github / github/copilot-cli

Copilot CLI remote SSH session reports “Copied” but clipboard remains empty on macOS

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Description

Describe the bug

Summary

When using Copilot CLI on a remote Linux machine over SSH from macOS Terminal, copy actions report success ("Copied to clipboard") but the selected text is not actually placed into the macOS clipboard.
Environment

Local OS: macOS (Apple Terminal)
Terminal: Terminal.app Version 2.15 (470.2)
Connection: ssh -p <port> <host>
Remote OS: Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS
Copilot CLI version: 1.0.80

Steps to Reproduce

From macOS Terminal.app, connect to a remote Ubuntu machine via SSH:
    ssh -p <port> <host>
Run Copilot CLI on the remote machine.
Generate output in the CLI and select part of the text in the terminal.
Try to copy the selected text (right-click copy or Ctrl+C in the terminal context).
Observe that Copilot CLI shows a "Copied" confirmation message.
Paste into another app on macOS (e.g., Notes/TextEdit).

Expected Behavior

Selected text should be copied to the macOS system clipboard and be available for paste in other local apps.

Actual Behavior

Copilot CLI shows a "Copied" confirmation, but the text is not present in the macOS clipboard.

Additional Notes

Reproducible every time.
Also reproducible on machines other than mine.
This does not happen when Copilot is used locally (without SSH / without remote host).
Affected version

GitHub Copilot CLI 1.0.80

Steps to reproduce the behavior

No response

Expected behavior

No response

Additional context

No response

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reproducing the copy flow in Copilot CLI 1.0.80 from macOS Terminal.app over SSH to Ubuntu 24.04.4. Trace how the CLI handles terminal selection and clipboard reporting in a remote session, then verify that copied text is available in a local macOS app while local sessions continue to work.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
linux, macos, shell
Domain
cli, networking, operating-systems
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
48/100

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