Get started with GitHub Copilot SDK

Source: Dev.to

Did you know GitHub Copilot now has an SDK and that you can leverage your existing license to build AI integrations into your app? I hope I have your attention now.

Install

You need two pieces here to get started:

• GitHub Copilot CLI
• A supported runtime (Node.js, .NET, Python, or Go)

Then install the SDK for your chosen runtime:

pip install github-copilot-sdk

The parts

There are three core concepts:

• Client – create an instance, start it, and stop it when done.
• Session – configure options such as model and system prompt; used to make requests.
• Response – contains the LLM’s reply.

Example program

import asyncio
from copilot import CopilotClient

async def main():
    client = CopilotClient()
    await client.start()

    session = await client.create_session({"model": "gpt-4.1"})
    response = await session.send_and_wait({"prompt": "What is 2 + 2?"})

    print(response.data.content)

    await client.stop()

asyncio.run(main())

Your first app

An FAQ for a web page can be more engaging if users can chat with it. We’ll build a simple FAQ responder.

1️⃣ FAQ information

# faq.py

faq = {
    "warranty": "Our products come with a 1-year warranty covering manufacturing defects. Please contact our support team for assistance.",
    "return_policy": "We offer a 30-day return policy for unused products in their original packaging. To initiate a return, please visit our returns page and follow the instructions.",
    "shipping": "We offer free standard shipping on all orders over $50. Expedited shipping options are available at checkout for an additional fee.",
}

2️⃣ Adding the LLM call

import asyncio
from copilot import CopilotClient

def faq_to_string(faq: dict) -> str:
    return "\n".join([f"{key}: {value}" for key, value in faq.items()])

async def main(user_prompt: str = "Tell me about shipping"):
    client = CopilotClient()
    await client.start()

    prompt = f"Here's the FAQ, {faq_to_string(faq)}\n\nUser question: {user_prompt}\nAnswer:"

    session = await client.create_session({"model": "gpt-4.1"})
    response = await session.send_and_wait({"prompt": prompt})

    print(response.data.content)

    await client.stop()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    print("My first app using the GitHub Copilot SDK!")
    print("[LOG] Asking the model about shipping information...")
    asyncio.run(main("Tell me about shipping"))

Note: The prompt concatenates the FAQ data with the user’s question:

prompt = f"Here's the FAQ, {faq_to_string(faq)}\n\nUser question: {user_prompt}\nAnswer:"

3️⃣ Run the app

uv run faq.py

Expected output:

My first app using the GitHub Copilot SDK!
[LOG] Asking the model about shipping information...
We offer free standard shipping on all orders over $50. Expedited shipping options are available at checkout for an additional fee.

What’s next

Check out the official docs for more details.