copilot_here: Q1 2026 Updates - Package Managers, Golang, Podman & More

I'd like to start off by saying thanks to @tudorsmt, @epetutsc, @Tasteful, and @christiansparre for logging issues and feature requests that helped shape this quarter's improvements.

Q1 has been busy for copilot_here. The change I'm most happy about is proper package manager support — you can now install via Homebrew, WinGet, or as a .NET global tool instead of piping a script from the internet. Beyond that, there's a new Golang image variant, Podman and OrbStack support as container runtimes, and a model configuration system so you can pin your preferred AI model per-project or globally.

If you're new to copilot_here, check out my previous posts about running GitHub Copilot CLI in a secure, sandboxed Docker environment.

#What's New in Q1 2026

Install Anywhere: Package Manager Support
Golang Image Variant
Container Runtime Freedom
Model Configuration
Custom Mount Paths
Enhanced Image Name Handling
Bug Fixes & Stability
Completed PBIs

#1. Install Anywhere: Package Manager Support

You can now install copilot_here through the package managers you already use. No more piping scripts from the internet.

.NET Global Tool:

Terminal

dotnet tool install -g copilot_here

Homebrew (macOS):

Terminal

brew tap gordonbeeming/tap
brew install --cask copilot-here

Homebrew (Linux):

Terminal

brew tap gordonbeeming/tap
brew install copilot_here

WinGet (Windows):

PowerShell

winget install GordonBeeming.CopilotHere

All three channels are published automatically on every release via CI, so your package manager's normal update flow will keep you current.

The existing curl/iwr install scripts still work if you'd rather stick with those.

#2. Golang Image Variant

There's a new golang image variant with the full Go toolchain pre-installed (go and gofmt).

Use it with the --golang or -go flag:

Terminal

copilot_here --golang "add unit tests for this Go module"
copilot_yolo --golang "refactor this handler"

The image lineup is now: Base, .NET (8/9/10), Playwright, Rust, and Golang, plus compound variants like dotnet-playwright and dotnet-rust.

#3. Container Runtime Freedom

copilot_here used to require Docker. Not anymore.

Podman and OrbStack are now supported as container runtimes. Detection is automatic: Docker is tried first, then Podman. OrbStack is picked up when your Docker context is set to use it. Podman works rootless and auto-detects Podman Compose if it's available.

You can also explicitly configure your preferred runtime:

Terminal

# See what runtime is currently in use
copilot_here --show-runtime

# List all available runtimes on your system
copilot_here --list-runtimes

# Set your preferred runtime (per-project or global)
copilot_here --set-runtime podman
copilot_here --set-runtime-global docker

Thanks to @tudorsmt for the original request in #36.

#4. Model Configuration

You can now save a model preference so you don't have to pass --model every time.

Terminal

# Set model for the current project
copilot_here --set-model claude-sonnet-4.5

# Set model globally for all projects
copilot_here --set-model-global gpt-5

# Override saved model for one session
copilot_here --model gpt-5-mini

# View current configuration
copilot_here --show-model

# List available models
copilot_here --list-models

Priority order: CLI argument beats local config, which beats global config, which beats the built-in default.

There's also a special default value you can set at the local level to explicitly opt back into Copilot CLI's default model, even if you've set something globally.

#5. Custom Mount Paths

Before this change, the container path was always auto-computed from the host path. Now you can specify both sides using host:container format:

Terminal

# Mount with a custom container path
copilot_here --mount /host/data:/app/data

# Works with read-write mounts too
copilot_here --mount-rw /host/output:/app/output

Handy on Windows where host paths don't translate cleanly to Linux container paths, and for any project that expects files at a fixed location inside the container.

Thanks to @Tasteful for the request in #62.

#6. Enhanced Image Name Handling

copilot_here now accepts absolute image references, so you can bring your own Docker images rather than being locked to the ghcr.io/gordonbeeming/copilot_here registry.

Thanks to @christiansparre for raising this in #68 — it came up a lot.

#7. Bug Fixes & Stability

Playwright browser installation — Fixed permissions on /ms-playwright so the agent can manage browser installations (#53)
PATH integration preserved — Shell updates no longer clobber your PATH configuration on macOS (#49)
Git working in containers — Fixed "dubious ownership" errors by configuring safe directories automatically (#57) — thanks @epetutsc
Home directory ownership — Fixed npm cache permission issues inside the container
BuildCmdWrapper refactor — Cleaner, more maintainable command building with args splatting (#67)
README link fix — Corrected broken documentation links (#66)