NodeJS - v1.0.0-beta.9 - createSession with cloud options returns error "Cannot specify sessionId when creating a remote session in the cloud."

[BenMorganNt]

SDK version: @github/copilot-sdk@1.0.0-beta.9
Typescript node application

Following the example shared in the release notes for v1.0.0-beta.8 I've created a function to trigger a cloud session.

export async function triggerCloudSession(payload: OrchestratorPayload) {
  const client = new CopilotClient({
    gitHubToken: config.githubToken,
    useLoggedInUser: false,
  })
  await client.start()

  try {
    const options = {
      model: config.copilotModel,
      cloud: {
        repository: {
          owner: payload.owner,
          name: payload.repository,
          branch: payload.branch,
        },
      },
      onPermissionRequest: approveAll,
    } as SessionConfig

    const session = await client.createSession(options)

    try {
      const ack = await session.sendAndWait({
        prompt: `Reply with exactly: ACK`,
      })
      logger.info("Control sendAndWait OK", {
        ack,
      })
    } catch (e) {
      logger.error("Control sendAndWait FAILED", {
        ...serializeError(e),
      })
    }

    const resp = await session.sendAndWait({
      prompt:
        "Do you have any tools available? If yes, list their names. If no, reply NO_TOOLS.",
    })
    logger.info("tools check", { resp })

    const promptSuffix = `After you start, immediately create a draft PR titled "Agent connectivity test" that adds a single line to README.md, then stop.`
    const structuredPrompt = `/delegate in ${payload.owner}/${payload.repository}:${payload.branch} ${payload.task} ${promptSuffix}`

    const sendResult = await session.sendAndWait({ prompt: structuredPrompt })
    logger.info("sendAndWait() result", { sendResult })
  } catch (error) {
    logger.error("Failed to trigger Copilot session", serializeError(error))
  } finally {
    await client.stop()
  }
}

However when calling my function it returns the following error:

2026-05-28T13:32:09.4985236Z stderr F {"timestamp":"2026-05-28T13:32:09.498Z","level":"ERROR","message":"Failed to orchestrate Copilot session","context":{"name":"Error","message":"Request session.create failed with message: Cannot specify sessionId when creating a remote session in the cloud.","stack":"Error: Request session.create failed with message: Cannot specify sessionId when creating a remote session in the cloud.\n    at handleResponse (/app/node_modules/vscode-jsonrpc/lib/common/connection.js:565:48)\n    at handleMessage (/app/node_modules/vscode-jsonrpc/lib/common/connection.js:345:13)\n    at processMessageQueue (/app/node_modules/vscode-jsonrpc/lib/common/connection.js:362:17)\n    at Immediate.<anonymous> (/app/node_modules/vscode-jsonrpc/lib/common/connection.js:334:13)\n    at process.processImmediate (node:internal/timers:504:21)"}}

sessionId is not specified within my function or elsewhere within the application.

[github-actions]

Investigation findings

Thanks for the detailed report. I've investigated this and classified it as a bug.

What I looked at

• nodejs/src/client.ts — the createSession path (lines ~1026–1160)
• nodejs/src/types.ts — SessionConfig, SessionConfigBase, CloudSessionOptions, InfiniteSessionConfig
• nodejs/test/client.test.ts — the existing cloud session test ("forwards cloud options in session.create request")
• The v1.0.0-beta.8 and v1.0.0-beta.9 release notes

What the SDK code does

The SDK has explicit logic to omit sessionId for cloud sessions (client.ts ~line 1033–1035):

const callerSessionId = config.sessionId;
const useServerGeneratedId = config.cloud != null && callerSessionId == null;
const localSessionId = useServerGeneratedId ? undefined : (callerSessionId ?? randomUUID());

When cloud is set and no explicit sessionId is provided, localSessionId is undefined. Since JSON.stringify omits undefined properties, the SDK should not be sending sessionId over the wire. I verified this with a quick runtime check — the serialized payload correctly excludes sessionId.

Root cause

Despite the SDK TypeScript code appearing correct, the CLI server is definitively receiving a sessionId (the error message "Cannot specify sessionId when creating a remote session in the cloud." comes from the CLI, not the SDK). The most likely cause is a regression in the Copilot CLI binary bundled with v1.0.0-beta.9 — cloud sessions worked in beta.8, and beta.9 introduced mode: "empty" which also changes how the CLI process is launched (COPILOT_DISABLE_KEYTAR=1 env var, etc.).

It's also worth noting: there is no test that explicitly asserts sessionId is absent from the session.create wire payload for cloud sessions — the existing test only checks that cloud is present, not that sessionId is absent.

Your code

Your code follows the documented pattern from the beta.8 release notes correctly. You should not need to change it. The mode: "empty" + cloud session combination is the likely trigger for this regression.

Workaround

While this is being investigated: if you don't strictly need mode: "empty" for this use-case, try removing it to confirm whether that resolves the issue. If cloud sessions work without mode: "empty", that strongly narrows the regression to the mode: "empty" + cloud session interaction in beta.9.

Generated by Bug Handler for issue #1493 · ● 20.8M · ◷

[BenMorganNt]

mode: "empty" was incorrectly included in the original post, this has now been updated.

Testing without mode: "empty" results in the error message shown above.
Testing with `mode: "empty"' and the correct additional configuration (baseDirectory, availableTools) also results in the same error message.

2026-05-29T12:54:34.1646380Z stdout F {"timestamp":"2026-05-29T12:54:34.164Z","level":"INFO","message":"Creating Copilot session with options","context":{"model":"gpt-4o","cloud":{"repository":{"owner":"repo-owner","name":"repo-name","branch":"main"}},"availableTools":{"items":["builtin:ask_user","builtin:task_complete","builtin:exit_plan_mode","builtin:task","builtin:read_agent","builtin:write_agent","builtin:list_agents","builtin:send_inbox","builtin:context_board","builtin:skill","mcp:*"]},"excludedTools":{"items":["mcp:github-delete_repository"]}}}
2026-05-29T12:54:34.1825657Z stderr F {"timestamp":"2026-05-29T12:54:34.182Z","level":"ERROR","message":"Failed to orchestrate Copilot session","context":{"name":"Error","message":"Request session.create failed with message: Cannot specify sessionId when creating a remote session in the cloud.","stack":"Error: Request session.create failed with message: Cannot specify sessionId when creating a remote session in the cloud.\n    at handleResponse (/app/node_modules/vscode-jsonrpc/lib/common/connection.js:565:48)\n    at handleMessage (/app/node_modules/vscode-jsonrpc/lib/common/connection.js:345:13)\n    at processMessageQueue (/app/node_modules/vscode-jsonrpc/lib/common/connection.js:362:17)\n    at Immediate.<anonymous> (/app/node_modules/vscode-jsonrpc/lib/common/connection.js:334:13)\n    at process.processImmediate (node:internal/timers:504:21)"}}

[patniko]

Closing as fixed after verification against the current public SDK sources and bundled behavior.

Public evidence

• #1479 — Defer sessionId to server for cloud sessions (merged 2026-05-28)
• commit bdedbd715ea7 — Defer sessionId to server for cloud sessions (Defer sessionId to server for cloud sessions #1479)
• nodejs/src/client.ts — createSession; useServerGeneratedId; localSessionId
• nodejs/test/client.test.ts — forwards cloud options in session.create request

The reported behavior/request is implemented at the current SDK baseline, so this issue is being closed as completed.

Public SDK baseline: github/copilot-sdk d5c9d06d8c41.