microsoft / microsoft/aspire

`aspire agent init` does not detect portable GitHub Copilot AppImage installations

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#19,862 1 comment 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
area-cli triage:bot-seen
Dominant language
C#
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Description

### Is there an existing issue for this?

- [x] I have searched the existing issues

### Describe the bug

On Linux, `aspire agent init` cannot detect an App-only GitHub Copilot installation when the official AppImage is launched directly without desktop integration.

GitHub Copilot App detection currently relies on either:

- `AI_AGENT=github_copilot_app_agent`, available while running inside an App session; or
- a GitHub Copilot `.desktop` entry in an XDG applications directory.

A directly launched AppImage does not necessarily install a `.desktop` entry, and a normal terminal does not inherit the App runtime marker. In that case, if Copilot CLI is also absent, `aspire agent init` does not detect Copilot and skips the shared MCP, skills, and telemetry-hook configuration.

### Expected Behavior

App-only Linux users should have a supported way for `aspire agent init` to recognize or explicitly select their GitHub Copilot installation outside an active App session.

If the App creates a reliable persistent marker, Aspire should use it. Otherwise, consider an explicit configuration/override mechanism and document the portable-AppImage limitation rather than scanning arbitrary filesystem locations.

### Steps To Reproduce

1. Download and run the official GitHub Copilot AppImage on Linux without installing a `.desktop` entry.
2. Ensure the standalone Copilot CLI is not installed.
3. Open a normal terminal where `AI_AGENT` and `COPILOT_CLI` are unset.
4. Run `aspire agent init`.
5. Observe that GitHub Copilot App is not detected and shared Copilot configuration is skipped.

### Exceptions (if any)

N/A

### Aspire doctor output

N/A — this is an installation-discovery limitation rather than a missing Aspire prerequisite.

### Anything else?

This limitation was identified while testing #19820:

- Detection concern: https://github.com/microsoft/aspire/pull/19820#issuecomment-5503278500
- Reproduction report: https://github.com/microsoft/aspire/pull/19820#issuecomment-5503387837
- The PR was approved with this limitation accepted for follow-up: https://github.com/microsoft/aspire/pull/19820#pullrequestreview-5085256640

Users who also have Copilot CLI installed are unaffected because the shared Copilot configuration is applied through CLI detection.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start at the `aspire agent init` entry point and trace the GitHub Copilot detection paths for `AI_AGENT`, `COPILOT_CLI`, and XDG `.desktop` entries. Review the detection discussion linked from #19820, then establish and test behavior for a directly launched AppImage when the CLI and runtime marker are absent; document the limitation if no reliable detection or override is possible.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
csharp, github, linux
Domain
cli, tooling
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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