GitHub Copilot FAQs + Troubleshooting common issues ⚙️

[Akash1134]

FAQs + Troubleshooting common issues with GitHub Copilot 🧑‍✈️

This guide describes the most common issues with GitHub Copilot and how to resolve them. We've also shared some important details about the latest developments in the world of Copilot 🤖

We love all the questions you ask in the community and wanted to answer some of the frequently asked questions related to GitHub Copilot. We know your time is valuable so before jumping into the FAQs, there are two a few easy checks that you should tick off.

Tip

1️⃣ For questions about the general use of GitHub Copilot, product impact, human, oversight, and privacy, see the comprehensive list of GitHub Copilot FAQs.
2️⃣ If GitHub Copilot stops working, check GitHub's Status page for any active incidents.

⚡ Quick Updates

• GitHub Copilot Workspace - a key milestone in our vision to redefine developer landscape, is now in public beta. Sign up now!
• Copilot Enterprise is generally available and is customized to your organization’s knowledge and codebase.
• GitHub Copilot Chat is now generally available in JetBrains IDE. Please share your feedback or ideas on how to improve the product in this discussion.
• GitHub Copilot Chat in GitHub Mobile is now generally available 🎉
• Copilot content exclusions feature is Live! (re-deployed). Learn more
• Copilot in CLI is now generally available. Find out more in this post.

Important

Please create a new discussion in the Copilot category if you have any questions or feedback regarding GitHub Copilot. You'll have much better chances of getting a response from the community including staff members. Thanks!

👀 GitHub Copilot Chat now generally available 🤖

GitHub Copilot Chat is generally available for organizations and individuals. This offering is also available at no cost to verified teachers, students, and maintainers of popular open source projects. For more details, see this announcement. Key Universe 2023 updates to Copilot Chat:

• Copilot Chat has been made generally available to JetBrains IDE, please refer this discussion for steps to get started and sharing your feedback about the new experience.
• Copilot Chat is now powered by GPT-4, bringing more accurate code suggestions and explanations with OpenAI’s GPT-4 model.
• Are you interested to explore Copilot Workspace where you can simplify the process of making repo-wide edits, using verifiable AI-generated plans and code? Find our more!

⚙️ Troubleshoot common issues with Copilot Chat

---

Unable to use the GitHub Copilot extension in the IDE ❓

We recommend you follow the quickstart guide for GitHub Copilot while setting up GitHub Copilot on your machine. For more information, see "Quickstart for GitHub Copilot."

The GitHub Copilot extension is frequently updated to fix bugs and add new features. It's important to keep your extension up to date because older clients cannot communicate with the GitHub Copilot servers. Update your GitHub Copilot extension on all the machines you have it installed. For more information about configuring GitHub Copilot in a supported IDE, see "Configuring GitHub Copilot."

---

Copilot Chat features aren't working for me in VSCode? ❓

Check each requirement if Copilot Chat doesn't work:

• Make sure you are on the latest version of Visual Studio Code (run Code: Check for Updates).
• Make sure you have the latest version of both the GitHub Copilot and GitHub Copilot Chat extensions.
• Your GitHub account that is signed into VS Code must have an active Copilot subscription. Check your Copilot subscription.
• Ensure that Copilot Chat is correctly setup. See the setup guide.

For more details, please refer the Getting started with GitHub Copilot Chat in VS Code guide.

---

Error: "GitHub Copilot could not connect to server. Extension activation failed" ❓

This error indicates that you either do not have a GitHub Copilot subscription, or there was an error connecting to the GitHub API to request a token to use GitHub Copilot.

• To request another token from api.github.com, try signing in and out of GitHub Copilot from your IDE. Once you've logged out, GitHub Copilot will prompt you to sign back in.

• If you still cannot connect to the server, you can create a discussion in our discussion forum. You can include log files from your IDE to help us troubleshoot the issue.

• For more information, see the information about log files in the client-specific articles under "Troubleshooting GitHub Copilot."

---

Getting error "Invalid copilot token: missing token: 403 - GitHub Copilot could not connect to server. Extension activation failed: At this time, Copilot is not available in your location" ❓

Due to current trade controls, your GitHub account might be restricted from making use of Copilot. This is a region-based restriction and applies to all users located in some trade-restricted countries, being flagged for the same earlier reasons, and is separate from other GitHub services. Read more about it here:

GitHub and Trade Controls

If you feel this should not be the case, feel free to contact our Support team and open a ticket with them.

---

I have privacy and security related questions for GitHub Copilot. I want to get clarity about the usage terms of GitHub Copilot. 👀

Well, we're happy to answer all your questions. Please make your familiar with the existing resources:

• Privacy – Copilot for Individuals
• Privacy – Copilot for Business - We're building some exciting "GitHub Copilot Trust Center"
• GitHub Copilot Product Specific Terms
• GitHub Copilot Pre-release Terms

If you still have any questions, feel free to post them in the Copilot community

---

GitHub Copilot not suggesting multiple lines of code 👀

This is a known issue and our team is working towards a fix. For more information, see this comment on a GitHub Community discussion.

---

How do I get a refund for my Copilot subscription? ❓

We now have the option to self-serve refunds for Copilot. Please head over to the Help with your GitHub account section and save yourself some time.

Note that, in most cases, the Virtual Agent may be able to offer an immediate refund. But, if your concern is not resolved, you can always use the contact form to get in touch with our billing team.

Got other questions? Feel free to ask them in the community. 🚀

Further reading 🔖

• Troubleshooting GitHub Copilot
• About GitHub Copilot
• GitHub Copilot Resources

[mwyborski]

I like copilot although it is not perfect. But i don't understand why you put a "Memoization" example on the website, that produces python-code that isn't even indented:

def memoize(func):
cache = {}
def wrapper(*args):
    if args in cache:
        return cache[args]
    else:
        cache[args] = func(*args)
        return cache[args]
return wrapper

https://github.com/features/copilot

[JustinMacri007]

I wish the program was free I do not want to pay

[rlove]

I paid and I have found it has saved me more time/money than I spent.

[ChandanPolai]

Hey I have a new user of GitHub copilot and I was stuck because I saw multiple videos on videos how to use perfectly copilot any one can help me

[molinito]

Buenas tardes, alguien sabe porque no está funcionando la extensión de gitcopilot para vscode...desde ayer que me aparece recargando pero no se activa. Ya probé desabilitando la extensión y volviendo activar, luego cerrando el vscode y abriendo nuevamente pero no carga.
El icono de gitcopilot del vscode queda dando vueltas pero no se carga. Agradezco su ayuda

[SfTech-Copilot1]

OS：Windows NT 10，
vscode：1.77，
github Copilot：当前最新版本1.88，
issue：Copilot不工作；重启电脑/重启vscode，Copilot图标一直转圈，请问有人遇到这个问题吗？怎么解决？

[KDCinfo]

When the icon sits and spins for me, I go to a new line and type abc , then let Copilot do its thing (it should prompt something along the lines of def ghi jkl). Once it prompts, the icon stops. Then I just undo once or twice.

I also noticed, at least on my system, when it sits and spins like that, one of my GPUs spins up to like 20-30% until I run through that process.

[SleepyWiKi]

hello hostor, I'm get in some unknown reason when i try to auth the device, means i can get the device code and open the github site,but when i paste the device code and click auth confirm button, idea still show me need to login to github, even i used the http proxy, could u help me out. really appreciate that.

best regards
WiKi

[manyuan-li]

I got the same question.

[igorcavalcante]

same problem here

[sreedil]

Getting self-signed certificate in certificate chain error while connecting copilot from Visual Studio 2022 Pro, we are using Netskope proxy solution

[Akash1134]

Hi @sreedil ,

This is a known issue that our engineering team has been actively working on. In the meantime, there is a workaround:

For Mac OS

• Use mac-ca to make all certificates in MacOS keychain available to VS Code extensions
• Restart VSCode

For Windows

• Use win-ca in VSCode to force some of those certifcates. Another option that has worked for others is to setup a local, transparent proxy as described by some of our community users.

[shubhamchawlaeaton]

I am getting this error for PyCharm

2023-11-29 12:28:57,872 [1925160] WARN - #com.github.copilot.lang.agent.AgentGitHubService - Failed to initiate sign in
com.github.copilot.lang.agent.SignInException: Request signInInitiate failed with message: self-signed certificate in certificate chain, request id: 16, error code: -32603
at com.github.copilot.lang.agent.AgentGitHubService.initiateSignIn(AgentGitHubService.java:198)

[sreedil]

Hi Akash, We were able to fix the issue using win-ca extension for VS code, however the current issue is with Visual Studio 2022 Professional version in Windows Operating System, I see in the article that it says we could properly install the proxy certificate in the machine in OS trust chain, I think we have a business subscription. Any idea how to do this? [A screen shot of a computer Description automatically generated with low confidence] Ref: https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/troubleshooting-github-copilot/troubleshooting-certificate-errors-for-github-copilot#handling-certificate-related-errors

[Akash1134]

Hi @sreedil , please open a ticket on our Support page. Please open a ticket with them and they will help you out further. Thanks! :)

[hgirma]

I am logged in Copilot (re-logged in for good measure), I get suggestions (as before with comments), but still see the following exception, I am trying to use the new chat capabilities after having installed the Visual Studio Extension

[Conversations Information] [CopilotAuthTokenManager] Response Content: HasToken: False, ChatEnabled: , ExpiresAt: 0, RefreshIn: 0, SKU:
[Conversations Error] [CopilotAuthTokenManager] Response didn't contain a token.
[Conversations Error] [Conversations] Exception in VerifyUserHasChatAccessAsync: System.UnauthorizedAccessException: User is not signed into GitHub and/or doesn't have Copilot chat access.
[ConversationsServiceManager Error] Exception during service initialization: StreamJsonRpc.RemoteInvocationException: User is not signed into GitHub and/or doesn't have Copilot chat access.
at StreamJsonRpc.JsonRpc.d__145`1.MoveNext()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw()
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)
at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Conversations.ConversationsServiceManager.d__13.MoveNext()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw()
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)
at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Conversations.ConversationsServiceManager.d__10.MoveNext()
RPC server exception:
System.UnauthorizedAccessException: User is not signed into GitHub and/or doesn't have Copilot chat access.
at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Conversations.Service.ServiceTarget.VerifyUserHasChatAccessAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken) in D:\a_work\1\s\Conversations.Service.Implementation\ServiceTarget.cs:line 177
at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Conversations.Service.ServiceTarget.GetBackendAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken) in D:\a_work\1\s\Conversations.Service.Implementation\ServiceTarget.cs:line 157
at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Conversations.Service.ServiceTarget.InitializePlannableFunctionsAsync(PlannableFunctionsContext context, CancellationToken cancellationToken) in D:\a_work\1\s\Conversations.Service.Implementation\ServiceTarget.cs:line 217

[hgirma]

[DEBUG] [agent] [2023-05-20T16:16:20.413Z] Agent service starting
[DEBUG] [agent] [2023-05-20T16:16:20.435Z] Telemetry initialized
Please open https://github.com/login/device and enter the device activation code 8585-6E46 that has been copied to the clipboard.
Successfully authorized GitHub Copilot.

I re-logged in

[molinito]

Hi @sreedil <https://github.com/sreedil> , I did the steps indicated but the copilot chat window still does not appear. I'm using a mac with vscode Version: 1.78.2 (Universal) Can you help me...? thanks El mar, 16 may 2023 a las 7:04, Akash ***@***.***>) escribió:

…

Hi @sreedil <https://github.com/sreedil> , This is a known issue that our engineering team has been actively working on. In the meantime, there is a workaround: For Mac OS - Use mac-ca <https://github.com/jfromaniello/mac-ca> to make all certificates in MacOS keychain available to VS Code extensions - Restart VSCode For Windows - Use win-ca <https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ukoloff.win-ca> in VSCode to force some of those certifcates. Another option that has worked for others is to setup a local, transparent proxy as described by some of our community users <#32285 (comment)> . — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#47318 (reply in thread)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AVQ3QJDSYBZLJW2DNS7KE3TXGNGK3ANCNFSM6AAAAAAU3EVA6I> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[JaumeBoschAnglada]

Hello,

I'm on Visual Studio 2002 This morning i used the chat extension without problems. Now it has disapeared. I can't find it, its gone.

[Akash1134]

Hi @JaumeBoschAnglada ,

Are you using the latest version of VS Code Insiders with VS 2022? . You may need to sign in to GitHub, and will need to authorize the Insiders build if that hasn't been done. Also, restart your editor for allowing any changes to update.

[JaumeBoschAnglada]

I'm using Visual Studio 2022. I've noticed that every time i close/open visual studio, it keeps asking me to renew the GitHub credentials. No matter if I open it as admin or not. Missatge de Akash ***@***.***> del dia dl., 29 de maig 2023 a les 14:23:

…

Hi @JaumeBoschAnglada <https://github.com/JaumeBoschAnglada> , Are you using the latest version of VS Code Insiders with VS 2022? . You may need to sign in to GitHub, and will need to authorize the Insiders build if that hasn't been done. Also, restart your editor for allowing any changes to update. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#47318 (reply in thread)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AGANA62BBVHJYLTXOBQJTN3XISIMFANCNFSM6AAAAAAU3EVA6I> . You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[Buling-Knight]

@Akash1134 Hi, as a student, my request was approved at May 31, 2023. I wonder how long should I wait to receive the email? And then it will be available for me.

[Forxure]

About a week later

[gysabc]

I use copilot X in VScode, and when I use copilot to explain a piece of code, I will take some notes at the same time. But I found that when I click the cancel button to close the chat box after making some notes, the previous notes will also disappeard。

[Akash1134]

Hi @gysabc ,

Please post this as a new discussion in the category so that we can help you better.

Thanks!

[JoshBuilt]

I'm unable to install the Visual Studio 2022 extension. I'm using Visual Studio 2022 Professional version 17.5.4 licensed with a product key supplied by my company (as opposed to a subscription). Any recommendations as to what to try?
Installer log follows:

7/3/2023 10:52:16 AM - vsixinstaller.exe version:
7/3/2023 10:52:16 AM - 17.5.4074+g1de9468fa7
7/3/2023 10:52:16 AM - -------------------------------------------
7/3/2023 10:52:16 AM - Command line parameters:
7/3/2023 10:52:16 AM - C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\Installer\resources\app\ServiceHub\Services\Microsoft.VisualStudio.Setup.Service\vsixinstaller.exe,/appidinstallpath:C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Professional\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe,/skuName:Pro,/skuVersion:17.5.33530.505,/appidname:Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2022,/culture:en-US,/noep,C:\Users\JoshUsovsky\AppData\Local\Temp\VSIX32osfjzf.vsix
7/3/2023 10:52:16 AM - -------------------------------------------
7/3/2023 10:52:16 AM - Microsoft VSIX Installer
7/3/2023 10:52:16 AM - -------------------------------------------
7/3/2023 10:52:16 AM - Initializing Install...
7/3/2023 10:52:16 AM - Extension Details...
7/3/2023 10:52:16 AM - Identifier : GitHub.Copilot
7/3/2023 10:52:16 AM - Name : GitHub Copilot
7/3/2023 10:52:16 AM - Author : GitHub
7/3/2023 10:52:16 AM - Version : 1.93.0.0
7/3/2023 10:52:16 AM - Description : GitHub Copilot is an AI pair programmer that helps you write code faster and with less work. Requires Visual Studio 2022 17.4.4 or later.
7/3/2023 10:52:16 AM - Locale : en-US
7/3/2023 10:52:16 AM - MoreInfoURL :
7/3/2023 10:52:16 AM - InstalledByMSI : False
7/3/2023 10:52:16 AM - SupportedFrameworkVersionRange : [0.0,2147483647.2147483647]
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - SignatureState : ValidSignature
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - SignedBy : GitHub, Inc.
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - Certificate Info :
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - -------------------------------------------------------
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - [Subject] : CN="GitHub, Inc.", O="GitHub, Inc.", L=San Francisco, S=California, C=US
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - [Issuer] : CN=DigiCert Trusted G4 Code Signing RSA4096 SHA384 2021 CA1, O="DigiCert, Inc.", C=US
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - [Serial Number] : 0ED17E3276477EECDEDE0A65744ABC0E
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - [Not Before] : 2/9/2023 6:00:00 PM
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - [Not After] : 2/13/2024 5:59:59 PM
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - [Thumbprint] : 0C5C3D5588A23CC0B287C00262D03CC3F6F4A7FB
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - Supported Products :
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - Microsoft.VisualStudio.Community
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - Version : [17.5.33627,18.0)
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - ProductArchitecture : amd64
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - References :
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - Prerequisites :
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - -------------------------------------------------------
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - Identifier : Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.IntelliCode
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - Name : IntelliCode
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - Version : [17.4.33213,18.0)
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - Signature Details...
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - Extension is signed with a valid signature.
7/3/2023 10:52:17 AM - VSIXInstaller.NoApplicableSKUsException: This extension is not installable on any currently installed products.
at VSIXInstaller.ExtensionService.GetInstallableDataImpl(IInstallableExtension extension, String extensionPackParentName, Boolean isRepairSupported, IStateData stateData, IEnumerable1& skuData) at VSIXInstaller.ExtensionService.GetInstallableData(String vsixPath, String extensionPackParentName, Boolean isRepairSupported, IStateData stateData, IEnumerable1& skuData)
at VSIXInstaller.ExtensionService.ComputeInstallableExtensions(IStateData stateData, Boolean isRepairSupported, Boolean isExtensionPack, IDictionary2 skuDataMapping, IList1 installableExtensionsPaths)
at VSIXInstaller.App.Initialize(Boolean isRepairSupported)
at VSIXInstaller.App.Initialize()
at System.Threading.Tasks.Task`1.InnerInvoke()
at System.Threading.Tasks.Task.Execute()

[Akash1134]

Hi @JoshBuilt ,

Thanks for reporting your issue. I'd recommend that you get help from the experts in the Visual Studio community.

[Sriranganatha1979]

I suppose you should be on VS 17.5.5 or higher version to get the extension working. Leaving the answer in case others faced the same problem.

[copilotninja]

why is it talking to me in a language other than system language (English)
"지역에 따라서 선호하는 게임 장르가 다를까"

[gipasam]

Does anyone know if I can integrate Azure DevOps with GitHub Copilot? and how would it be done?

[huanphung12345]

How to use ? Ip Vietnam

[LegalizeAdulthood]

No Back Seat Drivers

There needs to be a way to control the prompting of completions, e.g. show completions only in response to a key stroke. Constantly flashing up incorrect completions while I'm attempting to type correct code is a distraction (known as a 'back seat driver' -- someone sitting in the back seat of the car constantly yammering in your ear telling you what to do), not an aid.

Currently the only setting in Visual Studio is to enable or disable completions.

[huanphung12345]

ok thank you

…

On Fri, Feb 28, 2025, 04:22 Richard Thomson ***@***.***> wrote: No Back Seat Drivers There needs to be a way to control the prompting of completions, e.g. show completions only in response to a key stroke. Constantly flashing up incorrect completions while I'm attempting to type correct code is a distraction (known as a 'back seat driver' -- someone sitting in the back seat of the car constantly yammering in your ear telling you what to do), not an aid. Currently the only setting in Visual Studio is to enable or disable completions. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#47318 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/A6XNEMGC5EOXAOH2DCUZXPD2R56ZBAVCNFSM6AAAAAAU3EVA6KVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTEMZUGQZTANY> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[ShahrukhKhan282]

[error] [default] github.copilot.signIn: TokenResultError [CopilotAuthError]: Timed out waiting for authentication provider to register
at getSessionHelper (/Users/shahrukhkhan/.vscode/extensions/github.copilot-1.323.0/extension/src/session.ts:84:42)
at signInCommand (/Users/shahrukhkhan/.vscode/extensions/github.copilot-1.323.0/extension/src/auth.ts:24:5)
at /Users/shahrukhkhan/.vscode/extensions/github.copilot-1.323.0/extension/src/telemetry.ts:23:13
at Wb.h (file:///Applications/Visual%20Studio%20Code.app/Contents/Resources/app/out/vs/workbench/api/node/extensionHostProcess.js:119:41516) {
result: {
reason: 'NotSignedIn',
message: 'Timed out waiting for authentication provider to register'
},
[cause]: undefined
}

[huanphung12345]

Success! Vào 15:23, Th 3, 27 thg 5, 2025 Shahrukh Khan ***@***.***> đã viết:

…

[error] [default] github.copilot.signIn: TokenResultError [CopilotAuthError]: Timed out waiting for authentication provider to register at getSessionHelper (/Users/shahrukhkhan/.vscode/extensions/github.copilot-1.323.0/extension/src/session.ts:84:42) at signInCommand (/Users/shahrukhkhan/.vscode/extensions/github.copilot-1.323.0/extension/src/auth.ts:24:5) at /Users/shahrukhkhan/.vscode/extensions/github.copilot-1.323.0/extension/src/telemetry.ts:23:13 at Wb.h (file:///Applications/Visual%20Studio%20Code.app/Contents/Resources/app/out/vs/workbench/api/node/extensionHostProcess.js:119:41516) { result: { reason: 'NotSignedIn', message: 'Timed out waiting for authentication provider to register' }, [cause]: undefined } — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#47318 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/A6XNEME2KPT4JKXDSAJMJKL3AQOIXAVCNFSM6AAAAAAU3EVA6KVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTGMRYGA3DOMY> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[billlzzz10]

ทำไมฉันถึงถูกระงับการใช้งานcopilot

[felixpatzelt]

Hi, I have copilot access from my organization (it shows in my github developer settings) but somehow every time I try to use it I get an error that I don't have access. It doesn't matter if I use the Copilot CLI, the Copilot Plugin, or the website chat.

• Is it possible Copilot simply doesn't work when using a personal account that has been added to an organisation?
• Should gh auth status show anything specific I can pay attention to?
• Is there any way to check / change the organisation in the gh CLI like on the website? It was shown during the gh auth login process (via website) but I could not find a way to double check via the CLI.

[billlzzz10]

Hi there,

I’ve encountered similar issues with GitHub Copilot in the past—and ultimately, I decided to stop using it altogether. It wasn’t just about access restrictions; it was because the landscape of AI-assisted coding has evolved dramatically over the last 2–3 months.

Today, there are far more capable and intelligent coding agents available that understand context better, reason more effectively, and integrate more seamlessly into real development workflows. GitHub Copilot, by comparison, feels increasingly limited—especially as a suggestion engine without deep project awareness or autonomous reasoning.

If you're already running into permission issues, this might be a good moment to explore more advanced alternatives. Here are four I’d recommend looking into:

1. Codex (via alternative platforms or fine-tuned OSS models) – While the original OpenAI Codex is deprecated, its spirit lives on in many open-weight models that offer better control and customization.
2. Qwen (by Alibaba) – Particularly Qwen-Coder and Qwen2.5-Coder, which are strong open-source code LLMs with excellent multilingual and reasoning capabilities.
3. Kilo Code – A newer but highly promising local-first AI coding assistant focused on privacy, speed, and deep IDE integration without cloud dependency.
4. Cursor – An IDE built from the ground up for AI-native development; it supports advanced editing commands, codebase-aware chat, and works well with open models (including Ollama and custom endpoints).

Many of these tools are free, open-source, or offer local execution—giving you full ownership over your code and workflow. In my view, they represent the next generation of developer tooling, far beyond what traditional Copilot-style autocomplete can offer.

Happy to share setup tips or comparisons if you’re interested!

Best regards,
billlzzz10

[felixpatzelt]

Thank you for the answer. I was trying to evaluate the models approved by my employer though and also use the models in other integrations once I get the official tools from GitHub to work. I do have some local models working already but I would like to compare them to the one my company pays for.

[gcarmonatellez16-sys]

FAQs + Troubleshooting common issues with GitHub Copilot 🧑‍✈️

This guide describes the most common issues with GitHub Copilot and how to resolve them. We've also shared some important details about the latest developments in the world of Copilot 🤖

We love all the questions you ask in the community and wanted to answer some of the frequently asked questions related to GitHub Copilot. We know your time is valuable so before jumping into the FAQs, there are two a few easy checks that you should tick off.

Tip

1️⃣ For questions about the general use of GitHub Copilot, product impact, human, oversight, and privacy, see the comprehensive list of GitHub Copilot FAQs. 2️⃣ If GitHub Copilot stops working, check GitHub's Status page for any active incidents.

⚡ Quick Updates

* [GitHub Copilot Workspace](https://github.blog/2024-04-29-github-copilot-workspace/) - a key milestone in our vision to redefine developer landscape, is now in public beta. [Sign up now!](https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-workspace)

* [Copilot Enterprise](https://github.blog/2024-02-27-github-copilot-enterprise-is-now-generally-available/) is generally available and is customized to your organization’s knowledge and codebase.

* GitHub Copilot Chat is now [generally available](https://github.blog/changelog/2024-03-07-github-copilot-chat-general-availability-in-jetbrains-ide) in JetBrains IDE. Please share your feedback or ideas on how to improve the product [in this discussion.](https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/110614)

* [GitHub Copilot Chat in GitHub Mobile is now generally available 🎉 ](https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/122792)

* Copilot content exclusions feature is Live! (re-deployed). [Learn more](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/managing-github-copilot-in-your-organization/configuring-content-exclusions-for-github-copilot)

* Copilot in CLI is now generally available. Find out more in this [post](https://github.blog/changelog/2024-03-21-github-copilot-general-availability-in-the-cli/).

Important

Please create a new discussion in the Copilot category if you have any questions or feedback regarding GitHub Copilot. You'll have much better chances of getting a response from the community including staff members. Thanks!

👀 GitHub Copilot Chat now generally available 🤖

GitHub Copilot Chat is generally available for organizations and individuals. This offering is also available at no cost to verified teachers, students, and maintainers of popular open source projects. For more details, see this announcement. Key Universe 2023 updates to Copilot Chat:

* **Copilot Chat has been made generally available to JetBrains IDE**, please refer this [discussion](https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/110614) for steps to get started and **sharing your feedback** about the new experience.

* Copilot Chat is now powered by **GPT-4**, bringing more accurate code suggestions and explanations with OpenAI’s GPT-4 model.

* Are you interested to explore **Copilot Workspace** where you can simplify the process of making repo-wide edits, using verifiable AI-generated plans and code? [Find our more!](https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-workspace/)

⚙️ Troubleshoot common issues with Copilot Chat

Unable to use the GitHub Copilot extension in the IDE ❓

We recommend you follow the quickstart guide for GitHub Copilot while setting up GitHub Copilot on your machine. For more information, see "Quickstart for GitHub Copilot."

The GitHub Copilot extension is frequently updated to fix bugs and add new features. It's important to keep your extension up to date because older clients cannot communicate with the GitHub Copilot servers. Update your GitHub Copilot extension on all the machines you have it installed. For more information about configuring GitHub Copilot in a supported IDE, see "Configuring GitHub Copilot."

Copilot Chat features aren't working for me in VSCode? ❓

Check each requirement if Copilot Chat doesn't work:

* Make sure you are on the latest version of Visual Studio Code (run Code: Check for Updates).

* Make sure you have the latest version of both the [GitHub Copilot](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=GitHub.copilot) and [GitHub Copilot Chat](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=GitHub.copilot-chat) extensions.

* Your GitHub account that is signed into VS Code must have an active Copilot subscription. Check your [Copilot subscription](https://github.com/settings/copilot).

* Ensure that Copilot Chat is correctly setup. [See the setup guide](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/setup).

For more details, please refer the Getting started with GitHub Copilot Chat in VS Code guide.

Error: "GitHub Copilot could not connect to server. Extension activation failed" ❓

This error indicates that you either do not have a GitHub Copilot subscription, or there was an error connecting to the GitHub API to request a token to use GitHub Copilot.

* To request another token from api.github.com, try signing in and out of GitHub Copilot from your IDE. Once you've logged out, GitHub Copilot will prompt you to sign back in.

* If you still cannot connect to the server, you can create a discussion in our [discussion forum](https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/categories/copilot). You can include log files from your IDE to help us troubleshoot the issue.

* For more information, see the information about log files in the client-specific articles under "[Troubleshooting GitHub Copilot](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/troubleshooting-github-copilot)."

Getting error "Invalid copilot token: missing token: 403 - GitHub Copilot could not connect to server. Extension activation failed: At this time, Copilot is not available in your location" ❓

Due to current trade controls, your GitHub account might be restricted from making use of Copilot. This is a region-based restriction and applies to all users located in some trade-restricted countries, being flagged for the same earlier reasons, and is separate from other GitHub services. Read more about it here:

GitHub and Trade Controls

If you feel this should not be the case, feel free to contact our Support team and open a ticket with them.

I have privacy and security related questions for GitHub Copilot. I want to get clarity about the usage terms of GitHub Copilot. 👀

Well, we're happy to answer all your questions. Please make your familiar with the existing resources:

* [Privacy – Copilot for Individuals](https://github.com/features/copilot#:~:text=Privacy%20%E2%80%93%20Copilot%20for%20Individuals)

* **Privacy – Copilot for Business** - We're building some exciting ["GitHub Copilot Trust Center"](https://github.blog/2023-07-25-how-to-responsibly-adopt-github-copilot-with-the-github-copilot-trust-center/)

* [GitHub Copilot Product Specific Terms](https://github.com/customer-terms/github-copilot-product-specific-terms)

* [GitHub Copilot Pre-release Terms](https://docs.github.com/en/site-policy/github-terms/github-copilot-pre-release-terms)

If you still have any questions, feel free to post them in the Copilot community

GitHub Copilot not suggesting multiple lines of code 👀

This is a known issue and our team is working towards a fix. For more information, see this comment on a GitHub Community discussion.

How do I get a refund for my Copilot subscription? ❓

We now have the option to self-serve refunds for Copilot. Please head over to the Help with your GitHub account section and save yourself some time.

Note that, in most cases, the Virtual Agent may be able to offer an immediate refund. But, if your concern is not resolved, you can always use the contact form to get in touch with our billing team.

Got other questions? Feel free to ask them in the community. 🚀

Further reading 🔖

* [Troubleshooting GitHub Copilot](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/troubleshooting-github-copilot)

* [About GitHub Copilot](https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-cloud@latest/copilot/overview-of-github-copilot/about-github-copilot)

* [GitHub Copilot Resources](https://resources.github.com/learn/pathways/copilot/essentials/essentials-of-github-copilot/)

[senih25]

Project: https://github.com/senih25/SocialRightOS

Hello everyone,

I’m currently experiencing an issue with my GitHub account and I’m trying to understand what might have caused it.

While working on my open-source project SocialRightOS, I pushed some commits and created a new branch normally. However, when I attempted to open a Pull Request, GitHub displayed the following message:

“Your ability to open a pull request has been suspended.”

Some details that may help:

• The repository is my own project.
• I can still commit and push changes normally.
• The restriction only appears when trying to create a pull request.
• I am using a GitHub Student account and actively developing the project.

Has anyone experienced a similar restriction before?
Is this usually a temporary anti-abuse measure, or does it require contacting GitHub support to resolve?

Any guidance or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

[ajm19826]

Try creating a discussion, instead of a comment.

1. Did your account admin disable PR's?

[jayDevCodes]

If Copilot isn’t suggesting: confirm you’re signed in with an account that has Copilot access and the extension is enabled in your editor.

Update the Copilot extension and your editor; disable conflicting extensions that intercept completions.

Check network/proxy settings if suggestions time out; some corporate proxies block Copilot calls.

For billing or subscription issues, check the Copilot subscription page or contact GitHub Support with account details.

[ranafarazkhan6-ux]

[AgentCousto]

Hello GitHub Support,

I'm experiencing what appears to be an inconsistency with the new AI Credits budget feature for GitHub Copilot.

Steps:

1. I go to Organization Settings → Billing and licensing → Budgets and alerts.
2. I try to create an AI credits budget** with **Scope = Users.
3. GitHub returns the message:

"A budget for this product and scope already exists. Please edit the existing budget instead of creating another."

However, when I return to the Budgets and alerts page, it shows:

"No budgets created"

As a result, I cannot:

• see the existing budget,
• edit the existing budget,
• delete the existing budget,
• or create a new one.

It looks like the backend believes a User-scoped AI Credits budget already exists, while the UI shows that no budgets are configured.

Could you please verify whether this is a known issue and help identify or remove the existing budget?

Thank you.

[gy-jong]

Hi everyone,
a colleague of mine occasionally gets the following message.
Has anyone seen this before or knows what might be causing it?

According to him, this happens quite frequently with Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Opus (although I rarely use Opus anyway due to limited credits).
However, the other models also show this message from time to time.

his usecase:
When using the GitHub Copilot Chat, I sometimes receive error messages even for standard prompts (e.g., creating a refactoring plan for a file), indicating that the selected model is overloaded.
This occurs mainly with Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Claude Opus 4.6, but the same error has also appeared with Claude Haiku 4.5.
When this happens, the prompt execution is completely aborted.
Switching to a different model usually resolves the issue, and the same prompt is then processed successfully.

Thanks for your support!
Lee