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GitHub Copilot SDK Tutorial

A step-by-step guide to building real applications with the GitHub Copilot SDK, available in both Python and Go editions.

This page covers the language-agnostic concepts shared by every edition: what the SDK is, how it works, and how to set up the Copilot CLI. Pick a language below for the SDK-specific API, code, and run instructions.

What Is the GitHub Copilot SDK?

The GitHub Copilot SDK is a programmable interface to the same agent runtime that powers GitHub Copilot CLI. It lets you embed Copilot capabilities — LLM inference, tool calling, streaming, skill execution — directly into your own programs.

graph TD
    A[Your Program] -->|SDK Client| B[Copilot Client]
    B -->|JSON-RPC over stdio| C[Copilot CLI Server]
    C -->|API Call| D[GitHub Copilot API]
    C -->|Tool Execution| E[Built-in Tools]
    C -->|Custom Tool| F[User-defined Tools]
    C -->|Skills| G[SKILL.md Files]

    style A fill:#e1f5fe
    style B fill:#bbdefb
    style C fill:#90caf9
    style D fill:#64b5f6

What it IS

  • A library for integrating Copilot into your own code (github-copilot-sdk for Python, github.com/github/copilot-sdk/go for Go)
  • A way to programmatically create sessions, send prompts, and receive responses
  • Support for custom tools, skills (SKILL.md), streaming, and BYOK
  • The same runtime used by the Copilot CLI — exposed as a reusable API

What it is NOT

  • A replacement for the Copilot Chat UI or the GitHub.com Copilot interface
  • A way to fine-tune or host your own models
  • A general-purpose OpenAI-compatible HTTP client
  • A framework for building REST APIs or web applications

For a deeper look at the components and request flow, see Architecture.

Choose Your Language

The tutorials are mirrored across both editions — each recipe maps 1:1, so you can compare the same task in either language.

Edition Start here Tutorials
Python Python Getting Started Python tutorials — chatbots, custom tools, streaming, skills, hooks, BYOK
Go Go Getting Started Go tutorials — CLI chatbot, streaming, interactive sessions

New to the SDK? Start with the common setup below, then jump into the edition of your choice.

Common Setup

Every edition relies on the same Copilot CLI binary and GitHub authentication. Complete these shared steps once:

  1. Install the Copilot CLI
  2. Authenticate with GitHub

Then follow your language edition's Getting Started for SDK installation and running the tutorials.

See Getting Started for the full common setup guide.

Scope

In scope:

  • GitHub Copilot SDK concepts (what it is / is not)
  • Architecture and operation principles
  • Per-language SDK API design, sample code, and step-by-step guides
  • Custom Tools, Skills, Session Hooks, Permission Handling, Streaming, BYOK

Out of scope:

  • TypeScript / .NET SDK details (see References)
  • Copilot CLI standalone usage guide
  • Production scaling and infrastructure
  • GitHub OAuth App authentication flow (see CopilotReportForge docs)

Further Reading

Document Description
Getting Started Common setup: install the Copilot CLI and authenticate
Architecture How the SDK, CLI server, and Copilot API interact
CLI Server Mode Run the Copilot CLI as a standalone TCP server
Python Tutorial The Python edition
Go Tutorial The Go edition
References API reference and external links