GitHub Copilot in the CLI

GitHub Copilot in the CLI is an extension for GitHub CLI which provides a chat-like interface in the terminal that allows you to ask questions about the command line. You can ask Copilot in the CLI to suggest a command for your use case with gh copilot suggest, or to explain a command you're curious about with gh copilot explain.

For more information on use cases, enabling, and limitations, see "GitHub Copilot in the CLI".

For more information on what data is collected, used, and shared, see "Privacy Policies".

Quickstart

Note To use and install GitHub Copilot in the CLI, you must have an active GitHub Copilot subscription and have GitHub CLI installed.

1. Authenticate with OAuth token

   gh auth login --web -h github.com

2. Install / upgrade extension

   gh extension install github/gh-copilot --force

3. Suggest a command

   gh copilot suggest "Install and configure git lfs"

4. Explain a command

   gh copilot explain 'git lfs migrate import --everything --include="*.gz,*.png,*.jar"'

Usage

$ gh copilot --help
Your AI command line copilot.

Usage:
  copilot [command]

Available Commands:
  config      Configure options
  explain     Explain a command
  suggest     Suggest a command

Flags:
  -h, --help      help for copilot
  -v, --version   version for copilot

Use "copilot [command] --help" for more information about a command.

Metrics sent to GitHub

GitHub Copilot in the CLI sends certain metrics to our analytics system. We want you to understand what is being sent and why it's important to our ability to continue to improve the product and provide you with a better experience over time.

Why do we need usage stats?

Our team uses metrics to prioritize our work and evaluate whether we are successful in solving real user problems after we've released something. For example, when we release a new version and see a spike in exceptions and response ratings, we want to understand if there is a regression or a platform issue causing problems.

The more people who opt in to send usage stats, the more information we have to base our decision-making on. And if you want us to take your use cases into consideration, we hope you'll opt in so we get a better idea of how you use the app and whether or not it's meeting your needs. GitHub Copilot in the CLI will send a payload in the format below to our analytics system unless you've opted out. We are very sensitive to the privacy of our users and we never look at the data of specific individuals, but rather only examine aggregate data and trends to inform our product decisions.

You can change your opt-in setting at any time in gh copilot config:

$ gh copilot config

Welcome to GitHub Copilot CLI!
version 0.3.0-beta (2023-10-31)

I'm powered by AI, so surprises and mistakes are possible. Make sure to verify any generated code or suggestions, and share feedback so that we can learn and improve.

? What would you like to configure?
> Optional Usage Analytics

? Allow GitHub to collect optional usage data to help us improve? This data does not include your queries.  [Use arrows to move, type to filter]
> Yes
  No

Example usage stats

{
	"platform": "darwin",
	"architecture": "arm64",
	"version": "0.3.0-beta",
	"custom_event": "true",
	"event_parent_command": "explain",
	"event_name": "Explain",
	"sha": "089a53215fc4383179869f7f6132ce9d6e58754a",
	"thread_id": "e61d0d08-f6ba-465b-81cf-c30fd9127d70"
}