Your free GitHub Copilot access has expired for open source maintainers

[trapd00r]

I was awarded free access to copilot (I guess 12 months ago) but now my access has expired, even though it says in the docs:

Once awarded, if you are still a maintainer of a popular open source project when your initial 12 months subscription expires then you will be able to renew your subscription for free.

I'm still maintaining all the same project so why, and can I have it back?

[Akash1134]

Hi @trapd00r ,

Could you please explain the type of Copilot access you have? Is it a part of the Student Developer pack?

See Expiration and Renewals - Student Developer Pack

[255kb]

OP refers to the free access offered to maintainers of popular open source projects.

[olivercortinas]

I have the Student Developer pack renewed recently and also i get today an email with the Your free GitHub Copilot access has expired
i don´t understand why

[trapd00r]

No, I got it because I maintain open source projects.

[2dareis2do]

I am also interested in using co-pilot as someone who works in open source including Drupal. How can i access this is an open source developer on an individual account?

[trapd00r]

Any update on this please?

[bovine3dom]

Hi @Akash1134, I'm experiencing a similar issue. I maintain a fairly popular project called Tridactyl that I know some of your colleagues use on a daily basis.

In January and February I got (slightly spammy) emails saying that my access to copilot had been renewed. Today I got an email saying that my access would end soon.

I don't really mind losing access, but it would be nice to have a bit more information about why Tridactyl/I no longer qualify :)

[PatMyron]

spammy emails

+1, don't need emails every month reminding me I still have access. Just email when access changes

[xmatthias]

i think that's mostly done as a "pad on the back" to github by itself.
essentially to show that "oh look, we're so generous and give it to you for free for another month - don't forget we can remove it any month from you . . . "

[reneroth]

+1 here, still maintaining the same project

the only thing I could imagine is that maybe elgibility is calculated by percentile in whatever repository metric is applied, and my little project had been left behind by larger ones :)

[reneroth]

from the page you linked:

[reneroth]

so no support tickets for us free users :(

[2dareis2do]

I don't think Microsoft are really that interested in supporting Open Source

[reneroth]

I mean they're sure as fuck interested in using our open source projects for their products! It's not that hard to get copilot to spit out +500 lines from my project verbatim, least they could do in return is let me keep my free license. Spirit of open source and everything.

[john-preston]

Same thing, looks strange. Sudden email that the free access has expired, although I still maintain and actively develop the same project (24K stars, 5K forks). I don't believe it doesn't fall into "popular" category anymore. What has changed?

[rgomezp]

+1 I maintain some fairly large open source projects. Sad to have gotten that email. Was fun while it lasted though!

[255kb]

Same boat here, nothing changed on my side, still maintaining the same project (under a separated org: mockoon)

[whynowy]

Same here....

[CopperEagle]

Hey @trapd00r

According to the FAQ, the free access for open source maintainers is limited to 12 months. So I'm afraid they probably won't renew the offering :(

[trapd00r]

But.

[xmatthias]

I've gotten the renewal news in the last few months (it'll renew monthly, and the comment says that the eligibility will be reevaluated monthly).

What the conditions are - and if I'm close to "fall out" is however totally opaque.

[oscarbenjamin]

I think that there is a bug in GitHub identifying who is a "maintainer" of a project. I can see now that in the web UI GitHub thinks I am a "member" rather than a "maintainer" of sympy:
sympy/sympy#26528 (comment)

Same boat here, nothing changed on my side, still maintaining the same project (under a separated org: mockoon)

Yet if I look here you are displayed as a "member" of mockoon rather than a maintainer:
mockoon/mockoon#1322 (comment)

Maybe that's why the open source maintainer program does not offer copilot to you: it does not consider you to be a "maintainer" of the project that you maintain.

It used to show me as a "maintainer" like it does for this person:
mesonbuild/meson#13117 (reply in thread)

[SudoUserReal]

@Akash1134

[SudoUserReal]

Same here

[petdance]

If I'm reading correctly, it sounds like there was not an application process for the free access, and that something behind the scenes automatically granted the free status?

I've been looking for an application form, but haven't found one. Maybe that explains why.

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[SudoUserReal]

According to GitHub support ticket, they said that GitHub has the right to interpret which repositories are open source and active, and has the right to decide which maintainers in the repository are given free permissions. We are fooled.

[thedadams]

I have the opposite problem: I was granted free access to GitHub Copilot, and I have no idea why. It would be great to know which project is giving me access.

[reneroth]

At this point I feel like they randomly give some people access (but only ever for a limited amount of time) as an "unsolicited free trial" kind of thing. They converted me into a paying customer at least.

[bramp]

At this point I feel like they randomly give some people access (but only ever for a limited amount of time) as an "unsolicited free trial" kind of thing. They converted me into a paying customer at least.

Just last month I was again considered a open source dev, auto converted from a paying customer to a free customer. Saves me a few bucks, but I was willing to pay.

[thedadams]

Got a response from support:

You qualify as an open-source maintainer. It is possible the threshold changed and this allowed your work to qualify for the free Copilot access. As to the exact repository/project/way you became eligible, no that information is not available to you.

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[rsxdalv]

FYI - after the Pro ends, it will still have used the resources. I got a 3 day notice that pro will end, and had used up about 12.7% in the current period. Now it says that I have used 30.4% and it will reset 30 days from now. I feel like despite the ups and downs they have had, the current product is getting fairly decent and I appreciated getting the free demo. However, 3-day period with no explanation what changed + non-resetting quotas feels a bit like getting slammed by a door, even if someone else opened it for me.