Copilot SDK

Build applications powered by GitHub Copilot using the Copilot SDK. Use when creating programmatic integrations with Copilot across Node.js/TypeScript, Python, Go, or .NET. Covers session management, custom tools, streaming, hooks, MCP servers, BYOK providers, session persistence, custom agents, skills, and deployment patterns. Requires GitHub Copilot CLI installed and a GitHub Copilot subscription (unless using BYOK).

3,159 stars 358 forksSoftware DevelopmentOfficial

Install

skills CLI (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and more)

npx skills add microsoft/skills --skill copilot-sdk

Manual install

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/skills.git /tmp/skills
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/skills/.github/skills/copilot-sdk ~/.claude/skills/copilot-sdk

Personal skills live in ~/.claude/skills. Use .claude/skills in a project folder to share a skill with your team.

From the SKILL.md

# GitHub Copilot SDK

Build applications that programmatically interact with GitHub Copilot. The SDK wraps the Copilot CLI via JSON-RPC, providing session management, custom tools, hooks, MCP server integration, and streaming across Node.js, Python, Go, and .NET.

## Prerequisites

- **GitHub Copilot CLI** installed and authenticated (`copilot --version`)
- **GitHub Copilot subscription** (Individual, Business, or Enterprise) — not required for BYOK
- **Runtime:** Node.js 18+ / Python 3.8+ / Go 1.21+ / .NET 8.0+

## Installation

| Language | Package | Install |
|----------|---------|---------|
| Node.js | `@github/copilot-sdk` | `npm install @github/copilot-sdk` |
| Python | `github-copilot-sdk` | `pip install github-copilot-sdk` |
| Go | `github.com/github/copilot-sdk/go` | `go get github.com/github/copilot-sdk/go` |
| .NET | `GitHub.Copilot.SDK` | `dotnet add package GitHub.Copilot.SDK` |

## Architecture

The SDK communicates with the Copilot CLI via JSON-RPC over stdio (default) or TCP. The CLI manages model calls, tool execution, session state, and MCP server lifecycle.

```
Your App → SDK Client → [stdio/TCP] → Copilot CLI → Model Provider
                                          ↕
                                     MCP Servers
```

**Transport modes:**

| Mode | Description | Use Case |
|------|-------------|----------|
| **Stdio** (default) | CLI as subprocess via pipes | Local dev, single process |

Read the full skill on GitHub

Details

Skill name: copilot-sdk
Repository: microsoft/skills
Path: .github/skills/copilot-sdk/SKILL.md
License: MIT
Repo updated: 30 October 2026
Listed in: heilcheng/awesome-agent-skills, skillmatic-ai/awesome-agent-skills

FAQ

What does the Copilot SDK skill do?

How do I install the Copilot SDK skill?

skills CLI (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and more): npx skills add microsoft/skills --skill copilot-sdk. Skills go in ~/.claude/skills (personal) or .claude/skills (project), and Claude loads them automatically when a task matches the description.

Is Copilot SDK popular?

It lives in microsoft/skills, which has 3,159 GitHub stars and 358 forks, and is included in 2 curated skill lists.

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