Pin Copilot CLI version across all CI paths via pom.xml

Previously, three different code paths determined the Copilot CLI version
inconsistently:

- Path A (build-test.yml) installed the CLI from the cloned reference impl
  pinned by .lastmerge — reproducible.
- Path B (run-smoke-test.yml, update-copilot-dependency.yml via the
  setup-copilot action) ran `npm install -g @github/copilot` with no
  version pin — floated to whatever was latest on npm.
- Path C (local dev) fell through to whatever `copilot` was on PATH
  (often whatever VS Code Insiders had installed).

When the CLI protocol vocabulary changed between 1.0.35 and 1.0.39, this
inconsistency made it hard to land reference-impl merges that required a
specific CLI version.

This change makes pom.xml the single source of truth for the
@github/copilot version that all paths must use, while keeping .lastmerge
as the source of truth for the reference implementation commit.

Changes:

- pom.xml: replace the PRIMER_TO_REPLACE placeholder in the property
  <readonly-copilot-sdk-ref-impl-version-from-lastmerge-file-updated-by-weekly-reference-impl-sync>
  with the current value (^1.0.36-0) extracted from the cloned
  reference impl's nodejs/package.json. Add a doc-comment explaining
  that the property is auto-managed and is the canonical CLI version
  for all CI paths.

- .github/scripts/reference-impl-sync/sync-cli-version-from-reference-impl.sh
  (new): reads dependencies."@github/copilot" from the reference impl's
  nodejs/package.json (via node) and rewrites the pom.xml property in
  place. Locates the repo root by walking up from the script's own
  location until it finds a pom.xml, so it is resilient to relocation
  and works from any CWD. Uses portable sed for the rewrite.

- .github/scripts/reference-impl-sync/merge-reference-impl-finish.sh:
  call the new sync script right after writing .lastmerge, and stage
  pom.xml alongside .lastmerge in the same commit. .lastmerge and the
  CLI version property now always move together.

- .github/actions/setup-copilot/action.yml: read the pinned version from
  pom.xml using sed and run `npm install -g "@github/copilot@VERSION"`
  instead of installing the latest. Fail fast if the property is unset
  or still the primer. Expose the resolved version as an action output.

- CONTRIBUTING.md: document the local-dev workflow that mirrors what
  build-test.yml does in CI. The cloned reference impl contains two
  separate package.json files that both pin @github/copilot:

    * target/copilot-sdk/nodejs/package.json (^1.0.36-0) — the SDK-test
      pin; this is the CLI the tests must run against.
    * target/copilot-sdk/test/harness/package.json (^1.0.32) — the
      replay-harness pin; incidental, NOT the CLI under test.

  `mvn generate-test-resources` runs `npm install` only in the harness
  subtree, so a generic `find target -path '*/@github/copilot/index.js'`
  picks the wrong (older) copy. The instructions now:
    1. Run `npm ci` in target/copilot-sdk/nodejs/ explicitly.
    2. Scope the COPILOT_CLI_PATH lookup to '*/nodejs/node_modules/...'
       so the harness copy can never be selected, even if both are
       present. Both POSIX (find) and PowerShell (Get-ChildItem) forms
       are tightened.

- .gitignore: minor housekeeping.

Verified mvn clean package -Pskip-test-harness -DskipTests succeeds with
the new POM, the sync script correctly rewrites the property when invoked
from any CWD, and the tightened CONTRIBUTING.md sequence resolves
COPILOT_CLI_PATH to the 1.0.36-0 CLI under target/copilot-sdk/nodejs.

Author: edburns

.github/actions/setup-copilot/action.yml

@@ -4,15 +4,36 @@ outputs:
   cli-path:
     description: "Path to the Copilot CLI executable"
     value: ${{ steps.cli-path.outputs.path }}
+  cli-version:
+    description: "Pinned @github/copilot version installed (read from pom.xml)"
+    value: ${{ steps.cli-version.outputs.version }}
 runs:
   using: "composite"
   steps:
     - uses: actions/setup-node@v6
       with:
         node-version: 22
-    - name: Install Copilot CLI
-      run: npm install -g @github/copilot
+    - name: Read pinned @github/copilot version from pom.xml
+      id: cli-version
       shell: bash
+      # The version is the SINGLE SOURCE OF TRUTH for the Copilot CLI version
+      # used across all CI paths. It is kept in sync with the reference
+      # implementation pinned in .lastmerge by
+      # .github/scripts/reference-impl-sync/sync-cli-version-from-reference-impl.sh.
+      run: |
+        PROP="readonly-copilot-sdk-ref-impl-version-from-lastmerge-file-updated-by-weekly-reference-impl-sync"
+        VERSION=$(sed -n "s|.*<${PROP}>\(.*\)</${PROP}>.*|\1|p" pom.xml | head -n 1 | tr -d '[:space:]')
+        if [[ -z "$VERSION" || "$VERSION" == "PRIMER_TO_REPLACE" ]]; then
+          echo "::error::Could not read pinned @github/copilot version from pom.xml property <${PROP}>" >&2
+          exit 1
+        fi
+        echo "Pinned @github/copilot version: $VERSION"
+        echo "version=$VERSION" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+    - name: Install Copilot CLI (pinned to pom.xml version)
+      shell: bash
+      env:
+        CLI_VERSION: ${{ steps.cli-version.outputs.version }}
+      run: npm install -g "@github/copilot@${CLI_VERSION}"
     - name: Set CLI path
       id: cli-path
       run: echo "path=$(which copilot)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

.github/scripts/reference-impl-sync/merge-reference-impl-finish.sh

@@ -5,8 +5,10 @@
 # Finalises a reference implementation merge:
 #   1. Runs format + test + build  (via format-and-test.sh)
 #   2. Updates .lastmerge to reference implementation HEAD
-#   3. Commits the .lastmerge update
-#   4. Pushes the branch to origin
+#   3. Syncs the @github/copilot version property in pom.xml from the
+#      cloned reference implementation's nodejs/package.json
+#   4. Commits the .lastmerge + pom.xml updates
+#   5. Pushes the branch to origin
 #
 # Usage:  ./.github/scripts/reference-impl-sync/merge-reference-impl-finish.sh
 #         ./.github/scripts/reference-impl-sync/merge-reference-impl-finish.sh --skip-tests
@@ -48,7 +50,13 @@ echo "▸ Updating .lastmerge…"
 NEW_COMMIT=$(cd "$REFERENCE_IMPL_DIR" && git rev-parse origin/main)
 echo "$NEW_COMMIT" > "$ROOT_DIR/.lastmerge"
 
-git add .lastmerge
+# ── 2b. Sync pom.xml @github/copilot version ─────────────────
+# Keeps the canonical CLI version in pom.xml aligned with what the
+# reference implementation pinned in .lastmerge depends on.
+echo "▸ Syncing @github/copilot version in pom.xml from reference implementation…"
+"$ROOT_DIR/.github/scripts/reference-impl-sync/sync-cli-version-from-reference-impl.sh" "$REFERENCE_IMPL_DIR"
+
+git add .lastmerge pom.xml
 git commit -m "Update .lastmerge to $NEW_COMMIT"
 
 # ── 3. Push branch ───────────────────────────────────────────

.github/scripts/reference-impl-sync/sync-cli-version-from-reference-impl.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# sync-cli-version-from-reference-impl.sh
+#
+# Reads the @github/copilot version specifier from the cloned
+# reference implementation's nodejs/package.json, and updates the
+# corresponding property in pom.xml:
+#
+#   <readonly-copilot-sdk-ref-impl-version-from-lastmerge-file-updated-by-weekly-reference-impl-sync>
+#
+# This keeps the canonical Copilot CLI version (declared in pom.xml)
+# in sync with whatever the reference implementation pinned in
+# .lastmerge depends on. All workflows that install the Copilot CLI
+# (build-test.yml — implicitly via cloned SDK, run-smoke-test.yml and
+# update-copilot-dependency.yml — via the setup-copilot action) read
+# this single property so every CI path uses the same CLI version.
+#
+# Usage:
+#   ./sync-cli-version-from-reference-impl.sh <reference-impl-dir>
+#
+# Or, when invoked from merge-reference-impl-finish.sh, sources
+# REFERENCE_IMPL_DIR from the .merge-env file.
+# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# Locate the repo root by walking up from this script until we find a pom.xml.
+# This is resilient to the script being moved to a different depth under
+# .github/scripts/ in the future.
+find_repo_root() {
+    local dir
+    dir="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
+    while [[ "$dir" != "/" ]]; do
+        if [[ -f "$dir/pom.xml" ]]; then
+            echo "$dir"
+            return 0
+        fi
+        dir="$(dirname "$dir")"
+    done
+    echo "❌ Could not locate repo root (no pom.xml found above $(dirname "$0"))" >&2
+    return 1
+}
+ROOT_DIR="$(find_repo_root)"
+
+REFERENCE_IMPL_DIR="${1:-${REFERENCE_IMPL_DIR:-}}"
+if [[ -z "$REFERENCE_IMPL_DIR" ]]; then
+    echo "❌ Usage: $0 <reference-impl-dir>" >&2
+    echo "   or set REFERENCE_IMPL_DIR in the environment." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+PKG_JSON="$REFERENCE_IMPL_DIR/nodejs/package.json"
+if [[ ! -f "$PKG_JSON" ]]; then
+    echo "❌ Cannot find $PKG_JSON" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# node is always available since the reference implementation uses npm.
+CLI_VERSION=$(node -e \
+    "const fs=require('fs');const p=JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(process.argv[1],'utf8'));const v=(p.dependencies&&p.dependencies['@github/copilot'])||(p.devDependencies&&p.devDependencies['@github/copilot']);if(!v){process.exit(2);}process.stdout.write(v);" \
+    "$PKG_JSON")
+
+if [[ -z "$CLI_VERSION" ]]; then
+    echo "❌ Could not extract @github/copilot version from $PKG_JSON" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+POM="$ROOT_DIR/pom.xml"
+PROP="readonly-copilot-sdk-ref-impl-version-from-lastmerge-file-updated-by-weekly-reference-impl-sync"
+
+if ! grep -q "<${PROP}>" "$POM"; then
+    echo "❌ Property <${PROP}> not found in $POM" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Use a portable sed invocation (works on both BSD/macOS and GNU/Linux).
+TMP="$(mktemp)"
+sed -E "s|<${PROP}>[^<]*</${PROP}>|<${PROP}>${CLI_VERSION}</${PROP}>|" "$POM" > "$TMP"
+mv "$TMP" "$POM"
+
+echo "▸ Updated pom.xml: <${PROP}> = ${CLI_VERSION}"

.gitignore

@@ -13,3 +13,4 @@ changebundle.txt*
 .settings
 scripts/codegen/node_modules/
 *~
+*.sln

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -38,9 +38,41 @@ If you have ideas for entirely new features, please post an issue or start a dis
 1. Push to your fork and [submit a pull request][pr]
 1. Pat yourself on the back and wait for your pull request to be reviewed and merged.
 
-### Running tests and linters
+### Running locally, including tests and linters
 
 ```bash
+# Obtain the pinned version of Copilot CLI to the local workarea.
+# This clones the reference implementation at the commit pinned in
+# .lastmerge, but does NOT run `npm ci` inside its nodejs/ subdir.
+mvn generate-test-resources
+
+# Install the pinned Copilot CLI into target/copilot-sdk/nodejs/node_modules
+# so the SDK tests use the version declared in
+# target/copilot-sdk/nodejs/package.json (the SDK-test pin), NOT the version
+# in target/copilot-sdk/test/harness/package.json (the replay-harness pin,
+# which is incidental and may be older).
+
+## POSIX
+
+(cd target/copilot-sdk/nodejs && npm ci --ignore-scripts)
+
+## PowerShell
+
+Push-Location target\copilot-sdk\nodejs; if ($?) { npm ci --ignore-scripts }; Pop-Location
+
+# Make it so the pinned Copilot CLI is used for the tests. The patterns
+# below are scoped to the `nodejs/node_modules/` subtree so they cannot
+# accidentally pick up the older harness copy under
+# target/copilot-sdk/test/harness/node_modules/.
+
+## POSIX
+
+export COPILOT_CLI_PATH="$(find "$PWD/target" -type f -path '*/nodejs/node_modules/@github/copilot/index.js' | head -n 1)"
+
+## PowerShell
+
+$env:COPILOT_CLI_PATH = (Get-ChildItem -Path "$PWD\target" -Recurse -Filter 'index.js' -File | Where-Object { $_.FullName -match '[\\/]nodejs[\\/]node_modules[\\/]@github[\\/]copilot[\\/]index\.js$' } | Select-Object -First 1 -ExpandProperty FullName)
+
 # Build and run all tests
 mvn clean verify
 
@@ -54,6 +86,20 @@ mvn spotless:apply
 mvn spotless:check
 ```
 
+Assuming you are in the same shell you used to run the above commands, to run this exact Copilot CLI locally you can do the following.
+
+### POSIX
+
+```bash
+node ${COPILOT_CLI_PATH}
+```
+
+### PowerShell
+
+```PowerShell
+node $env:COPILOT_CLI_PATH
+```
+
 Here are a few things you can do that will increase the likelihood of your pull request being accepted:
 
 - Write tests.

pom.xml

@@ -53,6 +53,27 @@
         <skip.test.harness>false</skip.test.harness>
         <!-- Extra JVM args for Surefire; overridden by the jdk21+ profile -->
         <surefire.jvm.args />
+        <!--
+            The version of the @github/copilot npm package that the reference implementation
+            commit pinned in .lastmerge depends on. Mirrors the value of dependencies."@github/copilot"
+            in target/copilot-sdk/nodejs/package.json after the reference impl is cloned/reset to the
+            commit in .lastmerge.
+
+            The previously mentioned package.json contains the SINGLE
+            SOURCE OF TRUTH for the Copilot CLI version that all paths
+            (build-test.yml, run-smoke-test.yml,
+            update-copilot-dependency.yml, setup-copilot action) must
+            pin to. It is updated automatically by
+            .github/scripts/reference-impl-sync/sync-cli-version-from-reference-impl.sh,
+            which is called from merge-reference-impl-finish.sh
+            whenever .lastmerge is updated.
+
+            DO NOT EDIT MANUALLY. To update, run the
+            reference-impl-sync workflow and deal with the subsequent
+            PR.
+        -->
+        <readonly-copilot-sdk-ref-impl-version-from-lastmerge-file-updated-by-weekly-reference-impl-sync>^1.0.36-0</readonly-copilot-sdk-ref-impl-version-from-lastmerge-file-updated-by-weekly-reference-impl-sync>
+
     </properties>
 
     <dependencies>