VSCodium Copilot: Compatibility, Setup, and Other Options
VSCodium removes Microsoft's telemetry from VS Code but also removes the marketplace that GitHub Copilot requires. Here is what the current Copilot support looks like in VSCodium, how to set it up if you choose that path, and what to do when you need a supported editor.
Updated 4 min read
VSCodium is a community-maintained build of VS Code that removes Microsoft's telemetry and replaces the proprietary extension marketplace with the Open VSX Registry. GitHub Copilot is distributed through Microsoft's marketplace and depends on Microsoft's extension infrastructure, which VSCodium does not include by default. Whether you can use Copilot in VSCodium depends on which approach you take and what you are willing to configure. Tools like fenbs keep your coding project context and decisions safe through any editor change, so the work does not start over when the tool does.
Why VSCodium and GitHub Copilot are a complicated pair
GitHub Copilot uses Microsoft's extension host and connects to GitHub's servers. VSCodium's defaults point at the Open VSX Registry, which does not carry the official GitHub Copilot extension. The two are not directly incompatible at a technical level, but the standard install path does not work without configuration.
Check the current state on VSCodium's documentation at https://vscodium.com and on GitHub Copilot's documentation at https://docs.github.com/en/copilot before making a decision. The situation has changed as both projects have evolved, and the current guidance may differ from earlier community write-ups.
What the current options are
There are a few routes people have used to run Copilot in VSCodium. One is to point VSCodium at the Microsoft marketplace by editing the product.json file. This adds Microsoft's marketplace to VSCodium and allows installing the Copilot extension, but it also reintroduces some of the telemetry infrastructure you may have wanted to avoid.
A second option is to use a Copilot-compatible extension from the Open VSX Registry if one exists, though the official GitHub Copilot extension is not published there. Check the Open VSX Registry at https://open-vsx.org for the current state.
A third option is to use a different AI coding tool that is available through Open VSX. Several AI coding assistants publish extensions there, though not GitHub Copilot itself. See the GitHub Copilot models guide for more on what Copilot offers and the Copilot vs ChatGPT comparison for alternatives.
Installing Copilot in a supported VSCodium setup
If you decide to configure VSCodium to use the Microsoft marketplace, the typical path is editing the product.json file in the VSCodium application directory to add the marketplace URLs. This is documented in the VSCodium repository. After that change, you can install the GitHub Copilot extension from the marketplace as you would in VS Code.
Keep in mind that this approach depends on unofficial configuration and may break on VSCodium updates. Test the extension after each update and be prepared to reapply the configuration. For a reliable long-term setup, VS Code itself is the path GitHub supports.
When to use VS Code instead
If Copilot is important to your workflow and you want a supported, stable setup, VS Code is the right editor. GitHub designs and tests Copilot with VS Code. See the GitHub Copilot app guide for setup instructions. If you chose VSCodium specifically to avoid Microsoft's telemetry, the tradeoff is that the full Copilot experience requires Microsoft's infrastructure.
Keep your project context through the editor change
When you move from one editor to another, the project context, the agreed coding approach, current tasks, and decisions made along the way, does not automatically transfer. fenbs keeps that record outside any editor. Connect Claude Code, Cursor, Codex CLI or another supported assistant from Integrations and it reads the same project context regardless of which editor you are using. fenbs does not connect to VSCodium or VS Code directly; it holds the work.
Create a free accountFree for one person · No credit card · Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and more
AI coding alternatives available on Open VSX
Several AI coding assistants publish to the Open VSX Registry and work in VSCodium without any marketplace reconfiguration. These are not GitHub Copilot, but they offer code completion, chat, and code explanation features through their own APIs. If you chose VSCodium specifically to avoid Microsoft's infrastructure, these tools let you keep that choice while still having AI coding assistance.
Evaluate them the same way you would evaluate Copilot: which languages do they handle well, what does the completion quality look like on your actual codebase, and what are the data use terms for the code you send to their API? The tradeoffs are different from Copilot, not automatically better or worse.
Keeping your coding context through the tool change
Switching editors mid-project is most disruptive when the project context lives only in the editor's chat history. If you have been using Copilot chat in VS Code and switch to VSCodium with a different tool, the chat history does not transfer. The task list, the decisions about architecture, and the current next steps should live in a shared project record that does not depend on which editor is open.
See Copilot instructions examples for how to write instructions that work consistently across sessions, and Microsoft Copilot agents for the broader ecosystem.
How to do this with fenbs
- Create a free account. Add a project for the work you are doing in the editor.
- Add the current tasks, the agreed coding approach, and any decisions already made about the project.
- Connect a supported AI assistant from Integrations, such as Claude Code or Cursor. It reads the project context before working.
- When you change editors or tools, ask the assistant to save progress before the switch. The next session in the new tool starts from the same project record.
- Open Decisions and rules and record which editor and AI tools are approved for this project, so future contributors know the agreed setup.