Confusing Context Menu Options in GitHub Copilot Chat

[iwangbowen]

Type: Feature Request

Confusing Context Menu Options in GitHub Copilot Chat

Issue Description

When using GitHub Copilot Chat in VS Code, there's an inconsistency in text copying behavior that creates user confusion:

Current Behavior:

• When text is selected and Ctrl+C is used, it copies the selected text (expected behavior)
• When right-clicking on selected text, the context menu shows two options:
  • "Copy" - copies the entire response containing the selected text
  • "Copy All" - copies the entire conversation history

Problem:
The "Copy" option in the context menu doesn't match user expectations. Most users expect "Copy" to copy only the selected text, which is the standard behavior across most applications. The current implementation creates confusion as it copies more content than what was actually selected.

Expected Behavior

The context menu should align with standard UX patterns:

• "Copy" should copy only the selected text
• A different label (e.g., "Copy Response" or "Copy Message") should be used for copying the entire response
• "Copy All" can remain for copying the entire conversation

Suggested Improvements

1. Rename menu options for clarity:

   • "Copy Selection" - copies selected text
   • "Copy Response" - copies the entire response
   • "Copy Conversation" - copies entire chat history

2. Context-aware menu: Show different options based on whether text is selected:

   • When text is selected: Show "Copy Selection" and "Copy Response"
   • When no text is selected: Show "Copy Response" and "Copy Conversation"

3. Add keyboard shortcuts for different copy actions to improve accessibility

This change would make the interface more intuitive and consistent with user expectations across other applications.

VS Code version: Code - Insiders 1.101.0-insider (921786b, 2025-06-06T00:25:36.239Z)
OS version: Windows_NT x64 10.0.26100
Modes: