Run GitHub Copilot in a tab

Agents: copilot · On: phone, desktop

A tab can run GitHub Copilot, the Copilot CLI (copilot). VCode drives it over the CLI's copilot --acp mode, so its answers, edits, plans, todos and approvals show in the same transcript as the other agents.

Why you would use it

You have a GitHub Copilot plan and want to use it from the phone, with the same controls you use on a Claude, Codex, OpenCode, Cursor or Devin tab. This page lists what Copilot does in a tab and what it does not.

How to use it

Install the CLI if the workstation does not have it. See install-an-agent.
Log in to GitHub. Copilot does not run without a login. A workstation where the GitHub CLI (gh) is logged in counts as logged in. See log-in-to-an-agent.
Pick Copilot in a tab's agent menu (#agentpick, under the message box). A new tab, from the new-thread card or /new, starts on the agent of the tab you were in, so start it from a Copilot tab to stay on Copilot. Pick a model in the model menu (#modelpick). Auto lets Copilot choose.
Set the effort on the same menu: none, minimal, low, medium, high, xhigh or max. Auto has no effort.

The agent menu with Copilot in its list under Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Cursor and Devin, with its mark and the line saying what picking it does.

What works

Steering. A message you send while a turn runs joins that turn. See queue-or-steer.
Stop. Stop ends the running turn. See stop-a-running-turn.
Resume after a restart. The tab picks its Copilot session up again when VCode restarts. See resume-after-a-restart.
Adopting a session. A Copilot session on the workstation is listed on the resume screen. Adopting it opens a tab with the session's conversation in it. See resume-a-session-from-disk.
/compact. VCode sends /compact to Copilot, and Copilot compacts its own context. You see context compacted when it is done.
Approvals. Below Full, a request from Copilot shows as a card with Allow and Deny. A Deny ends Copilot's turn. See permission-levels.
Plan. Plan turns on Copilot's plan mode. The plan Copilot writes becomes the plan card; tap Build on it to turn Plan off and let Copilot build.
Todos. The todo list Copilot keeps shows in the plan strip and follows each change it makes. A blocked todo shows as not started.
Subagents. A subagent Copilot starts shows in the subagent strip.
Images. Images you attach go to Copilot inline with the message.
Context meter. The tab's context figure follows the size Copilot reports.

The levels

VCode	What Copilot does
Ask	Asks before it writes a file or runs a command. Each request is a card.
Auto	Writes files without asking. Asks before it runs a command.
Full	Asks nothing.
Plan (flag)	Copilot's plan mode, on any level. It only writes its plan.

What you see

An effort the model does not offer is refused with model <model> does not support effort <effort>; supported: <efforts>.
Auto refuses an effort with model auto has no effort levels.
When Copilot changes its own mode to leave Plan, VCode stops the turn before it edits and shows: Copilot left Plan mode on its own, so the turn was stopped before it could edit. Send the message again to keep planning, or turn Plan off.
Without a login the agents card shows not logged in and Log in, and the agent menu shows Copilot · log in.

Options and settings

Setting	Default	What it changes
`COPILOT_BIN` (environment variable on the workstation)	unset	The path to the `copilot` binary. It wins over every other place VCode looks.
`COPILOT_HOME` (environment variable on the workstation)	`~/.copilot`	Where Copilot keeps its sessions and login. VCode reads sessions and todos there.
Update every hour, `agentUpdate.copilot`	off	Runs `copilot update` once an hour when no Copilot tab works. See update-agents-automatically.

Limits and known gaps

A model change restarts the process. Copilot takes its model and effort when it starts, so a change starts it again on the same session.
A model your plan lacks is replaced. Copilot runs another model in its place without saying so, and the reply rows still name the model you picked.
Plan asks first. In Plan Copilot asks before every command, so it asks to make its session folder before it writes the plan file. Tap Allow.
No fork, no side questions, no /mcp, no rewind. These are not offered on a Copilot tab yet.
No usage meter. Copilot reports no account quota here, so the usage meters have no Copilot row. The context meter still works.
Copilot cannot ask you a question. It has no question tool in this mode, so it asks in its reply instead.
Instructions ride in the first message. VCode's instructions go to Copilot inside a <vcode-system> block at the top of the first message of a new session. See what-the-agent-is-told.
Adoption imports the last 200 items of the session at most. The agent still has the whole session.
Binary lookup. On Linux and macOS VCode uses COPILOT_BIN if it is set, then copilot on PATH, then ~/.local/bin/copilot, then the newest ~/.nvm node folder that has one. If none exists the tab fails with copilot is not installed (looked on PATH, in <folder> and in ~/.nvm). On Windows it uses COPILOT_BIN, then the WinGet link in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\WinGet\Links, then copilot on Path. If none exists the tab fails with copilot is not installed (looked in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\WinGet\Links and on Path).

the-three-agents: the agents and what each one can do
permission-levels: the levels and Plan
switch-the-model: the model and effort menu
resume-a-session-from-disk: finding and adopting sessions
install-an-agent: installing the CLI from the phone
log-in-to-an-agent: the device-code login
update-agents-automatically: copilot update on a schedule
muse: running a Muse tab