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Asking GitHub Copilot questions in GitHub.com

You can use GitHub Copilot Chat in GitHub.com to answer general questions about software development, or specific questions about the issues or code in a repository.

Who can use this feature?

GitHub Copilot Chat in GitHub.com is available to all users with a Copilot Individual subscription, as well as those assigned a seat in Copilot Business or Copilot Enterprise.

Note

GitHub Copilot Chat is currently in beta for users with a Copilot Individual or Copilot Business subscription.

Overview

GitHub Copilot Chat in GitHub.com is a chat interface that lets you ask and receive answers to coding-related questions on the GitHub website.

Copilot Chat can help you with a variety of coding-related tasks, like offering you code suggestions, providing natural language descriptions of a piece of code's functionality and purpose, generating unit tests for your code, and proposing fixes for bugs in your code. For more information, see "Responsible use of GitHub Copilot Chat in GitHub.com."

On GitHub, you can use Copilot Chat to ask:

Limitations

  • Chat responses may be suboptimal if you ask questions about a specific repository that you've selected as a context, and the repository has not been indexed for semantic code search. Anyone with a subscription to GitHub Copilot who has write access to a repository can index that repository. For more information, see "Indexing repositories for Copilot Chat."
  • The quality of the results from Copilot Chat may, in some situations, be degraded if very large files, or a large number of files, are used as a context for a question.

Prerequisites

To use GitHub Copilot Chat in GitHub.com, you must have an active GitHub Copilot Individual subscription.

Alternatively, members assigned a seat in a GitHub Copilot Business subscription can use GitHub Copilot Chat in GitHub.com. For more information, see "Setting up GitHub Copilot for your organization".

Powered by skills

Copilot is powered by a collection of skills that are dynamically selected based on the question you ask. You can tell which skill Copilot used by clicking to expand the status information in the chat window.

Screenshot of the Copilot chat panel with the status information expanded and the skill that was used highlighted with an orange outline.

You can explicitly ask GitHub Copilot Chat in GitHub.com to use a particular skill - for example, Use the Bing skill to find the latest GPT4 model from OpenAI.

Currently available skills

You can generate a list of currently available skills by asking Copilot: What skills are available?

The skills you can use in Copilot Chat in GitHub.com include those shown in the table below.

SkillDescriptionEnabled by default?Example question
Bing web search (in beta and subject to change)Searches the web using the Bing search engine. This skill is useful for teaching Copilot about recent events, new developments, trends, technologies, or extremely specific, detailed, or niche subjects. Available for Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise.No (requires admin approval - see "Managing policies and features for Copilot in your enterprise")What are some recent articles about SAT tokens securing against vulnerabilities in Node?
Code searchNatural language code search in the default branch of the Git repository. This skill is useful when you want to know where or how certain functionality has been implemented in the code. Note: this requires indexing to be enabled for the repository (see "Indexing repositories for Copilot Chat").YesWhere is the logic that controls the user session management, and how does it work?
Commit detailsRetrieves a list of commits, or the contents of a specific commit, to provide answers to commit-related questions.YesExplain the changes in the code of this commit
Discussion detailsRetrieves a specific GitHub discussion. This is useful for quickly getting the gist of the conversation in a discussion.YesSummarize this discussion
Issue detailsRetrieves a specific GitHub issue, including the issue's title, number, author, status, body, linked pull requests, comments, and timestamps.YesSummarize the conversation on this issue and suggest next steps
File detailsRetrieves a specific file in the default branch of the Git repository, allowing you to ask questions about the file and the recent changes made to it. This skill is useful when you provide the exact path of a file in the repository.YesWhat logic does user_auth.js encapsulate?

What is the file history of user_auth.js?
Pull request detailsRetrieves a specific pull request. This allows you to ask questions about the pull request, including getting a summary of the pull request, its comments, or the code it changes.YesSummarize this PR for me

Summarize the changes in this PR
GitHub Advanced SecurityRetrieves information about security alerts within your organization from GitHub Advanced Security features (code scanning, secret scanning, and Dependabot alerts).YesHow would I fix this code scanning alert?
Release detailsRetrieves the latest, or specified, release. This allows you to find out who created a release, when it happened, and information included in the release notes.YesWhen was the latest release?
Repository detailsRetrieves a specific GitHub repository. This is useful for finding out details such as the repository owner and the main language used.YesTell me about this repo
Symbol definitionRetrieves the lines of code that define a specific code symbol (function, class, or struct) in the default branch of the Git repository. This skill is useful when you have the exact name of a symbol, and want to understand it.YesWrite unit tests for the AuthUser method
Support searchRetrieves information from the GitHub Support portal. This skill is useful for asking Copilot Chat about GitHub products and support related questions.YesCan I use Copilot knowledge bases with Copilot Individual?

AI models for Copilot Chat

Note

The ability to change the AI model used by Copilot Chat is in beta and subject to change. To request access, join the waitlist.

For those enrolled in the model selection beta for Copilot Chat, the following models are currently available:

  • gpt-4o: This is the default Copilot Chat model. It is a versatile, multimodal model that excels in both text and image processing and is designed to provide fast, reliable responses. It also has superior performance in non-English languages.
  • o1-preview: This model is focused on advanced reasoning and solving complex problems, in particular in math and science. It responds more slowly than the gpt-4o model. You can make 10 requests to this model per day.
  • o1-mini: This is the faster version of the o1-preview model, balancing the use of complex reasoning with the need for faster responses. It is best suited for code generation and small context operations. You can make 50 requests to this model per day.

For more information on these models, see Models in the OpenAI Platform documentation.

Changing your AI model

Note

  • The o1-preview and o1-mini models do not have access to skills in GitHub Copilot Chat in GitHub.com. If you want to use skills on GitHub, you must use the gpt-4o model.
  • If you use Copilot Extensions, they may override the model you select.
  • Experimental pre-release versions of the models may not interact with all filters correctly, including the duplication detection filter.
  1. If you access Copilot Chat through a GitHub Copilot Business subscription, your organization must enable preview features for Copilot. See "Managing policies for Copilot in your organization."

  2. In the bottom right of any page on GitHub, click .

  3. If the panel contains a previous conversation you had with Copilot, in the top right of the panel, click .

    Screenshot of the new conversation button, highlighted with a dark orange outline.

  4. In the top right of the panel, select the dropdown menu, then click Take conversation to immersive. Model selection for Copilot Chat is currently only available in the immersive view.

  5. In the top left of the immersive view, select the CURRENT-MODEL dropdown menu, then click the AI model of your choice.

Asking a general question about software development

You can ask a general question about software development that is not focused on a particular context, such as a repository.

Depending on the question you ask, and your enterprise and organization settings, Copilot may respond using information based on the results of a Bing search. By using Bing search, Copilot can answer a broad range of tech-related questions with up-to-date details based on information currently available on the internet. For information on how to enable or disable Bing search integration, see "Managing policies and features for Copilot in your enterprise."

Note

Bing search integration into Copilot Chat in GitHub.com is currently in beta and is subject to change.

  1. On any page on GitHub, click the GitHub Copilot icon at the bottom right of the page.

    The GitHub Copilot Chat panel is displayed. To resize the panel, click and drag the top or left edge.

  2. If the panel contains a previous conversation you had with Copilot, click the "New conversation" icon (a plus sign) at the top right of the panel.

    Screenshot of the new conversation button, highlighted with a dark orange outline.

  3. If the panel is headed "Chatting about OWNER/REPOSITORY," click All repositories.

    Screenshot of the Copilot chat panel page with "All repositories" highlighted with a dark orange outline.

  4. If the "Ask Copilot" page is displayed in the panel, click General purpose chat.

    Screenshot of the Copilot chat panel with "General purpose chat" highlighted with a dark orange outline.

  5. At the bottom of the panel, in the "Ask Copilot" box, type a question and press Enter.

    Some examples of general questions you could ask are:

    • What are the advantages of the Go programming language?
    • What is Agile software development?
    • What is the most popular JavaScript framework?
    • Give me some examples of regular expressions.
    • Write a bash script to output today's date.
  6. Optionally, click in the text box to stop Copilot from continuing its response.

  7. If Copilot uses a Bing search to answer your question, "Results from Bing" is displayed above the response. Click this to see the search results that Copilot used to answer your question.

  8. Within a conversation thread, you can ask follow-up questions. Copilot will answer within the context of the conversation. For example, you could type "tell me more" to get Copilot to expand on its last comment.

    You can use your initial question as a foundation for follow-up questions. A detailed foundational prompt can help Copilot provide more relevant answers to your follow-up questions. For more information, see "Prompting GitHub Copilot Chat to become your personal AI assistant for accessibility" on the GitHub Blog.

  9. To jump back into a previous conversation you had with Copilot, click the "View conversations" icon (a clock face surrounded by a circular arrow) at the top right of the panel.

    Screenshot of the "Conversation history" icon, highlighted with a dark orange outline.

Asking exploratory questions about a repository

Copilot allows you to use natural language questions to explore repositories on GitHub. This can help you get a better understanding of where specific aspects of a codebase are implemented.

  1. On the GitHub website, go to the repository you want to chat about.

  2. Click the GitHub Copilot icon at the bottom right of the page.

    The GitHub Copilot Chat panel is displayed. To resize the panel, click and drag the top or left edge.

  3. The heading at the top of the panel should read "Chatting about" followed by the name of the current repository.

    If the wrong repository name is displayed, because you were previously chatting about another repository, click All repositories then choose the repository you want to chat about.

    Screenshot of the Copilot chat panel page with "All repositories" highlighted with a dark orange outline.

  4. In the "Ask Copilot" box, at the bottom of the chat panel, type a question and press Enter.

    For example, you could ask:

    • When was the most recent release?
    • Where is rate limiting implemented in our API?
    • How does the WidgetFactory class work?
    • Where is the code for updating a phone number?
    • Where are SAT tokens generated?
    • Show the most recently updated issues assigned to USERNAME
    • List open issues about SUBJECT
    • What was the last merged PR by USERNAME
    • What are the latest commits to the main branch by USERNAME

    Copilot replies in the chat panel.

    Note

    Copilot's ability to answer natural language questions like these in a repository context is improved when the repository has been indexed for semantic code search. The indexing status of the repository is displayed when you start a conversation that has a repository context. For more information, see "Indexing repositories for Copilot Chat."

  5. Optionally, click in the text box to stop Copilot from continuing its response.

  6. To jump back into a previous conversation you had with Copilot, click the "View conversations" icon (a clock face surrounded by a circular arrow) at the top right of the panel.

    Screenshot of the "Conversation history" icon, highlighted with a dark orange outline.

Asking a question about a specific file or symbol

You can ask Copilot about a specific file or symbol within a repository.

Note

A "symbol" is a named entity in code. This could be a variable, function, class, module, or any other identifier that's part of a codebase.

  1. On any page on GitHub, click the GitHub Copilot icon at the bottom right of the page.

    The GitHub Copilot Chat panel is displayed. To resize the panel, click and drag the top or left edge.

  2. If the panel contains a previous conversation you had with Copilot, click the "New conversation" icon (a plus sign) at the top right of the panel.

    Screenshot of the new conversation button, highlighted with a dark orange outline.

  3. If the "Ask Copilot" page is not displayed in the panel, click All repositories.

    Screenshot of the Copilot chat panel page with "All repositories" highlighted with a dark orange outline.

  4. On the "Ask Copilot" page, select a repository to provide a context for your question.

    For example, you could choose a repository whose code you want to understand better.

    You can search for a repository if you don't see one you want to use.

  5. Click the "Attach files or symbols" button (a paperclip icon) at the bottom of the chat panel, then search for and select one or more files and symbols.

    Screenshot of the "Attach files or symbols" button, highlighted with a dark orange outline.

  6. In the "Ask Copilot" box, type a question and press Enter.

    Copilot replies in the chat panel.

    Note

    Copilot's ability to answer natural language questions in the context of a repository is improved when the repository has been indexed for semantic code search. The indexing status of the repository is displayed when you start a conversation that has a repository context. For more information, see "Indexing repositories for Copilot Chat."

  7. Optionally, click in the text box to stop Copilot from continuing its response.

  8. To jump back into a previous conversation you had with Copilot, click the "View conversations" icon (a clock face surrounded by a circular arrow) at the top right of the panel.

    Screenshot of the "Conversation history" icon, highlighted with a dark orange outline.

Asking questions about specific pieces of code

You can chat with Copilot about a file in your repository, or about specific lines of code within a file.

  1. On GitHub, navigate to a repository and open a file.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • To ask a question about the entire file, click the Copilot icon () at the top right of the file view.

      Screenshot of the Copilot button, highlighted with a dark orange outline, at the top of the file view.

    • To ask a question about specific lines within the file:

      1. Select the lines by clicking the line number for the first line you want to select, holding down Shift and clicking the line number for the last line you want to select.
      2. To ask your own question about the selected lines, click the Copilot icon () to the right of your selection. This displays the GitHub Copilot Chat panel with the selected lines indicated as the context of your question.
      3. To ask a predefined question, click the downward-pointing button beside the Copilot icon, then choose one of the options.

      Screenshot of the Copilot buttons, highlighted with a dark orange outline, to the right of some selected code.

  3. If you clicked the Copilot icon, type a question in the "Ask Copilot" box at the bottom of the chat panel and press Enter.

    For example, if you are asking about the entire file, you could enter:

    • Explain this file.
    • How could I improve this code?
    • How can I test this script?

    If you are asking about specific lines, you could enter:

    • Explain the function at the selected lines.
    • How could I improve this class?
    • Add error handling to this code.
    • Write a unit test for this method.

    Copilot responds to your request in the panel.

    Screenshot of a response to the question "What does the function at the selected lines do?"

  4. Optionally, click in the text box to stop Copilot from continuing its response.

  5. You can continue the conversation by asking a follow-up question. For example, you could type "tell me more" to get Copilot to expand on its last comment.

  6. To clear, delete, or rename the current conversation thread, or to start a new thread, type / in the "Ask Copilot" box, select from the options that are displayed, then press Enter.

  7. To view a conversation in immersive mode, displaying just the conversation thread, click the dashed box icon at the top right of the conversation thread.

    Screenshot of the immersive mode button at the top right of the Copilot panel. The button is highlighted with a dark orange outline.

Asking questions about GitHub Advanced Security alerts

Copilot allows you to use natural language questions to ask about security alerts in repositories in your organization when these alerts are generated by GitHub Advanced Security features (code scanning, secret scanning, and Dependabot alerts).

  1. On any page on GitHub, click the GitHub Copilot icon at the bottom right of the page.

    The GitHub Copilot Chat panel is displayed. To resize the panel, click and drag the top or left edge.

  2. If the panel contains a previous conversation you had with Copilot, click the "New conversation" icon (a plus sign) at the top right of the panel.

    Screenshot of the new conversation button, highlighted with a dark orange outline.

  3. If the "Ask Copilot" page is not displayed in the panel, click All repositories.

    Screenshot of the Copilot chat panel page with "All repositories" highlighted with a dark orange outline.

  4. On the "Ask Copilot" page, select a repository to provide a context for your question.

    For example, you could choose a repository with security alerts you want to understand better.

    You can search for a repository if you don't see one you want to use.

  5. In the "Ask Copilot" box, type a question and press Enter.

    For example, you could ask:

    • How would I fix this alert?
    • How many alerts do I have on this pull request?
    • Which line of code is this code scanning alert referencing?
    • What library is affected by this Dependabot alert?

    Copilot replies in the chat panel.

  6. Optionally, click in the text box to stop Copilot from continuing its response.

  7. To jump back into a previous conversation you had with Copilot, click the "View conversations" icon (a clock face surrounded by a circular arrow) at the top right of the panel.

    Screenshot of the "Conversation history" icon, highlighted with a dark orange outline.

Asking questions about a specific pull request

You can ask Copilot to summarize a pull request, or explain what has changed within specific files or lines of code in a pull request.

Get a summary of a pull request

  1. On GitHub, navigate to a pull request in a repository.

  2. At the bottom right of the page, click the GitHub Copilot icon.

    The GitHub Copilot Chat panel is displayed. To resize the panel, click and drag the top or left edge.

  3. If the panel contains a previous conversation you had with Copilot, click the plus sign icon at the top right of the Copilot panel to start a new conversation.

  4. At the bottom of the Copilot Chat panel, in the "Ask Copilot" box, type a question and press Enter.

    For example, you could ask:

    • Summarize this PR for me.
    • Summarize the comments in this PR.
    • Summarize the changes in this PR.
  5. Optionally, click in the text box to stop Copilot from continuing its response.

Ask about changes to a specific file in a pull request

  1. On GitHub, navigate to a pull request in a repository.

  2. Click the Files changed tab.

  3. Click at the top right of the file, then click Ask Copilot about this diff.

  4. Type a question in the "Ask Copilot" box at the bottom of the chat panel and press Enter.

    For example, you could ask:

    • What's the purpose of this file?
    • Why has this module been included?
  5. Optionally, click in the text box to stop Copilot from continuing its response.

Ask about specific lines within a file in a pull request

  1. On GitHub, navigate to a pull request in a repository.

  2. Click the Files changed tab.

  3. Click the line number for the first line you want to select, then hold down Shift and click the line number for the last line you want to select.

  4. Ask Copilot a question, or choose from a list of predefined questions.

    • To ask your own question about the selected lines, to the right of your selection, click the Copilot icon. This displays the GitHub Copilot Chat panel with the selected lines indicated as the context of your question.

      For example, you could ask:

      • What is `actorData` in this line?
      • Explain this `do..end` block.
    • To ask a predefined question, to the right of your selection, beside the Copilot icon, click , then click Explain.

  5. Optionally, click in the text box to stop Copilot from continuing its response.

Ask why a workflow has failed

Note

This feature is currently in beta and subject to change.

  1. On GitHub, navigate to a pull request in a repository.

  2. Scroll to the bottom of the page, then, next to one of the failing checks, click Details.

  3. At the bottom right of the page, click the GitHub Copilot icon.

    The GitHub Copilot Chat panel is displayed. To resize the panel, click and drag the top or left edge.

  4. If the panel contains a previous conversation you had with Copilot, click the plus sign icon at the top right of the Copilot panel to start a new conversation.

  5. At the bottom of the Copilot Chat panel, in the "Ask Copilot" box, ask Copilot why the pull request has failed and press Enter.

    For example, you could ask:

    • Tell me why this job failed
    • Suggest a fix for this error

Copilot will respond with information about why the pull request failed. Copilot may also provide suggestions for how to fix the issue.

  1. If Copilot has provided steps to fix the issue, you can follow the steps to resolve the problem.
  2. Optionally, click in the text box to stop Copilot from continuing its response.

Asking a question about a specific issue or discussion

You can ask Copilot to summarize or answer questions about a specific issue or discussion.

Note

The quality of Copilot Chat's responses may be degraded when working with issues or discussions that have very long bodies or a large number of comments. For example, this may occur if you ask Copilot to summarize a long-running discussion. Where this happens, Copilot will warn you so you can double check its output.

  1. Navigate to an issue or discussion on GitHub.

  2. At the bottom right of the page, click the GitHub Copilot icon.

    The GitHub Copilot Chat panel is displayed. To resize the panel, click and drag the top or left edge.

  3. If the panel contains a previous conversation you had with Copilot, click the plus sign icon at the top right of the Copilot panel to start a new conversation.

  4. At the bottom of the Copilot chat panel, in the "Ask Copilot" box, type a question and press Enter. For example, you could enter:

    • Explain this issue

    • Summarize this discussion

    • Recommend next steps for this issue

    • What are the acceptance criteria for this issue?

    • What are the main points made by PERSON in this discussion?

    Tip

    Instead of navigating to an issue or discussion in your browser to ask a question, you can include the relevant URL in your message. For example, Summarize https://github.com/monalisa/octokit/issues/1.

    Copilot responds to your request in the panel.

  5. Optionally, click in the text box to stop Copilot from continuing its response.

Asking a question about a specific commit

You can ask Copilot to explain the changes in a commit.

  1. Navigate to a commit on GitHub.

  2. At the bottom right of the page, click the GitHub Copilot icon.

    The GitHub Copilot Chat panel is displayed. To resize the panel, click and drag the top or left edge.

  3. If the panel contains a previous conversation you had with Copilot, click the plus sign icon at the top right of the Copilot panel to start a new conversation.

  4. At the bottom of the Copilot chat panel, in the "Ask Copilot" box, type a question and press Enter. For example, you could enter:

    • Summarize the changes in this commit

    • Who committed these changes?

    • When was this commit made?

    Tip

    If you know the SHA for a commit, instead of navigating to the commit, you can ask Copilot about the commit from any page in the repository on GitHub by including the SHA in your message. For example, What changed in commit a778e0eab?

  5. Optionally, click in the text box to stop Copilot from continuing its response.

You can ask Copilot a question about an entire repository by typing your question in the main search box of the repository.

  1. Navigate to a repository on GitHub.

  2. Press /, or click in the main search box at the top of the page.

  3. In the search box, after repo:OWNER/REPO, type the question you want to ask Copilot.

    For example, you could enter:

    • What does this repo do?
    • Where is authentication implemented in this codebase?
    • How does license file detection work in this repo?
  4. Click Ask Copilot.

    Screenshot of the main search box on GitHub. The drop-down option "Ask Copilot" is highlighted with an orange outline.

    The GitHub Copilot Chat panel is displayed and Copilot responds to your request.

  5. Optionally, click in the text box to stop Copilot from continuing its response.

Extending Copilot Chat in GitHub.com

Note

GitHub Copilot Extensions is in beta and subject to change.

GitHub Copilot Extensions integrate the power of external tools into Copilot Chat, helping you reduce context switching and receive responses with domain-specific context. You can install GitHub Copilot Extensions from the GitHub Marketplace, then type @ in a chat window to see a list of your available extensions. To use an extension, select the extension from the list or type the full slug name, then type your prompt.

To learn more, see "Using extensions to integrate external tools with Copilot Chat."

Sharing feedback about GitHub Copilot Chat in GitHub.com

Note

The ability to provide feedback to GitHub about Copilot pull request summaries is dependent on enterprise settings. For more information, see "Managing policies and features for Copilot in your enterprise."

To give feedback about a particular Copilot Chat response, click either the thumbs up or thumbs down icon at the bottom of each chat response.

To give feedback about Copilot Chat in general, click the ellipsis (...) at the top right of the chat panel, then click Give feedback.

Further reading