GitHub Copilot–Code referencing

One of the risks of using tools like GitHub Copilot, is that we start to over rely on these tools and that we blindly accept any suggestion or code change it wants to make. This is not so different than what we had before with the ‘copy-paste’ programmer who just copied the first snippet he could find online. But with the integration of AI inside our IDE’s, it has become a lot easier to just accept these changes without questioning the quality of the suggestion or its source, especially as these tools can generate bigger and bigger code blocks.

This is where Code Referencing can help. It introduces a filter that detects when code suggestions match public code on GitHub, providing you with valuable context to make more informed decisions about the code you are about to incorporate into your projects.

Let’s give it a try!

Enable Code Referencing

Before we can use this feature, we have to check if it is enabled.

In the upper-right corner of any page on GitHub, click your profile photo, then click Your Copilot.

Next to Suggestions matching public code, use the dropdown menu to select Allowed or Blocked.

Remark: If you are a member of an organization and have been assigned a GitHub Copilot seat through your organization, you may not be able to configure this from your personal account settings.

Using Code Referencing

Now that the feature is active, we get a message when matches are found in a code repository:

The first time you accept such a code change, you also get a toast notification when you accept a completion that matches public code. The notification contains information about the matching code, the repository where the code was found and any associated license information.

This gives you some context about the origin of the code suggestion and if you would like to accept it or not.

After that, the same details are available in your GitHub Copilot Output Window, including the license type and a link to the GitHub.com, the public repository where the original code is located:

If you had chosen to block suggestions, you get a message like this:

Remark: Code referencing is available starting from Visual Studio 2022 17.13.

More information

Introducing Code Referencing for GitHub Copilot Chat in Visual Studio - Visual Studio Blog

Introducing Code Referencing for GitHub Copilot Completions in Visual Studio - Visual Studio Blog

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