github / github/copilot-cli

Sandbox bug - blocking shell

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Description

Describe the bug

Bug:  sandbox.enabled: false  is not honored — shell backend still initializes  BaseContainer  and fails with a WRITE_DAC error, making all shell execution impossible on Windows.
Version: 1.0.81-2 (win32-x64), Windows_NT. Config:  ~/.copilot/settings.json  shows  "sandbox":{"enabled":false,...} .
Error on every shell/tool call:  backend_unavailable: BaseContainer is unavailable; DACL fallback requires write-DAC permission on 'C:' (ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED, WRITE_DAC not granted) .
Repro: Set  sandbox.enabled:false ,  /restart  → shell still fails identically. Persisted ~8h across many restarts. Launching elevated crashes on start.  icacls "C:\Program Files\nodejs" /reset  advanced the failing path from  C:\Program Files\nodejs  →  C:\  (the DACL fallback walks up the tree;  BaseContainer  never initializes).
Expected: With sandbox disabled, run commands directly with no container/DACL step. At minimum, fail with a clear, actionable message instead of attempting WRITE_DAC on  C:\ .

Affected version

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Steps to reproduce the behavior

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Expected behavior

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Additional context

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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 issue on Windows with sandbox.enabled set to false in ~/.copilot/settings.json, then trace how that setting reaches the shell backend. Verify that disabled sandboxing avoids BaseContainer and DACL initialization, and that shell commands run without the WRITE_DAC failure or produce a clear actionable error.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
shell
Domain
cli
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
63/100

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