Conversation
There was a problem hiding this comment.
Pull request overview
This PR replaces the Copilot CLI's simple pre-release license reference with a comprehensive standalone license to clarify usage terms, particularly for integration via the Copilot SDK. The new license grants users the right to redistribute the CLI as part of applications/services while restricting modifications and standalone distribution.
Changes:
- Replaced single-line pre-release license reference with detailed 8-section license document
- Added explicit redistribution rights and conditions for embedding the CLI in applications/services
- Clarified scope limitations, warranty disclaimers, and liability protections
💡 Add Copilot custom instructions for smarter, more guided reviews. Learn how to get started.
| The Software is distributed only in unmodified form; | ||
| The Software is redistributed solely as part of an application or service that provides material functionality beyond the Software itself; | ||
| The Software is not distributed on a standalone basis or as a primary product; | ||
| You include a copy of this License and retain all applicable copyright, trademark, and attribution notices; and |
There was a problem hiding this comment.
The requirement to "retain all applicable copyright, trademark, and attribution notices" may be ambiguous since the new license does not include any copyright notice. Consider adding a copyright notice (e.g., "Copyright (c) GitHub, Inc.") at the top of the license file to clarify what notices redistributors should retain.
|
Hey GitHub team, Hey @RyanHecht I'm reaching out from Arch Linux about possibly packaging the GitHub Copilot CLI in our Linux distro repos. We are none commercial, do not sell services to users and are open source. While reviewing the license, Section 2 confused us a bit, especially the parts saying the software can't be distributed "on a standalone basis or as a primary product," and that it has to be part of an application or service with extra functionality. Arch packages are usually just the software itself, so it's not totally clear if that fits what you allow. We'd like to stay fully compliant, so could you clarify: Is redistribution via the official Arch Linux distro repo okay under the current license? If not, would GitHub be open to giving an explicit exception/permission so we can ship it as a normal distro package, with license and notices intact? Also worth mentioning: Arch packages everything as vanilla and untouched as possible, yet depending on the perspective it may include small distro-related adjustments like putting the software into specific paths etc. So we're unsure how strict the "unmodified form" wording is intended to be, we'd take the npm package as you distribute via npm and put them into the linux filesystem hierarchy. Thanks for any clarification, just trying to do this the right way 🙂 |
In response to community questions over how they can use the Copilot CLI via the new Copilot SDK, we've drafted new license terms. Happy building!