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GitHub Copilot Chat

Website GitHub License
github.com/features/copilot microsoft/vscode-copilot-chat MIT

GitHub Copilot Chat is an AI-powered chat interface for Visual Studio Code that assists with various coding-related tasks.

The GitHub Copilot Chat extension for Visual Studio Code brings the power of GitHub Copilot directly into the editor, providing a chat-based interface for interacting with the AI assistant. While the extension itself is open-source under the MIT license, the underlying GitHub Copilot service that powers it is a proprietary, subscription-based product. This page focuses on the open-source VS Code extension.

Key Features

  • Deep Integration with GitHub: GitHub Copilot Chat is deeply integrated with the GitHub ecosystem, which allows it to provide context-aware assistance. It can answer questions about specific repositories, commits, and pull requests, and it can even help you to write commit messages and release notes.
  • Code Generation and Explanation: GitHub Copilot Chat can be used to generate code snippets, write entire functions, and even create new applications from scratch. It can also be used to understand existing codebases, providing explanations of complex code in natural language.
  • Debugging and Security Fixes: The tool can help you to identify and fix bugs in your code, and it can also suggest remediations for security vulnerabilities. This makes it a valuable tool for improving the quality and security of your code.
  • Availability in Multiple Environments: GitHub Copilot Chat is available in a variety of environments, including your IDE, the GitHub website, and the GitHub Mobile app. This makes it a convenient and accessible tool that you can use wherever you are.

GitHub Copilot Chat is a powerful and versatile tool for any developer who wants to leverage the power of AI in their daily workflow. Its deep integration with the GitHub ecosystem, its ability to generate and explain code, and its availability in multiple environments make it a valuable addition to any developer's toolkit.

Installation

VS Code

  1. Open VS Code.
  2. Go to the Extensions view (click the Extensions icon in the Activity Bar).
  3. Search for "GitHub Copilot Chat" and click "Install".
  4. You will be prompted to sign in with your GitHub account.

Visual Studio

  1. Ensure you have Visual Studio 2022 version 17.8 or later.
  2. The GitHub Copilot extension is included in the installer.
  3. Sign in to Visual Studio with the GitHub account that has an active Copilot subscription.

JetBrains

  1. In your JetBrains IDE, go to Settings/Preferences > Plugins.
  2. Search for "GitHub Copilot" in the Marketplace and click "Install".
  3. Restart your IDE.
  4. From the Tools menu, select GitHub Copilot > Login to GitHub.

Quickstart

  1. After installing the extension, open the Chat view.
    • VS Code: Click the Chat icon in the Activity Bar or use Ctrl+Alt+I.
    • Visual Studio: Go to View > GitHub Copilot Chat.
    • JetBrains: Click the Copilot icon on the right side of the IDE.
  2. Ask a question in natural language, for example: "what does this file do".
  3. You can also select a block of code and ask a question about it.
  • Website: https://github.com/features/copilot
  • GitHub: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-copilot-chat
  • Documentation: https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/github-copilot-chat/using-github-copilot-chat

Tutorials

CC0 1.0 Universal  ・  Eleanor Berger (AI Expertise) and the OSS AI SWE Community