GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot is GitHub's AI coding assistant. It provides access to Copilot models for your GitHub account and plan. OpenClaw can use Copilot as a model provider in two different ways.

Two ways to use Copilot in OpenClaw

<Tabs> <Tab title="Built-in provider (github-copilot)"> Use the native device-login flow to obtain a GitHub token, then exchange it for Copilot API tokens when OpenClaw runs. This is the **default** and simplest path because it does not require VS Code.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Run the login command">
    ```bash
    openclaw models auth login-github-copilot
    ```

    You will be prompted to visit a URL and enter a one-time code. Keep the
    terminal open until it completes.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Set a default model">
    ```bash
    openclaw models set github-copilot/claude-opus-4.7
    ```

    Or in config:

    ```json5
    {
      agents: {
        defaults: { model: { primary: "github-copilot/claude-opus-4.7" } },
      },
    }
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

</Tab> <Tab title="Copilot Proxy plugin (copilot-proxy)"> Use the **Copilot Proxy** VS Code extension as a local bridge. OpenClaw talks to the proxy's `/v1` endpoint and uses the model list you configure there.

<Note>
Choose this when you already run Copilot Proxy in VS Code or need to route
through it. You must enable the plugin and keep the VS Code extension running.
</Note>

</Tab> </Tabs>

Optional flags

Flag	Description
`--yes`	Skip the confirmation prompt
`--set-default`	Also apply the provider's recommended default model

bash

# Skip confirmation
openclaw models auth login-github-copilot --yes

# Login and set the default model in one step
openclaw models auth login --provider github-copilot --method device --set-default

Non-interactive onboarding

If you already have a GitHub OAuth access token for Copilot, import it during headless setup with openclaw onboard --non-interactive:

bash

openclaw onboard --non-interactive --accept-risk \
  --auth-choice github-copilot \
  --github-copilot-token "$COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  --skip-channels --skip-health

You can also omit --auth-choice; passing --github-copilot-token infers the GitHub Copilot provider auth choice. If the flag is omitted, onboarding falls back to COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN, GH_TOKEN, then GITHUB_TOKEN. Use --secret-input-mode ref with COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN set to store an env-backed tokenRef instead of plaintext in auth-profiles.json.

<AccordionGroup> <Accordion title="Interactive TTY required"> The device-login flow requires an interactive TTY. Run it directly in a terminal, not in a non-interactive script or CI pipeline. </Accordion> <Accordion title="Model availability depends on your plan"> Copilot model availability depends on your GitHub plan. If a model is rejected, try another ID (for example `github-copilot/gpt-4.1`). </Accordion> <Accordion title="Transport selection"> Claude model IDs use the Anthropic Messages transport automatically. GPT, o-series, and Gemini models keep the OpenAI Responses transport. OpenClaw selects the correct transport based on the model ref. </Accordion> <Accordion title="Request compatibility"> OpenClaw sends Copilot IDE-style request headers on Copilot transports, including built-in compaction, tool-result, and image follow-up turns. It does not enable provider-level Responses continuation for Copilot unless that behavior has been verified against Copilot's API. </Accordion> <Accordion title="Environment variable resolution order"> OpenClaw resolves Copilot auth from environment variables in the following priority order:

| Priority | Variable              | Notes                            |
| -------- | --------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| 1        | `COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN` | Highest priority, Copilot-specific |
| 2        | `GH_TOKEN`            | GitHub CLI token (fallback)      |
| 3        | `GITHUB_TOKEN`        | Standard GitHub token (lowest)   |

When multiple variables are set, OpenClaw uses the highest-priority one.
The device-login flow (`openclaw models auth login-github-copilot`) stores
its token in the auth profile store and takes precedence over all environment
variables.

</Accordion> <Accordion title="Token storage"> The login stores a GitHub token in the auth profile store and exchanges it for a Copilot API token when OpenClaw runs. You do not need to manage the token manually. </Accordion> </AccordionGroup> <Warning> The device-login command requires an interactive TTY. Use non-interactive onboarding when you need headless setup. </Warning>

Memory search embeddings

GitHub Copilot can also serve as an embedding provider for memory search. If you have a Copilot subscription and have logged in, OpenClaw can use it for embeddings without a separate API key.

Auto-detection

When memorySearch.provider is "auto" (the default), GitHub Copilot is tried at priority 15 -- after local embeddings but before OpenAI and other paid providers. If a GitHub token is available, OpenClaw discovers available embedding models from the Copilot API and picks the best one automatically.

Explicit config

json5

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      memorySearch: {
        provider: "github-copilot",
        // Optional: override the auto-discovered model
        model: "text-embedding-3-small",
      },
    },
  },
}

How it works

OpenClaw resolves your GitHub token (from env vars or auth profile).
Exchanges it for a short-lived Copilot API token.
Queries the Copilot /models endpoint to discover available embedding models.
Picks the best model (prefers text-embedding-3-small).
Sends embedding requests to the Copilot /embeddings endpoint.

Model availability depends on your GitHub plan. If no embedding models are available, OpenClaw skips Copilot and tries the next provider.

<CardGroup cols={2}> <Card title="Model selection" href="/concepts/model-providers" icon="layers"> Choosing providers, model refs, and failover behavior. </Card> <Card title="OAuth and auth" href="/gateway/authentication" icon="key"> Auth details and credential reuse rules. </Card> </CardGroup>