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authenticate-copilot-cli.md

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title Authenticating GitHub Copilot CLI
shortTitle Authenticate Copilot CLI
intro Authenticate {% data variables.copilot.copilot_cli_short %} so that you can use {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} directly from the command line.
product {% data reusables.gated-features.copilot-cli %}
versions
feature
copilot
topics
Copilot
CLI
contentType how-tos
category
Configure Copilot CLI

About authentication

{% data variables.copilot.copilot_cli %} supports three authentication methods. The method you use depends on whether you are working interactively or in an automated environment.

  • OAuth device flow: The default and recommended method for interactive use. When you run /login in {% data variables.copilot.copilot_cli_short %}, the CLI generates a one-time code and directs you to authenticate in your browser. This is the simplest way to authenticate.
  • Environment variables: Recommended for CI/CD pipelines, containers, and non-interactive environments. You set a supported token as an environment variable (COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN, GH_TOKEN, or GITHUB_TOKEN), and the CLI uses it automatically without prompting.
  • {% data variables.product.prodname_cli %} fallback: If you have {% data variables.product.prodname_cli %} (gh) (note: the gh CLI, not copilot) installed and authenticated, {% data variables.copilot.copilot_cli_short %} can use its token automatically. This is the lowest priority method and activates only when no other credentials are found.

Once authenticated, {% data variables.copilot.copilot_cli_short %} remembers your login and automatically uses the token for all {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} API requests. You can log in with multiple accounts, and the CLI will remember the last-used account. Token lifetime and expiration depend on how the token was created on your account or organization settings.

Supported token types

Token type Prefix Supported Notes
OAuth token (device flow) gho_ Yes Default method via copilot login
Fine-grained PAT github_pat_ Yes Must include required permissions Copilot Requests
GitHub App user-to-server ghu_ Yes Via environment variable
Classic PAT ghp_ No Not supported by {% data variables.copilot.copilot_cli_short %}

How Copilot CLI stores credentials

By default, the CLI stores your OAuth token in your operating system's keychain under the service name copilot-cli:

Platform Keychain
macOS Keychain Access
Windows Credential Manager
Linux libsecret (GNOME Keyring, KWallet)

If the system keychain is unavailable—for example, on a headless Linux server without libsecret installed—the CLI prompts you to store the token in a plaintext configuration file at ~/.copilot/config.json.

When you run a command, {% data variables.copilot.copilot_cli_short %} checks for credentials in the following order:

  1. COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable
  2. GH_TOKEN environment variable
  3. GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable
  4. OAuth token from the system keychain
  5. GitHub CLI (gh auth token) fallback

Note

An environment variable silently overrides a stored OAuth token. If you set GH_TOKEN for another tool, the CLI uses that token instead of the OAuth token from copilot login. To avoid unexpected behavior, unset environment variables you do not intend the CLI to use.

Authenticating with OAuth

The OAuth device flow is the default authentication method for interactive use. You can authenticate by running /login from {% data variables.copilot.copilot_cli_short %} or copilot login from your terminal.

Authenticate with /login

  1. From {% data variables.copilot.copilot_cli_short %}, run /login.

    /login

  2. Select the account you want to authenticate with. For {% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_cloud %} with data residency, enter the hostname of your instance

    What account do you want to log into?
 1. {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %}
 2. {% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_cloud %} with data residency (*.ghe.com)

  3. The CLI displays a one-time user code and automatically copies it to your clipboard and opens your browser.

    Waiting for authorization...
Enter one-time code: 1234-5678 at https://github.com/login/device
Press any key to copy to clipboard and open browser...

  4. Navigate to the verification URL at https://github.com/login/device if your browser did not open automatically.

  5. Paste the one-time code in the field on the page.

  6. If your organization uses SAML SSO, click Authorize next to each organization you want to grant access to.

  7. Review the requested permissions and click Authorize GitHub Copilot CLI.

  8. Return to your terminal. The CLI displays a success message when authentication is complete.

    Signed in successfully as Octocat. You can now use {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %}.

Authenticate with copilot login

  1. From the terminal, run copilot login. If you are using {% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_cloud %} with data residency, pass the hostname of your instance.

    copilot login

    For {% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_cloud %}:

    copilot login --host HOSTNAME

    The CLI displays a one-time user code and automatically copies it to your clipboard and opens your browser.

    To authenticate, visit https://github.com/login/device and enter code 1234-5678.

  2. Navigate to the verification URL at https://github.com/login/device if your browser did not open automatically.

  3. Paste the one-time code in the field on the page.

  4. If your organization uses SAML SSO, click Authorize next to each organization you want to grant access to.

  5. Review the requested permissions and click Authorize GitHub Copilot CLI.

  6. Return to your terminal. The CLI displays a success message when authentication is complete.

    Signed in successfully as Octocat.

Authenticating with environment variables

For non-interactive environments, you can authenticate by setting an environment variable with a supported token. This is ideal for CI/CD pipelines, containers, or headless servers.

{% data reusables.copilot.copilot-cli-pat-steps %}

Authenticating with {% data variables.product.prodname_cli %}

If you have {% data variables.product.prodname_cli %} installed and authenticated, {% data variables.copilot.copilot_cli_short %} can use its token as a fallback. This method has the lowest priority and activates only when no environment variables are set and no stored token is found.

  1. Verify that {% data variables.product.prodname_cli %} is authenticated.

    gh auth status

    If you use {% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_cloud %} with data residency, verify the correct hostname is authenticated.

    gh auth status --hostname HOSTNAME

  2. Run copilot. The Copilot CLI uses the {% data variables.product.prodname_cli %} token automatically.

  3. Run /user to verify your authenticated account in the CLI.

Switching between accounts

{% data variables.copilot.copilot_cli_short %} supports multiple accounts. You can list available accounts and switch between them from within the CLI. To list available accounts, run /user list from the {% data variables.copilot.copilot_cli_short %} prompt. To switch to a different account, type /user switch on the prompt.

To add another account, run copilot login from a new terminal session, or run the login command from within the CLI and authorize with the other account.

Signing out and removing credentials

To sign out, type /logout at the {% data variables.copilot.copilot_cli_short %} prompt. This removes the locally stored token but does not revoke it on {% data variables.product.github %}.

To revoke the OAuth app authorization on {% data variables.product.github %} and prevent it from being used elsewhere, follow these steps.

  1. Navigate to Settings > Applications > Authorized OAuth Apps.
  2. Navigate to your settings page:
    1. In the upper-right corner of any page on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %}, click your profile picture.
    2. Click Settings.
  3. In the left sidebar, click Applications.
  4. Under Authorized OAuth Apps, click {% octicon "kebab-horizontal" aria-label="The horizontal kebab icon" %} next to GitHub CLI to expand the menu and select Revoke.