Getting started with the GitHub Copilot app

For a conceptual overview of the GitHub Copilot app, see About the GitHub Copilot app.

Prerequisites

• Git installed on your computer.
• A GitHub account.
• A Copilot plan. Alternatively, if using your own model provider, you will need required credentials such as an API key. For more information, see Using your own LLM models in the GitHub Copilot app.
• If you use Copilot Business or Copilot Enterprise, your plan administrator must enable the Copilot CLI policy. See Managing policies and features for GitHub Copilot in your organization or Managing policies and features for GitHub Copilot in your enterprise.

Installing the GitHub Copilot app

1. Visit the download page for GitHub Copilot app.
2. Download the app for your platform.

Opening the GitHub Copilot app for the first time

1. Open the GitHub Copilot app.
2. Click Sign in to GitHub and follow the prompts to authenticate. If you use GitHub Enterprise Server, choose Use GitHub Enterprise and enter your server address when prompted.
3. If you do not have a Copilot plan, choose whether to sign up for a plan or continue with your own model provider.
   • If you choose to use your own model provider, select a provider, enter any required credentials, then click Save and continue.
4. When prompted, select one or more repositories based on your recent GitHub activity. You can also add a local repository, or skip this step and add repositories later.
5. Choose a theme, then complete onboarding to open the app.

Connecting a repository

To work on code, you need at least one repository connected to the app. If you skipped repository setup during onboarding, or want to add more repositories later:

1. Click the + button in the sidebar next to "Sessions".
2. Under Add project from, choose one of the following:
   • Local folder or repository — Select a folder already on your machine.
   • GitHub repository — Browse and clone a repository from GitHub.
   • Repository URL — Clone from any Git URL.

Orienting yourself

The sidebar gives you access to the main areas of the app:

• My work — Browse and filter issues and pull requests from your repositories, check CI status, and leave reviews.
• Automations — Saved agent tasks that run on a schedule or on demand.
• Search — Search across your repositories directly from the app.
• Sessions — Active agent sessions, grouped by repository. This also includes Quick chats, which are general chat conversations.

Starting a quick chat

The fastest way to try the GitHub Copilot app is with a quick chat. Quick chats let you ask questions and brainstorm without creating a branch or worktree.

1. In the sidebar, click + next to "Quick chats" to open a new chat.
2. Type a question or prompt—for example, "Give me an overview of the octocat repository."
3. The agent responds in the conversation view. You can continue the conversation, ask follow-up questions, or start a new chat.

Creating your first session

When you are ready to make changes to code, create a session. You can start from an issue or describe a task directly.

Starting from an issue

1. Click My work in the sidebar.
2. Browse or filter to find an issue, then click it to view its details.
3. Click New session. The app creates a new session with the issue context already loaded.
4. Select a session mode from the dropdown below the prompt field—for example, Plan to have the agent propose a plan first, or Interactive to work collaboratively with the agent.
5. Prompt the agent with what you want it to do. If you chose Plan mode, the agent proposes a plan for you to review first; otherwise, the agent will start working on the issue and propose changes that you can iterate on. Follow along in the conversation view and provide feedback to steer the agent.

Starting from a task

If you do not have an issue to work from, you can describe a task directly.

1. In the sidebar, click + next to "Sessions" to start a new session, then select a repository.
2. Select a session mode from the dropdown below the prompt field—for example, Interactive to work collaboratively with the agent.
3. Describe a task—for example, "Fix the failing test in utils.test.ts" or "Add input validation to the signup form."
4. The agent will make changes based on your direction. Follow along in the conversation view and provide feedback to steer the agent.

Next steps

Find out more about using the GitHub Copilot app:

• Working with agent sessions in the GitHub Copilot app
• Working with canvas extensions in the GitHub Copilot app
• Managing issues and pull requests with the GitHub Copilot app
• Using automations in the GitHub Copilot app
• Using deep links to open the GitHub Copilot app