Copilot Interaction Archiver

The Copilot Interaction Archiver is a research tool designed to automatically capture and archive your interactions with GitHub Copilot. It creates a detailed timeline of your coding session, including chat logs and code snapshots. Note: You must provide your CMU Andrew ID and Class Password to login to this extension.

Prerequisites

• VS Code (v1.80.0 or higher)
• Node.js (v18 or higher)
• Git

Usage Guide

1. Installation

1. Click the Extensions icon in the left sidebar.
2. Search for and install the GitHub Copilot Chat extension from the VS Code Marketplace.
3. Search for and install the Copilot Interaction Archiver extension from the VS Code Marketplace.
4. Reload the window. You can do this by Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P and typing "Developer: Reload Window"; alternatively, you can just quit VS Code (Cmd+Q / Alt+F4) and reopen it.

2. Activation for Workspace

When you open a folder/workspace for the first time, you will see a notification:

"Enable Copilot Interaction Archiver for this workspace?"

1. Click Yes.
2. This ensures the archiver only runs on course-related projects.

If you missed the prompt or need to re-enable it:

• Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P).
• Run: Copilot Archiver: Enable for this Workspace.

3. Log In

1. Open Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P).
2. Run: Copilot Archiver: Login.
3. Enter your Andrew ID.
4. Enter the Class Password.

4. Enable Debug Logging

For the extension to better capture the interactions, GitHub Copilot Chat should be in Debug mode.

1. Open Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P).
2. Run: Copilot Archiver: Enable Copilot Debug Logging.
3. A modal will appear explaining the steps. Click Open Menu.
4. In the menu that appears at the top:
   • Select "GitHub Copilot Chat".
   • Click the Double Checkmark (Set as Default) icon next to "Debug".

5. Coding & Verification

• If you see the status bar item ⎷ Archiver: <YourID>, everything is working!
• You can start coding on your homeworks as normal.

[!TIP] To use the Copilot Chat, click the Toggle Chat button near the search bar on the top of the editor. This will open the chat panel.

[!TIP] Every time you open a new workspace, the extension will ask you if you want to enable it. Select Yes for course projects.

6. Final Snapshot

• When you are ready to turn in your assignment, please open the Archiver Menu (click the status bar item) and select Capture Repo Snapshot.

[!WARNING] This uploads your code for research data collection only. You must still submit your homework for grading according to the course instructions.

Data Privacy & Storage

Your data is stored securely:

• Local: Inside .snapshots/ and .archiver_shadow/ in your workspace

[!WARNING] Please do not move / delete files in these two folders. They are necessary for tracking your interactions.

• Cloud: Uploaded to a private, secure S3 bucket managed by the course staff.

Maintainers

Keyu He	Qianou Ma