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GitHub Copilot Extensibility Platform Partnership Plugin Acceptable Development and Use Policy

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By using our GitHub Copilot Extensibility Platform (“Platform”), you agree to adhere to this policy and all GitHub terms and policies incorporated by reference. You must also adhere to all technical specifications and requirements published by GitHub. GitHub may update this policy and any requirements at any time, and you should periodically review this Policy and all technical specifications and requirements to ensure compliance with the most recent version.

GitHub may disable access to the Platform for your plugin if it becomes aware that your plugin does not comply with the Copilot Terms of Use, this Acceptable Use Policy, Copilot Pre-release Terms, or GitHub’s technical specifications.

The Platform allows developers to build clients and plugins that extend GitHub Copilot functionality to the plugin and enable specific skills and functions. Plugin developers are responsible for how their users interact with the plugin, and must ensure that its use by developers and their end users complies with GitHub Copilot’s Terms of Use, including GitHub’s Acceptable Use Policy. Failure to abide by applicable policies could result in your removal from the Partnership.

1. Developing Your Plugin

So long as you remain compliant with the Copilot Terms of Use, this Acceptable Use Policy, and Copilot Pre-release Terms, we grant you a limited, worldwide, non-exclusive, non-transferable license during the term of the Technology Program Partnership to access and use the Platform solely for the purpose of developing, demonstrating, testing and supporting interoperability and integrations between your products and services and GitHub Copilot.

GitHub reserves the right at any time to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, your access to the Platform (or any part of it) with or without notice. It’s your sole responsibility to ensure that your use of the Platform is compatible with the then-current Platform. Other than the rights GitHub expressly gives you in the Copilot Terms of Use, this Acceptable Use Policy, and the Copilot Pre-release Terms, GitHub does not grant you any rights or licenses to the Platform, or to any other GitHub products or services.

When creating plugins that use the Platform, you should understand the limitations of GitHub Copilot, and not rely on it for tasks where its use could lead to significant harm if it makes mistakes. In developing your plugin, you must:

A. Implement Responsible AI Practices for AI Tools

  1. You are responsible for independently testing your plugin using various inputs to ensure that any outputs do not contain unsafe, harmful, or offensive content.

  2. GitHub recommends using industry standard approaches for developing AI tools including (i) prompt engineering, (ii) “adversarial testing”, and (iii) using human review of the results to validate that the plugin is not producing undesired behavior or outputs. More information on suggested evaluation practices can be found here.

  3. GitHub recommends you include content moderation filters on your AI tool to block unsafe, harmful, or offensive content. Examples of content moderation filters can be found here.

  4. Users must also be notified when they are interacting with Generative AI content.

B. Report Errors/Bugs/Improper or Undesired Outputs

You must have a mechanism allowing users to report any improper outputs or behavior (including safety, privacy, or security issues) to copilot-partners@github.com.

C. Comply with Privacy laws

Your plugin must comply with all applicable laws and regulations.

  1. You must inform the customer about your privacy policy including how the plugin collects, uses, processes, and stores customer data.

  2. You may not:

    a. Collect, process, disclose, or generate personal data of users without express notice and user consent.

    b. Develop plugins that contain spyware, enable unauthorized communications surveillance, or enable unauthorized monitoring of individuals.

D. Practice Plugin and AI Transparency

You must inform the user about plugin use cases, capabilities, and limitations.

E. Use of User Inputs, Plugin, or Copilot Outputs

You may not use user input, plugin, or Copilot outputs:

  1. Scrape, build databases, or otherwise create copies of any data accessed or obtained using the Platform.

  2. For advertising or marketing purposes including (i) targeting ads, or (ii) serving ads.

2. Data Governance

A. You are only allowed to use data you control in developing your plugin.

B. GitHub will not provide customer data in support of developing your plugin without authorization from the customer.