# 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. ## 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 - 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]]