.NET
```csharp
using GitHub.Copilot;
// Default: uses logged-in user credentials
await using CopilotClient client = new();
```
Go
```golang
import copilot "github.com/github/copilot-sdk/go"
// Default: uses logged-in user credentials
client := copilot.NewClient(nil)
```
Java
```java
import com.github.copilot.CopilotClient;
// Default: uses logged-in user credentials
var client = new CopilotClient();
client.start().get();
```
Python
```python
from copilot import CopilotClient
# Default: uses logged-in user credentials
client = CopilotClient()
await client.start()
```
Rust
```rust
use github_copilot_sdk::{Client, ClientOptions};
// Default: uses logged-in user credentials
let client = Client::start(ClientOptions::default()).await?;
```
TypeScript
```typescript
import { CopilotClient } from "@github/copilot-sdk";
// Default: uses logged-in user credentials
const client = new CopilotClient();
```
**When to use:**
* Desktop applications where users interact directly
* Development and testing environments
* Any scenario where a user can sign in interactively
## GitHub OAuth App
Use an OAuth GitHub App to authenticate users through your application and pass their credentials to the SDK. This enables your application to make Copilot API requests on behalf of users who authorize your app.
**How it works:**
1. User authorizes your OAuth GitHub App
2. Your app receives a user access token (`gho_` or `ghu_` prefix)
3. Pass the token to the SDK through its client configuration
**SDK Configuration:**
.NET
```csharp
using GitHub.Copilot;
await using var client = new CopilotClient(new CopilotClientOptions
{
GitHubToken = userAccessToken, // Token from OAuth flow
UseLoggedInUser = false, // Don't use stored CLI credentials
});
```
Go
```golang
import copilot "github.com/github/copilot-sdk/go"
client := copilot.NewClient(&copilot.ClientOptions{
GitHubToken: userAccessToken, // Token from OAuth flow
UseLoggedInUser: copilot.Bool(false), // Don't use stored CLI credentials
})
```
Java
```java
import com.github.copilot.CopilotClient;
import com.github.copilot.rpc.*;
var client = new CopilotClient(new CopilotClientOptions()
.setGitHubToken(userAccessToken) // Token from OAuth flow
.setUseLoggedInUser(false) // Don't use stored CLI credentials
);
client.start().get();
```
Python
```python
from copilot import CopilotClient
client = CopilotClient({
"github_token": user_access_token, # Token from OAuth flow
"use_logged_in_user": False, # Don't use stored CLI credentials
})
await client.start()
```
Rust
```rust
use github_copilot_sdk::{Client, ClientOptions};
let client = Client::start(
ClientOptions::default()
.with_github_token(user_access_token)
.with_use_logged_in_user(false),
).await?;
```
TypeScript
```typescript
import { CopilotClient } from "@github/copilot-sdk";
const client = new CopilotClient({
gitHubToken: userAccessToken, // Token from OAuth flow
useLoggedInUser: false, // Don't use stored CLI credentials
});
```
**Supported token types:**
* `gho_` - OAuth user access tokens
* `ghu_` - GitHub App user access tokens
* `github_pat_` - Fine-grained personal access tokens
**Not supported:**
* `ghp_` - Classic personal access tokens (deprecated)
**When to use:**
* Web applications where users sign in via GitHub
* SaaS applications building on top of Copilot
* Any multi-user application where you need to make requests on behalf of different users
For more information, see [GitHub OAuth setup](/en/copilot/how-tos/copilot-sdk/setup/github-oauth).
## Environment variables
For automation, CI/CD pipelines, and server-to-server scenarios, you can authenticate using environment variables.
For organization-attributed automation that should not use a user's personal access token, see [Server-to-server authentication](/en/copilot/how-tos/copilot-sdk/auth/server-to-server-tokens).
**Supported environment variables (in priority order):**
1. `COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN` - Recommended for explicit Copilot usage
2. `GH_TOKEN` - GitHub CLI compatible
3. `GITHUB_TOKEN` - GitHub Actions compatible
**How it works:**
1. Set one of the supported environment variables with a valid token
2. The SDK automatically detects and uses the token
**SDK Configuration:**
No code changes needed—the SDK automatically detects environment variables:
.NET
```csharp
using GitHub.Copilot;
// Token is read from environment variable automatically
await using CopilotClient client = new();
```
Go
```golang
import copilot "github.com/github/copilot-sdk/go"
// Token is read from environment variable automatically
client := copilot.NewClient(nil)
```
Java
```java
import com.github.copilot.CopilotClient;
// Token is read from environment variable automatically
var client = new CopilotClient();
client.start().get();
```
Python
```python
from copilot import CopilotClient
# Token is read from environment variable automatically
client = CopilotClient()
await client.start()
```
Rust
```rust
use github_copilot_sdk::{Client, ClientOptions};
// Token is read from environment variable automatically
let client = Client::start(ClientOptions::default()).await?;
```
TypeScript
```typescript
import { CopilotClient } from "@github/copilot-sdk";
// Token is read from environment variable automatically
const client = new CopilotClient();
```
**When to use:**
* CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, and more)
* Automated testing
* Server-side applications with service accounts
* Development when you don't want to use interactive login
## BYOK (bring your own key)
BYOK allows you to use your own API keys from model providers like Microsoft Foundry, OpenAI, or Anthropic. This bypasses GitHub Copilot authentication entirely.
**Key benefits:**
* No GitHub Copilot subscription required
* Use enterprise model deployments
* Direct billing with your model provider
* Support for Microsoft Foundry, OpenAI, Anthropic, and OpenAI-compatible endpoints
**See the [BYOK (bring your own key)](/en/copilot/how-tos/copilot-sdk/auth/byok) for complete details**, including:
* Microsoft Foundry setup
* Provider configuration options
* Limitations and considerations
* Complete code examples
## Authentication priority
When multiple authentication methods are available, the SDK uses them in this priority order:
1. **Explicit `gitHubToken`** - Token passed directly to the SDK client or session configuration
2. **Direct API token** - `GITHUB_COPILOT_API_TOKEN` with `COPILOT_API_URL`
3. **Environment variable tokens** - `COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN` → `GH_TOKEN` → `GITHUB_TOKEN`
4. **Stored OAuth credentials** - From previous `copilot` CLI login
5. **GitHub CLI** - `gh auth` credentials
For multi-user server mode, pass a per-session `gitHubToken` so each session runs with the correct GitHub identity; see [Multi-tenancy and server deployments](/en/copilot/how-tos/copilot-sdk/setup/multi-tenancy).
## Disabling auto-login
To prevent the SDK from automatically using stored credentials or `gh` CLI auth, configure it to disable logged-in-user fallback:
.NET
```csharp
await using var client = new CopilotClient(new CopilotClientOptions
{
UseLoggedInUser = false, // Only use explicit tokens
});
```
Go
```golang
client := copilot.NewClient(&copilot.ClientOptions{
UseLoggedInUser: copilot.Bool(false), // Only use explicit tokens
})
```
Java
```java
import com.github.copilot.CopilotClient;
import com.github.copilot.rpc.*;
var client = new CopilotClient(new CopilotClientOptions()
.setUseLoggedInUser(false) // Only use explicit tokens
);
client.start().get();
```
Python
```python
client = CopilotClient({
"use_logged_in_user": False, # Only use explicit tokens
})
```
Rust
```rust
use github_copilot_sdk::{Client, ClientOptions};
let client = Client::start(
ClientOptions::default().with_use_logged_in_user(false),
).await?;
```
TypeScript
```typescript
const client = new CopilotClient({
useLoggedInUser: false, // Only use explicit tokens
});
```
## Next steps
* [BYOK (bring your own key)](/en/copilot/how-tos/copilot-sdk/auth/byok) - Learn how to use your own API keys
* [Build your first Copilot-powered app](/en/copilot/how-tos/copilot-sdk/getting-started) - Build your first Copilot-powered app
* [Using MCP servers with the GitHub Copilot SDK](/en/copilot/how-tos/copilot-sdk/features/mcp) - Connect to external tools