Copilot Script Runner

The missing piece for GitHub Copilot's terminal execution. Run multi-line scripts reliably with proper output capture, pager bypass, and cross-shell support.

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The Problem

GitHub Copilot's built-in run_in_terminal tool has limitations that cause frustration:

🔴 Multi-line Output Is Truncated

# When run_in_terminal executes this:
echo "Line 1"
echo "Line 2"
echo "Line 3"

The terminal runs the entire script, but only the first line's output is returned to the AI agent. The agent thinks "Line 1" is all that happened and misses everything else.

🔴 Pagers Block Execution

Commands like gcloud --help, kubectl describe, or git log open interactive pagers (less, more) that hang forever waiting for user input.

🔴 Output Streams Get Lost

Error streams, warnings, and verbose output often don't make it back to the AI agent.

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The Solution

Copilot Script Runner solves all of these by:

1. ✅ Writing scripts to temp files — No parsing or escaping issues
2. ✅ Merging all output streams — Errors, warnings, and stdout all captured
3. ✅ Bypassing pagers automatically — gcloud --help works without hanging
4. ✅ Supporting multiple shells — PowerShell, WSL, and Git Bash

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Quick Start

Install the extension, then in GitHub Copilot Chat:

Use #runScript to check my gcloud configuration

Use #runScript with shell="wsl" to run a Linux deployment script

Use #runScript with shell="bash" to run commands on this Linux remote

The AI agent will use the appropriate shell to execute your commands reliably.

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Tools Provided

#runScript — Unified Script Runner

Executes scripts with full stream capture. Supports multiple shells via the shell parameter:

Shell	Description
powershell	PowerShell (default on Windows)
bash	Native Bash (Linux/macOS/Remote SSH)
wsl	Windows Subsystem for Linux
gitbash	Git Bash on Windows
zsh	Z shell
fish	Fish shell

PowerShell Example:

# Works perfectly:
gcloud projects list
kubectl get pods --all-namespaces
git log --oneline -20

# Complex multi-line scripts:
$services = Get-Service | Where-Object Status -eq 'Running'
foreach ($svc in $services) {
    Write-Host "$($svc.Name): $($svc.Status)"
}

Bash Example (via WSL, Git Bash, or native):

# Works on any platform:
uname -a
docker ps
kubectl apply -f manifests/

# Git operations:
git status
git log --oneline -10

• wsl — Windows Subsystem for Linux
• gitbash — Git Bash on Windows

#scriptRunnerVersion — Version Info

Returns the currently installed version of the extension. Useful for debugging.

Use #scriptRunnerVersion to check the installed version

#getScriptOutput — Retrieve Terminal Output

Retrieves output from a Script Runner terminal by its ID. Essential for checking results of background processes.

Use #getScriptOutput with id="a8cc5ce0" to check the server output

Note: This tool uses Script Runner's terminal IDs (returned by #runScript), not VS Code's built-in terminal IDs.

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Parameters

#runScript

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
script	string	required	The script to execute
shell	"powershell" | "bash" | "wsl" | "gitbash" | "zsh" | "fish"	"powershell"	Which shell to use
isBackground	boolean	false	Return immediately for long-running processes
timeoutMs	number	—	Timeout in milliseconds
keepScript	boolean	false	Keep the temp file for debugging
workingDirectory	string	cwd	Directory to run the script in

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Background Processes

For long-running commands like servers or watch tasks, use background mode:

Use #runScript with isBackground=true to start the dev server

The tool returns immediately with a Terminal ID. The process continues running in the VS Code terminal, and you can check output later using VS Code's get_terminal_output tool with the returned ID.

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Terminal Management

The extension intelligently manages terminals:

• Reuses idle terminals — Avoids spawning a new terminal for every command
• Names terminals by shell type — e.g., "Script Runner (pwsh)", "Script Runner (wsl)"
• Returns Terminal ID — Every execution returns a unique ID for tracking
• Cleans up automatically — Temp script files are deleted after execution (unless keepScript=true)

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Remote SSH Support

The extension works with VS Code Remote SSH:

Use #runScript with shell="bash" to run commands on the remote server

When connected to a remote host:

• Scripts are written to the remote temp directory
• Bash executes on the remote server
• Output is captured and returned to the agent

Recommended shell settings for remote:

Platform	Shell Parameter
Linux remote	shell="bash"
macOS remote	shell="bash" or shell="zsh"
Windows remote with WSL	shell="wsl"
Windows remote with Git Bash	shell="gitbash"

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How It Works

flowchart LR
    A["Copilot Agent\nsends script"] --> B["Script Runner\nwrites to temp file"]
    B --> C["VS Code Terminal\n(shell integration)"]
    C --> D["Output streams\nmerged & piped"]
    D --> E["Agent receives\nclean output"]

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Technical Details

PowerShell: Commands are wrapped with *>&1 | Out-Host to:

• Merge all 6 PowerShell streams into stdout
• Stream output in real-time (no buffering)
• Allow progress bars and Write-Progress to display correctly

WSL: Commands run inside wsl bash -c '...' to ensure:

• Proper path translation (Windows → Linux)
• Correct redirection (2>&1 happens in Bash, not PowerShell)

Git Bash: Uses $env:ProgramFiles\Git\bin\bash.exe with similar wrapping.

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Requirements

• VS Code 1.100.0 or higher
• GitHub Copilot extension
• For Bash scripts: WSL or Git Bash installed

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Installation

VS Code Marketplace

1. Open VS Code
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+X to open Extensions
3. Search for "Copilot Script Runner"
4. Click Install

Open VSX (for VSCodium)

1. Open Extensions
2. Search for "Copilot Script Runner" by bdayadev
3. Click Install

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Troubleshooting

"Shell integration not available"

The extension requires VS Code's shell integration feature. Make sure:

• You're using a supported shell (PowerShell 7+, Bash, Zsh)
• Shell integration is enabled in VS Code settings

"WSL not found"

Install Windows Subsystem for Linux:

wsl --install

"Git Bash not found"

Install Git for Windows which includes Git Bash.

Output contains escape sequences

This is normal for colored output. The raw terminal codes are preserved. Future versions may add an option to strip ANSI codes.

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Contributing

Contributions welcome!

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Submit a Pull Request

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License

MIT License — see LICENSE for details.

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Related Issues

This extension addresses problems documented in these VS Code GitHub issues:

Issue	Title	Reactions
#253265	Agent/Chat extension cannot see terminal command output	👍 19
#282904	Copilot misses last lines of output (Git Bash + WSL)	—
#259328	run_in_terminal fails to capture output (Windows)	👍 1
#261691	run_in_terminal fails to capture stdout from CLI tools	—
#261585	GitHub Copilot Chat Not Capturing Terminal Output	👍 2
#252524	Copilot agent can't see run_in_terminal output (WSL)	—
#269724	Terminal output capture drops last line (Cygwin)	👍 1
#273753	Terminal stuck after pager (less)	—

If you're experiencing any of these issues, Copilot Script Runner provides a reliable workaround by writing scripts to temp files and using VS Code's shell integration for proper output capture.

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Made with ❤️ by Bdaya Dev