The GitHub Copilot SDK is now generally available. You can embed GitHub Copilot’s agentic engine into your own applications, services, and developer tools with a stable API and production-ready support.
The Copilot SDK gives you direct, programmatic access to the same agent runtime behind GitHub Copilot—planning, tool invocation, file edits, streaming, and multi-turn sessions, so you don’t have to build your own orchestration layer.
Since entering public preview, the SDK has been used to build everything from CI/CD assistants and internal developer tools to customer-facing AI features.
Available in six languages
- Node.js / TypeScript:
npm install @github/copilot-sdk
- Python:
pip install github-copilot-sdk
- Go:
go get github.com/github/copilot-sdk/go
- .NET:
dotnet add package GitHub.Copilot.SDK
- Rust:
cargo add github-copilot-sdk — new at General Availability
- Java: Available via Maven and Gradle. — new at General Availability
Key capabilities
- Custom tools and MCP: Register tools the agent can invoke autonomously, connect to Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, or override built-in tools like
grep and edit_file.
- Fine-grained system prompt customization: Edit individual sections of the Copilot system prompt (e.g., identity, tone, tool instructions, and safety rules) without rewriting it from scratch.
- OpenTelemetry tracing: W3C trace context propagation across CLI startup, JSON-RPC calls, session operations, and tool execution.
- Flexible authentication: GitHub OAuth, GitHub Apps, environment tokens, and BYOK for OpenAI, Microsoft Foundry, Anthropic, and other providers.
- Cloud and remote sessions: Create cloud-backed sessions with repository metadata or enable remote session URLs on demand.
- Hook system: Intercept agent behavior at pre/post tool use, session start, MCP tool calls, and permission requests.
What’s new since public preview
- A new Rust SDK that bundles the Copilot CLI binary by default.
- The SDK now offers better support for multi-client workflows, so different clients can contribute tools and permissions to the same session.
- Slash commands and interactive input prompts are now available across all SDKs.
- The API surface is now stable and production-ready after coordinated cleanup based on preview feedback.
- Improved diagnostics for debugging slow or failing connections.
Pricing and availability
The GitHub Copilot SDK is available to all existing GitHub Copilot subscribers, including Copilot Free for personal use, and to non-Copilot users via BYOK.
Get started
- Read the Getting Started Guide to build your first Copilot-powered app.
- Browse the cookbook for practical recipes across all languages.
- Explore the documentation for setup, authentication, and feature walkthroughs.
