# GitHub Copilot SDK GitHub Copilot SDK is [[GitHub]]'s multi-language SDK for embedding the [[GitHub Copilot]] agent runtime into any application or service. It exposes the same execution loop that powers [[GitHub Copilot CLI]] — planning, tool calls, file edits, command execution — as a programmable library. **Status as of 2026-08-20: out of preview.** Technical preview launched 2026-01-22, public preview followed on 2026-04-02, and the project has since shipped stable **v1.0.11** (2026-08-14) — the first non-prerelease of the 1.0 line, after a run of `-preview.N` tags. The README no longer carries preview language. Licensed [[MIT License|MIT]]. The pitch: instead of building your own agent loop on top of raw model APIs, use the same production-tested runtime [[GitHub]] uses internally. **Update (28 October 2026): it becomes the Microsoft Copilot SDK.** GitHub moves the SDK to Microsoft, as the programmable interface of an agent runtime shared by Microsoft and GitHub products. The move happens in phases, package names and namespaces keep the GitHub name for now, and existing users don't have to change anything. GitHub gave no date and no new package names. ## Language Support Six languages, each a first-party SDK in the same repo: - [[TypeScript]] / Node.js — `@github/copilot-sdk` - [[Python]] — `github-copilot-sdk` - Go — `github.com/github/copilot-sdk/go` - .NET (C#) — `GitHub.Copilot.SDK` - Java — `com.github:copilot-sdk-java` - [[Rust]] — `github-copilot-sdk` For Node.js, Python and .NET the Copilot CLI is bundled automatically; Go, Java and Rust need the CLI installed separately or on `PATH` (Go and Rust also expose application-level CLI bundling). ## Core Capabilities - **Production agent runtime** — plan, invoke tools, edit files, run commands as a programmable layer - **Multi-model routing** — same model selection as Copilot CLI ([[Anthropic]], [[OpenAI]], Google models) - **[[Model Context Protocol (MCP)]] integration** — connect to MCP servers for custom tools - **Real-time streaming** — token-by-token and tool-call streaming - **Fine-grained system prompt customization** - **Blob attachments** — images and binary data as agent inputs - **OpenTelemetry support** — observability for production deployments - **Permission framework** — gate sensitive operations with custom approval logic - **[[Bring Your Own Key (BYOK)]]** — supply your own model API keys instead of going through Copilot billing ## Architecture Every SDK is a thin JSON-RPC client that spawns the Copilot CLI in server mode and manages its process lifecycle: ``` Your Application → SDK Client → (JSON-RPC) → Copilot CLI (server mode) ``` You can also attach to an externally managed CLI server rather than letting the SDK spawn one. Structurally this makes it a sibling of the [[Claude Code SDK]] — a subprocess-driving client, not an in-process agent loop — which matters if you are choosing a session backend: the real dependency is the CLI binary and its auth, not just a library. ## Integrations - **Microsoft Agent Framework** — first-party integration with .NET and Python flavors; supports function tools, streaming, multi-turn conversations, permissions, and MCP servers ## Positioning Where [[GitHub Copilot CLI]] is the end-user terminal product, the SDK is the underlying engine repackaged for embedding. It competes with: - [[Claude Code SDK]] / [[Claude Managed Agents]] (Anthropic) - [[OpenAI]] Agents SDK - [[Vercel AI SDK]] - Microsoft Agent Framework (which itself integrates this SDK as one provider) The differentiation is the same as Copilot's broader play: enterprise distribution, GitHub-native tools, multi-provider model routing under one billing relationship. ## Use Cases - Embedding an autonomous coding agent into custom IDEs, web apps, or internal developer tooling - Background automation that needs Copilot's planning + tool-use loop without a human in front of a terminal - Multi-agent systems where Copilot is one specialist among others (via Microsoft Agent Framework or similar orchestrators) ## References - GitHub: https://github.com/github/copilot-sdk - Rename to Microsoft Copilot SDK (2026-10-28): https://github.blog/changelog/2026-10-28-github-copilot-sdk-is-becoming-microsoft-copilot-sdk - Public preview announcement: https://github.blog/changelog/2026-04-02-copilot-sdk-in-public-preview/ - Releases (v1.0.11 stable, 2026-08-14): https://github.com/github/copilot-sdk/releases - GitHub blog launch: https://github.blog/news-insights/company-news/build-an-agent-into-any-app-with-the-github-copilot-sdk/ - Microsoft Agent Framework integration: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/semantic-kernel/build-ai-agents-with-github-copilot-sdk-and-microsoft-agent-framework/ - Microsoft Learn: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/agent-framework/agents/providers/github-copilot ## Related - [[GitHub Copilot]] - [[GitHub Copilot CLI]] - [[GitHub]] - [[AI Agents]] - [[AI Agent Harness]] - [[AI SDKs]] - [[Claude Code SDK]] - [[Vercel AI SDK]] - [[Model Context Protocol (MCP)]] - [[Bring Your Own Key (BYOK)]] - [[Claude Code]] - [[Kimi CLI]] - [[Rust]] - [[MIT License]]