Research · The Register
GitHub opts all CLI users into telemetry collection whether they want it or not
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Users of GitHub's command-line interface (CLI) who value privacy, beware.
Key facts
- The sample payload includes an agent field, architecture, device ID, OS, flags, command name, invocation ID, and other metadata
- A GitHub spokesperson offered the following statement: "GitHub CLI now includes client-side usage telemetry, beginning with the v2.91.0 release today, to better understand how developers use the tool
- Users of GitHub's command-line interface (CLI) who value privacy, beware
- As agentic adoption of GitHub CLI grows, our team needs visibility into how features are being used in practice," the telemetry page reads
Summary
There was no standalone blog post or announcement of the change, an update to GitHub's CLI documentation adding a telemetry page, release notes mentioning pseudonymous telemetry, and a burst of updates to the CLI repo over the past week folding telemetry features into the tool. "As agentic adoption of GitHub CLI grows, our team needs visibility into how features are being used in practice," the telemetry page reads. A GitHub spokesperson offered the following statement: "GitHub CLI now includes client-side usage telemetry, beginning with the v2.91.0 release today, to better understand how developers use the tool across both interactive and increasingly agentic workflows. It's not a bad idea, at a glance: Companies need visibility into how users are interacting with their software, and which features are worth spending more time on.