XPilot — Copilot Chat Layout Manager

A VS Code extension that automatically opens GitHub Copilot Chat in a dedicated, locked editor group beside your code. No configuration needed — just install and go.

What It Does

XPilot creates a two-group editor layout with Copilot Chat always visible:

┌──────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┐
│          │   Copilot    │              │
│ Explorer │    Chat      │    Editor    │
│          │              │              │
│  files/  │  Ask me...   │  code.ts     │
│  src/    │              │              │
│  docs/   │              │              │
└──────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┘
   Sidebar    Editor Group 1  Editor Group 2

Your built-in VS Code Explorer stays as-is. XPilot just manages the Copilot Chat placement.

Features

Auto-layout on startup — Opens Copilot Chat in a dedicated, locked editor group automatically
Locked chat group — The Copilot Chat group is locked so file tabs never open in it
Smart tab guard — Files always open in the editor group; chat tabs always stay in the chat group
Persistent chat — Close the last chat tab and a new one reopens automatically
Multiple chat tabs — Open as many Copilot Chat sessions as you want
Sidebar-aware — Works with both left and right sidebar; the chat group follows automatically
Reload-safe — Reloading the window preserves the layout without creating duplicates

Requirements

VS Code ^1.85.0
GitHub Copilot Chat extension installed and signed in

Installation

From Source

git clone https://github.com/savedpixel/vscode-xpilot.git
cd vscode-xpilot
npm install
npm run compile

Reload VS Code to activate the extension.

As VSIX

npm install -g @vscode/vsce
vsce package
code --install-extension vscode-xpilot-0.1.0.vsix

Commands

Command	Description
`XPilot: New Copilot Chat`	Open a new Copilot Chat tab in the chat group

How It Works

On startup, opens GitHub Copilot Chat as an editor tab
Splits into two editor groups — one for chat, one for code
Locks the chat group so files can't open in it
Uses VS Code's tabGroups API to monitor and enforce the layout

Configuration

XPilot respects your existing VS Code settings:

Sidebar position — Works with both left and right sidebar (workbench.sideBar.location). The Copilot Chat group automatically repositions to stay adjacent to the sidebar.

License

MIT — Byron Jacobs (@savedpixel · byronjacobs.com)