FYI: Unofficial GUI-only way to install GitHub Copilot Chat (merged extension, works as of 2026-01-07)

⚠️ Disclaimer
This is an unofficial workaround.
It is not supported by upstream, may break at any time, and is shared for reference only.

I’m posting this as a reference because some previously discussed methods no longer apply, and the current Copilot extension structure has changed.

Background

In the 2025-12-18 update, GitHub merged the original two extensions:

• GitHub Copilot
• GitHub Copilot Chat

into a single extension now named GitHub Copilot Chat.

As a result, older installation methods are outdated, even if the core idea is still the same.

The core idea remains unchanged and matches what has already been discussed here:

Find a way to obtain the .vsix file, then install it manually.

However:

• Some CLI-based approaches (for example, using code-server --install-extension) returned permission denied in my case.
• The method below works entirely via GUI, without using curl, environment variables, or command-line installation inside the container.

Tested & Working Environment

• Status: Works as of 2026-01-08
• Desktop VS Code: 1.107.1 (Windows)
• Container image: linuxserver/code-server:4.107.0
• Image layout: linuxserver variant (uses /config directory)

Unofficial GUI-only Installation Steps

Step 1: Download the VSIX from desktop VS Code

On desktop VS Code (Windows in my case):

1. Open Extensions
2. Find GitHub Copilot Chat
3. Click the gear icon
4. Select Download VSIX
5. When prompted for version, use the default
6. Save the file (for example, to Desktop)

This provides the official VSIX of the merged Copilot extension.

Step 2: Upload the VSIX into the container

Upload the downloaded VSIX file into the container.

For the linuxserver/code-server image, I placed it in:

/config/

You can upload it using:

• SSH or SCP
• 1Panel
• Any container file manager

Step 3: Install from VSIX in code-server Web UI

1. Open your code-server web UI
2. Click Extensions in the left sidebar
3. Click the three-dot ( ... ) menu
4. Choose Install from VSIX
5. The file picker defaults to the /config directory
6. Select the uploaded VSIX file
7. Wait for the installation to complete

No CLI commands are required.

Notes & Limitations

• This does not make the setup officially supported.

• The extension may stop working after:

  • Copilot updates
  • code-server updates
  • Tightening of internal API or product checks

• This document only describes what works at the time of writing.

Why I’m Sharing This

• The original issue Can't install or enable co-pilot on code-server coder#16838 was closed after the author found a solution, but that solution is not necessarily applicable to everyone.
• Since the Copilot extensions were merged, I wanted to document an updated and simple installation path.
• This is shared for research and experimentation, not as a feature request.

If the maintainers prefer this content to live elsewhere (or not at all), feel free to close or remove it. The goal is simply to make this information searchable for others exploring the same boundary.