docs/content/copilot/using-github-copilot/finding-public-code-that-matches-github-copilot-suggestions.md

title, shortTitle, intro, redirect_from, topics, versions

title	shortTitle	intro	redirect_from	topics	versions
Finding public code that matches GitHub Copilot suggestions	Find matching code	If you allow {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %} to make suggestions that match publicly available code, {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} will display references to any matching code that is found.	/early-access/copilot/code-referencing-in-github-copilot	Copilot	feature copilot

{% webui %}

This version of this article is for {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} on the {% data variables.product.github %} website. For the {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %} version of this article, click the tab above.

{% endwebui %}

{% vscode %}

This version of this article is for {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} in {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %}. For the {% data variables.product.github %} website version of this article, click the tab above.

{% endvscode %}

Limitations

References to matching code are currently only available in {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %} and on the {% data variables.product.github %} website.

Prerequisites

References to matching code are only generated if {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} is configured to allow suggestions that match publicly available code. For more information, see AUTOTITLE.

About code referencing in {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %}

{% vscode %}

If you've allowed suggestions that match public code, {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %} in {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode_shortname %} can provide you with details of the code that a suggestion matches. This happens:

• When you accept a code completion suggestion in the editor.
• When a response in {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_chat_short %} includes matching code.

{% endvscode %}

{% webui %}

If you've allowed suggestions that match public code, then whenever a response from {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_chat_short %} includes matching code, details of the matches will be included in the response.

{% endwebui %}

This feature is called code referencing.

{% webui %}

Note

Typically, matches to public code occur infrequently, so you should not expect to see code references in many {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_chat_short %} responses.

{% endwebui %}

{% vscode %}

Code referencing for {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} code completion

When you accept a code completion suggestion that matches code in a public {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} repository, an entry is added to a {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %} log. The log entry includes a link to a page on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %} where you can view references to similar code in public {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} repositories.

The linked web page includes details of any license identified for the repository where the matching code was found. Having reviewed the references, you can decide how to proceed. For example, you can decide what attribution to use, or whether you want to remove this code from your project.

Note

• Code referencing for code completion only occurs for matches of accepted {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} suggestions. Code you have written, and {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} suggestions you have altered, are not checked for matches to public code.
• Typically, matches to public code occur in less than one percent of {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} suggestions, so you should not expect to see code references for many suggestions.

Code referencing for {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_chat_short %}

When {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_chat_short %} provides a response that includes code that matches code in a public {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} repository, this is indicated at the end of the response with a link to display details of the matched code in the {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode_shortname %} editor.

{% endvscode %}

How code referencing finds matching code

{% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} code referencing searches for matches by taking the code suggestion, plus some of the code that will surround the suggestion if it is accepted, and comparing it against an index of all public repositories on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %}. Code in private {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} repositories, or code outside of {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %}, is not included in the search process. The search index is refreshed every few months. As a result, newly committed code, and code from public repositories deleted before the index was created, may not be included in the search. For the same reason, the search may return matches to code that has been deleted or moved since the index was created.

{% vscode %}

View code references for code completion

You can access code references from one of the {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %} logs in {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %}.

1. In {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %}, open the Output window by selecting View > Output from the menu bar.

2. In the dropdown menu at the right of the Output window, select {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %} Log.

   

3. Leave the {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %} Log view displayed while you use {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %} in {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %}.

   When you accept a code completion suggestion that matches code in a public {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} repository, an entry is added to the log.

   The log entry includes the following details:

   • The date and time you accepted the suggestion.
   • The name of the file in which the suggestion was added.
   • A message telling you that similar code was found, with the number and type of licenses.
   • A link to a page on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %}.
   • The location in the file where the suggestion was added.
   • A snippet of part of the code that was suggested and added.

   

   [!NOTE] The {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %} log is flushed when you close the editor.

4. In the log entry, Ctrl+click (Windows/Linux) or Command+click (Mac) the link to view the code references on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %}.

   The page lists the matches that were found, showing an excerpt from the relevant file. You can click on the file name to view the whole file.

   

   Matches may be found in multiple repositories with different, sometimes conflicting, licenses. You can use the checkboxes on the left of the page to show only the matches associated with a particular license.

   You should review all license information within a repository to verify that it applies to the matching code, as repositories may contain multiple licenses and these licenses are subject to human and non-human error.

   [!NOTE] The web page displaying the full set of details will remain available for three months.

Verifying the code referencing functionality

You can verify that code referencing is working by prompting {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} to add some commonly used code and checking the output in the {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} log.

1. In {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %}, create a file called fizz-buzz.js.

2. Open the Output window by selecting View > Output from the menu bar.

3. In the dropdown menu at the right of the Output window, select {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %} Log.

4. In the editor, type:

   function fizzBuzz()
   

   {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %} should suggest code to complete the function.

5. Accept the suggestion by pressing Tab.

   If code referencing finds a match to public code, a log entry is added to the {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %} Log view.

{% endvscode %}

View code references for {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_chat_short %}

{% vscode %}

If a response in {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_chat_short %} includes matching code, this is indicated at the end of the response by the following text:

Similar code found with n license types - View matches

1. Click View matches to display details of the matched code in a new editor tab.

   For each example of matching code, the editor displays:

   • The license type for the matching code, if known.
   • The URL of the file on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %} where the matching code was found.
   • A code snippet showing the matching code.

2. In the editor, Ctrl+click (Windows/Linux) or Command+click (Mac) a URL to view the full file on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %}.

{% endvscode %}

{% webui %}

When {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_chat_short %} provides a response that includes code that matches code in a public {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} repository, this is indicated beneath the code suggestion:

< > Public code references from n repositories

To see details of the matching code:

1. Click the "Public code references..." text, under the code suggestion.

   A list of {% data variables.product.github %} repositories containing matching code is displayed in a dropdown, together with licensing information, if found.

   

2. Click the name of a repository to display that repository on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %}.

{% endwebui %}