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Providers

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 or agent runtime in three different ways.

Three ways to use Copilot in OpenClaw

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.

  • 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.

  • 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" } },  },}

    • Copilot SDK harness plugin (copilot)

    Install the external @openclaw/copilot plugin when you want GitHub's Copilot CLI and SDK to own the low-level agent loop for selected github-copilot/* models.

    bash
    openclaw plugins install @openclaw/copilot

    Then opt a model or provider into the runtime:

    json5
    {  agents: {    defaults: {      model: "github-copilot/gpt-5.5",      models: {        "github-copilot/gpt-5.5": {          agentRuntime: { id: "copilot" },        },      },    },  },}

    Choose this when you want native Copilot CLI sessions, SDK-managed thread state, and Copilot-owned compaction for those agent turns. Without the explicit agentRuntime opt-in, github-copilot/* models keep using the built-in provider. See Copilot SDK harness for the full runtime contract.

    Copilot Proxy plugin (copilot-proxy)

    Use the Copilot Proxy VS Code extension as a local bridge. OpenClaw talks to the proxy's /v1 endpoint (default http://localhost:3000/v1) and uses the model list you configure.

    The copilot-proxy plugin ships with OpenClaw and is enabled by default. Configure the base URL and model ids with:

    bash
    openclaw models auth login --provider copilot-proxy --set-default

    Optional flags

    Command Flag Description
    openclaw models auth login-github-copilot --yes Overwrite an existing auth profile without prompting
    openclaw models auth login --provider github-copilot --method device --set-default Also apply the provider's recommended default model
    bash
    # Skip the re-login confirmationopenclaw models auth login-github-copilot --yes # Login and set the default model in one stepopenclaw models auth login --provider github-copilot --method device --set-default

    Non-interactive onboarding

    The device-login flow requires an interactive TTY. For headless setup, import an existing GitHub OAuth access token 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.

    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.

    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-5.5). See GitHub's supported models per Copilot plan for the current model list.

    Live catalog refresh from the Copilot API

    Once the device-login (or env-var) auth path has resolved a GitHub token, OpenClaw refreshes the model catalog on demand from ${baseUrl}/models (the same endpoint VS Code Copilot uses) so the runtime tracks per-account entitlement and accurate context windows without manifest churn. Newly published Copilot models become visible without an OpenClaw upgrade, and context windows reflect the real per-model limits (e.g. 400k for the gpt-5.x series, 1M for the internal claude-opus-*-1m variants).

    The bundled static catalog stays as the visible fallback when discovery is disabled, the user has no GitHub auth profile, the token-exchange fails, or the /models HTTPS call errors. To opt out and rely entirely on the static manifest catalog (offline / air-gapped scenarios):

    json5
    {  plugins: {    entries: {      "github-copilot": {        config: { discovery: { enabled: false } },      },    },  },}
    Transport selection

    Claude model IDs use the Anthropic Messages transport automatically. Gemini models use the OpenAI Chat Completions transport; GPT and o-series models keep the OpenAI Responses transport. OpenClaw selects the correct transport based on the model ref.

    Request compatibility

    OpenClaw sends Copilot IDE-style request headers on Copilot transports (VS Code editor/plugin versions and the vscode-chat integration id), marks tool-result follow-up turns as agent-initiated, and sets the Copilot vision header when a turn carries image input.

    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.

    Token storage

    The login stores a GitHub token in the auth profile store (profile id github-copilot:github) and exchanges it for a short-lived Copilot API token when OpenClaw runs. You do not need to manage the token manually.

    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.

    Config

    Set memorySearch.provider explicitly to use GitHub Copilot embeddings. If a GitHub token is available, OpenClaw discovers available embedding models from the Copilot API and picks the best one automatically.

    json5
    {  agents: {    defaults: {      memorySearch: {        provider: "github-copilot",        // Optional: override the auto-discovered model        model: "text-embedding-3-small",      },    },  },}

    How it works

    1. OpenClaw resolves your GitHub token (from env vars or auth profile).
    2. Exchanges it for a short-lived Copilot API token.
    3. Queries the Copilot /models endpoint to discover available embedding models.
    4. Picks the best model (preference order: text-embedding-3-small, text-embedding-3-large, text-embedding-ada-002).
    5. 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.

    Model selection

    Choosing providers, model refs, and failover behavior.
    OAuth and auth

    Auth details and credential reuse rules.
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