github / github/copilot-cli

Support `/rename` in VS Code agent sessions, and let the agent invoke it

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#4,244 0 comments 1 reaction 0 assignees View on GitHub
area:agents area:sessions
Dominant language
Shell
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Description

## Problem

`/rename` (added in #1776) works in the terminal CLI, but not for Copilot CLI sessions hosted in VS Code's Agents window:

- Typing `/rename` in an agent session's chat has no effect there — renaming is only available through the VS Code UI (verified 2026-07-23).
- There is no way for the **agent itself** to rename its session — no tool, and no slash-command it can run.

## Proposal

1. **Honor `/rename NEW_NAME` in VS Code agent sessions**, matching the terminal CLI behavior.
2. **Expose rename to the agent** (a tool, or agent-invocable `/rename`), so workflows can set titles programmatically.

## Use case

Session-hygiene rituals: I keep many long-running agent sessions and prefix titles with a status word as threads settle — `DONE …`, `PARKED …`, `CONT'D …` — so the session picker doubles as a work board. Today every close-out ends with manual rename homework; an agent-invocable rename would let the close-out workflow set the title itself (and lower-stakes: agents could title sessions descriptively from the start, cf. #3365 on auto-naming).

## Notes from poking at the internals

- A UI rename syncs into `~/.copilot/session-state/UUID/workspace.yaml` (`name:` + `user_named:`), so agents can already *read* current titles (verified 2026-07-24).
- Writing `workspace.yaml` directly doesn't work as a workaround: VS Code caches session labels elsewhere (workspace `state.vscdb`, `agentSessions.model.cache`) and doesn't notice the change.

## Related

- #1776 — added `/rename` (terminal CLI)
- #3365 — auto-generated session names not working
- #3415 — show session name at all times
- #2966 — broader session-management tooling

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start by tracing the existing terminal `/rename` implementation from #1776, then inspect `workspace.yaml` and the VS Code `state.vscdb`/`agentSessions.model.cache` behavior described here. Done means `/rename NEW_NAME` works in VS Code agent chat and an agent has a supported way to rename its session.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
shell, vscode
Domain
cli, developer-experience
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
38/100

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