How to use
GitHub Copilot.

1. 01

   Start at https://github.com/features/copilot and confirm the domain before entering account or payment information.

2. 02

   Availability: GitHub documents a desktop Copilot app, and Copilot is also available in supported developer environments.

3. 03

   You need a GitHub account and either Copilot access or a configured model provider. GitHub's desktop-app guide also requires Git for local project work.

4. 04

   Sign in with the account you intend to keep using, then review plan, data, notification, and permission settings.

5. 05

   Run one low-risk test task before connecting sensitive files, repositories, or workspace data.

• Use official download pages.
• Review permissions during setup.
• Keep installers and applications updated.

1. 01

   Install and sign in to the GitHub Copilot app, then connect one local folder or repository.

2. 02

   Ask for a small, low-risk change and require an explanation of the planned files and checks.

3. 03

   Use an interactive agent session so you can answer questions as it works.

4. 04

   Review the diff, run the relevant checks, and create a pull request only when you understand the change.

• State the outcome before the background.
• Provide the real source material.
• Review the result before expanding the task.

1. 01

   Restate the intended behaviour and the acceptance criteria before reading a single generated line.

2. 02

   Read the diff rather than the chat summary; the summary describes intent, the diff describes what actually changed.

3. 03

   Run the test suite, then write a test that would fail if the change were wrong, and confirm it passes for the right reason.

4. 04

   Check the edges the model tends to skip: error paths, null and empty cases, concurrency, and migration or rollback behaviour.

5. 05

   Trace every new dependency, network call, and file write, and confirm each one is genuinely required.

• Review the diff, never the description of the diff.
• A passing test suite proves the tests pass, not that the change is correct.
• Keep changes small enough that a human can actually review them.

1. 01

   Decide what the tool may read and what it may write before connecting a repository.

2. 02

   Scope tokens and integrations to the narrowest repository, branch, and permission set that still works.

3. 03

   Keep secrets out of the context window: use environment variables and secret stores, never inline credentials.

4. 04

   Require review before generated code touches authentication, payments, permissions, migrations, or deletion paths.

5. 05

   Audit what the integration retained after the session, and revoke access that is no longer needed.

• Connecting a repository grants the tool context about that codebase. Review organisation policy, model-provider credentials, and the generated diff before you accept or publish a change.
• Follow your organisation's approved-use policy.
• Never treat fluent output as authorization to act.

Figures verified 2 September 2026 against GitHub Copilot plans ↗. Model pricing changes frequently — confirm before you budget.

Cross-provider comparison verified 2 September 2026. Sources: OpenAI API pricing ↗ · Claude platform pricing ↗ · Gemini API pricing ↗

• GitHub Copilot ↗
• GitHub Docs: Copilot app quickstart ↗

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