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GitHub Copilot can be used as an LLM provider in Polpo, letting you leverage your existing Copilot subscription. OAuth is the recommended setup — it’s the simplest flow of all providers (no browser redirect needed).

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Setup

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API Key (Manual)

Set the token directly: 
export COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN=ghu_...

{
  "providers": {
    "github-copilot": "${COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN}"
  }
}

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Use it

{
  "agents": [
    { "name": "coder", "model": "github-copilot:copilot-model" }
  ]
}

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Features

FeatureSupported
StreamingYes
Tool useYes
OAuth (device code)Yes

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Provider Details

Provider IDgithub-copilot
Env variableCOPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN
API typeCopilot API

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OAuth: Use Your Copilot Subscription

The easiest way to get started — uses your existing GitHub Copilot subscription with no browser redirect or localhost server needed.

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Supported Subscriptions

PlanWorksNotes
Copilot EnterpriseYesFull model access
Copilot BusinessYesFull model access
Copilot IndividualYesStandard model access
No subscriptionNoCopilot subscription required

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Login

polpo auth login github-copilot
GitHub Copilot uses a Device Code flow — the simplest of all OAuth providers:
  1. Polpo shows a device code and a URL
  2. Go to the URL in your browser and enter the code
  3. Polpo polls GitHub for authorization automatically — no callback server, no redirect
Logging in to GitHub Copilot...

Go to https://github.com/login/device
Enter code: ABCD-1234

Waiting for authorization...

Login successful!
Profile saved as: github-copilot:default
Stored in ~/.polpo/auth-profiles.json
This is the only OAuth flow that works entirely in the terminal — no browser redirect, no localhost port, no manual URL paste. Just enter a code on GitHub and you’re done.

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Token Refresh

OAuth tokens expire. Polpo handles this automatically:
  • Before each API call, Polpo checks if the token is expired
  • If expired and a refresh token exists, it refreshes silently
  • If no refresh token is available, the profile is skipped and Polpo falls back to other credentials

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Multiple Accounts & Profile Rotation

You can log in with multiple GitHub accounts (e.g., personal + org): 
github-copilot:default
github-copilot:work-org
Polpo rotates between them: oldest lastUsed first, skipping profiles in cooldown or billing disable.

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Billing Disable

If your Copilot subscription quota is exceeded, the profile enters billing disable — a longer backoff (5h → 10h → 20h → 24h cap) than regular rate-limit cooldown. Other Copilot profiles or the COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN env var continue working normally.

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Session Pinning

Pin a specific Copilot profile for the session: 
/model github-copilot/copilot-model@github-copilot:work-org
Reset with /model reset.

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Resolution Order

1. polpo.json providers.github-copilot.apiKey   (config wins)
2. COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable     (env var)
3. Stored github-copilot OAuth profiles          (auto-refresh)
For the full authentication system — all OAuth providers, CLI commands, profile rotation algorithm, and security details — see the Authentication guide.

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Notes

  • Available models depend on your Copilot subscription tier.
  • Copilot Enterprise typically offers access to more models than Individual.
  • The device code flow works well in SSH sessions and remote environments where opening a browser redirect is impractical.