Install & Authenticate Copilot CLI

Get Copilot CLI installed and authenticated in under 5 minutes.

⏱️ Estimated time: 5–10 minutes

In this module you’ll install the Copilot CLI, authenticate with your GitHub account, and verify everything works. This is the foundation for every module that follows - once you’re authenticated, all the advanced features (MCP servers, skills, voice prompting) become available.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following ready:

  • PowerShell v6+ (Windows) or any modern terminal (macOS/Linux)
  • GitHub account with a Copilot subscription (Pro, Pro+, Business, or Enterprise)
  • Node.js 22+ - Download here. Run node --version to check your current version.

Not sure if you have Copilot access? Visit github.com/settings/copilot to check your subscription status. If your organization manages your license, ask your admin to confirm your seat assignment.

To use Copilot CLI under the Microsoft enterprise license, your GitHub account must be linked to your Microsoft identity.

  1. Need a GitHub account? Create one at github.com/signup.
  2. Link your @microsoft.com identity - Follow Microsoft’s internal instructions to associate your GitHub account with your corporate identity. This grants access to Copilot under the enterprise agreement.
  3. Already linked? Skip this step and move on to installation.

If you’re unsure whether your account is linked, check github.com/settings/copilot - you should see your enterprise subscription listed.

Install the CLI

Windows

Before you install, make sure you have these:

  • ✅ Windows Terminal - Download here (modern tabbed terminal, highly recommended)
  • ✅ PowerShell 7 - Not the built-in Windows PowerShell 5.1. Install: winget install Microsoft.PowerShell. Verify: $PSVersionTable.PSVersion should show 7.x+
  • ✅ Git - git-scm.com if not already installed
  • ✅ Node.js 22+ - nodejs.org (LTS version)

Open Windows Terminal (or PowerShell 7) and install using npm (recommended) or winget:

npm install -g @github/copilot

winget install GitHub.Copilot

If you have ignore-scripts=true in your ~/.npmrc, use:

$env:npm_config_ignore_scripts = "false"; npm install -g @github/copilot

macOS/Linux

Open your terminal and install using npm (recommended) or Homebrew:

npm install -g @github/copilot

brew install copilot-cli

If you have ignore-scripts=true in your ~/.npmrc, use:

npm_config_ignore_scripts=false npm install -g @github/copilot

Troubleshooting Installation

Common issues:

  • copilot command not found? Make sure your global npm bin directory is in your PATH. Run npm config get prefix to find it.
  • Permission errors on macOS/Linux? Avoid sudo npm install -g. Instead, fix your npm permissions or use nvm.
  • Behind a corporate proxy? Set HTTP_PROXY and HTTPS_PROXY environment variables before installing.

Authenticate

Run Copilot in your terminal:

copilot

On first launch, the CLI will prompt you to log in with your GitHub account:

  1. Device code flow - The CLI displays a one-time code and opens your browser to github.com/login/device. Enter the code and authorize the app.
  2. Workspace trust - Copilot will ask you to confirm that you trust the current workspace. Approve to allow file access.
  3. Ready to go - You’ll see a welcome message confirming you’re logged in. You can start prompting immediately.

Allow Autonomy (--yolo)

Start Copilot CLI with full permissions using the --yolo flag:

copilot --yolo

This is equivalent to --allow-all-tools --allow-all-paths --allow-all-urls, letting Copilot automatically use tools, access all file paths, and reach any URL without further confirmation. In this workshop we recommend using --yolo so you can focus on learning rather than approving each action.

The --allow-all flag also works as an alias for --yolo.

Security note: Granting --yolo gives Copilot CLI permission to modify any files or run any command it deems necessary. Use --yolo only when you trust the assistant and the workspace content. If you prefer more safety, omit --yolo and Copilot will prompt you for each tool or path access.

Select Your Model

Once inside Copilot CLI, choose the model that powers your interactions:

/model

This shows all available models. We recommend selecting Claude Opus 4.6 for the most capable reasoning and highest-quality output. Other options include Claude Sonnet (faster, lighter) and GPT-5 variants.

Model choice makes a real difference in output quality - especially for complex analysis, writing, and multi-step tasks. Start with Opus and adjust if you need faster responses.

Useful Commands

Copilot CLI saves your conversation history as sessions and has handy slash commands you can use anytime:

Command What it does
/resume Browse and switch between recent sessions
/rename Give the current session a meaningful name
/session View current session info
/compact Summarize conversation to free up context window
/share Export session to markdown or GitHub Gist
/clear Abandon session and start fresh
/model Switch AI model
/skills List installed skills
/mcp Manage MCP server connections
/help Show all available commands

Tips for Getting the Most Out of It

  • Use @ to reference files - Type @ followed by a filename to include its contents in your prompt. Great for feeding data, CSVs, transcripts, or reusable prompts.
  • Ask for file output - End any prompt with “save this as a well-formatted HTML file” and you’ll get a polished document in your working folder. Open it in your browser.
  • Iterate instantly - Don’t like the output? Just say “make this better” or “add a chart” or “make this more executive-ready.” Copilot refines in place.
  • Build a prompt library - Ask Copilot to “create a reusable prompt file that does [X] and save it as a markdown file.” Then reference it anytime with @filename.md.

🎯 Try it yourself: Start Copilot CLI and ask it to list all files in your current directory. Then ask it to explain what one of those files does. This confirms that both authentication and tool access are working correctly.

Next: Connect MCP Servers →