GitHub Copilot CLI
Terminal-native agentic coding assistant with deep GitHub integration, included with Copilot.
About
Copilot CLI brings GitHub Copilot to the command line as a full agentic development environment rather than a chat box. It plans multi-step tasks, edits files, runs tests, and iterates, with Plan mode for review-before-execution and Autopilot mode for trusted end-to-end runs. Specialized subagents (Explore, Task, Code Review, Plan) can be delegated automatically and run in parallel via Fleet.
The differentiator is native GitHub context: reference issues and pull requests by number, authenticate with just a GitHub account, and stay inside org access policies on Business and Enterprise plans. Every file change and command execution asks for approval by default, MCP extensions are supported, and you can switch between Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI models mid-session. It reached general availability in February 2026 for all Copilot subscribers at no extra cost, replacing the older gh-copilot extension.
Closed-source and tied to a Copilot subscription. The autonomy modes are genuinely useful, but teams should set approval policies deliberately rather than defaulting everything to autopilot.
What it can do
- Agentic terminal coding: plan, edit, test, and iterate without leaving the shell
- Plan mode and Autopilot mode for approval-gated or fully autonomous runs
- Native GitHub integration: issues and PRs referenced by number
- Built-in specialized subagents with parallel Fleet execution
- MCP extension support; model switching between Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI
Setup
Install with npm install -g @github/copilot (Node 22+), brew install copilot-cli, or WinGet; run copilot in a project directory, then /login to authenticate with GitHub.
Prerequisites
A GitHub Copilot subscription (all plans include the CLI); Node.js 22+ for the npm install path.
Use cases
Works with
Trust score — 8/10
Scored 8/10 (metrics tier, metrics-v1). Evidence: GA announced on the official GitHub changelog (Feb 2026); setup and modes verified against official GitHub docs; Closed-source, subscription-tied; plan/autopilot behaviors and model routing are provider-stated. Manual review: replaces the deprecated gh-copilot extension; approval-gated by default which is the right safety posture, but autopilot mode needs deliberate org policy. License: Proprietary (closed-source).
How the trust score is built
Full methodology →- Adoption · stars/downloads, log-scaled vs peers
- 9.0/10
- Maintenance · recency, releases, issue load
- 8.0/10
- Openness · license + docs
- 3.0/10
- Manual review · sanity read + red-flag check
- 8.0/10
- · GA announced on the official GitHub changelog (Feb 2026); setup and modes verified against official GitHub docs
- · Closed-source, subscription-tied; plan/autopilot behaviors and model routing are provider-stated
- · manual review: replaces the deprecated gh-copilot extension; approval-gated by default which is the right safety posture, but autopilot mode needs deliberate org policy
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these sources. Where a claim comes from the provider and couldn't be independently verified, the text says so.