
In flight, not duplicated: #2505 completes Python/.NET/Go Release-based acquisition and removes Java's last npm dependency. I did not touch any of the files it modifies (
python/copilot/_cli_download.py,_cli_version.py,_ffi_runtime_host.py,.github/workflows/*,java/**,dotnet/src/build/*,go/cmd/bundler/*,go/internal/embeddedcli/*). It should simply be merged; I have no evidence it needs changes.What I delivered
#2528 (draft, closes this issue): removes the Python SDK's remaining implicit
PATH-search fallback (shutil.whichin_start_cli_server, added by05dd60e/#793). This is independent of #2505's scope (acquisition/download), is not touched by that PR, and directly satisfies the outcome "Python does not implicitly select an executable throughPATH." Includes a regression test and passes ruff/ty/pytest with no new failures versusmain.Remaining outcome needing a maintainer decision
Rust
bundled-in-processCargo feature and Gocopilot_inprocessbuild tag (the compile-time choices for embedding the in-process native library) are still present onmainand are not touched by #2505. The original justification (#1934) was avoiding duplication with the embedded SEA payload. My inspection above shows that justification may already be moot: the Release-backedcopilot-runtime+runtime.nodepair is already the single minimal payload used for both out-of-process and in-process modes post-#2395/#2463/#2505, so there's no longer an extra "SEA vs. dylib" duplication to avoid by gating embedding at compile time.However, removing these flags is a real user-facing build/dependency change, not a pure cleanup:
- Go's
copilot_inprocesstag is also the switch that opts an app into requiring CGO (fordlopen/ffihost); making in-process capability unconditional would make CGO mandatory for all Go SDK consumers, including ones who never use in-process. - Rust's
bundled-in-processfeature similarly gates thelibloadingdependency and the extra embedded dylib size for consumers who never enable it. - Both also directly touch
go/cmd/bundler/main.go,go/internal/embeddedcli/*, andrust/build.rs/rust/build/*— the same files Use GitHub Releases for SDK runtime artifacts #2505 is actively finishing. Changing them concurrently risks needless conflicts with a PR that's already reviewed and near merge.
Requesting maintainer input: should this flag removal proceed as a breaking build-configuration simplification once #2505 lands (making CGO/libloading unconditional for Go/Rust in-process support), or should the compile-time opt-in be kept intentionally as a size/dependency trade-off now that the duplication concern is resolved? I'd like explicit direction before changing default build requirements for existing consumers. Once decided, I (or whoever picks this up) can implement it as a focused follow-up PR against the then-current
mainwithout conflicting with #2505.Links
- Use GitHub Releases for SDK runtime artifacts #2505: Use GitHub Releases for SDK runtime artifacts #2505
- Launch managed SDK servers through the Rust runtime wrapper #2395: Launch managed SDK servers through the Rust runtime wrapper #2395
- Use Copilot CLI releases for Node runtime #2463: Use Copilot CLI releases for Node runtime #2463
- python: remove implicit PATH fallback for CLI executable resolution #2528 (this issue's PR): python: remove implicit PATH fallback for CLI executable resolution #2528
github/copilot-cliv1.0.82 release assets (raw native binaries + checksums, already published): https://github.com/github/copilot-cli/releases/tag/v1.0.82
- Minimal bootstrap + native-lib packaging (no full-SEA duplication): Launch managed SDK servers through the Rust runtime wrapper #2395 (merged) introduced the
Summary
Complete a coherent model for locating, acquiring, packaging, and embedding the Copilot runtime across all SDKs.
These items are planned work carried forward from #1934. Existing work may satisfy part of the required outcome; verify and build on it rather than reopening completed implementation. Do not omit remaining work without concrete new evidence and maintainer agreement.
Why this work exists
The original Rust
build.rswas forked between in-process and out-of-process modes for backward compatibility. In-process operation needed the.nodenative binary, which was available from@github/copiloton npm but was not included in the GitHub CLI release. Depending on npm for that binary was not considered viable long term.Rust and Go also used build-time flags to choose whether the in-process binary was embedded because it duplicated the Copilot SEA executable already embedded in the application bundle.
Python independently performed executable resolution through
PATH(introduced by commit05dd60e), which could select an arbitrary system installation rather than the runtime expected by the SDK.Required outcomes
PATH; it uses the SDK-managed runtime or an explicitly configured path.github/copilot-cliGitHub Releases rather than depending on@github/copilotnpm artifacts.Implementation preparation
github/copilot-cli.Historical context
05dd60eCompletion
Deliver the required outcomes across affected SDKs with a documented artifact contract and platform coverage. Any outcome considered obsolete or infeasible requires concrete evidence and explicit maintainer agreement before it is removed from scope.