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Using graphify-dotnet with GitHub Copilot SDK

Use GitHub Copilot as your AI provider—no API keys needed, just your GitHub Copilot subscription.

Quick Start

  1. Install GitHub Copilot CLI or sign in via VS Code
  2. Verify you're authenticated: copilot auth status
  3. Run graphify: graphify run . --provider copilotsdk

Why Use Copilot SDK?

Feature Copilot SDK Cloud APIs Local (Ollama)
Setup Login once, done API keys, endpoints Install, pull models
Auth GitHub login API key management None needed
Cost Included in Copilot subscription Pay per request Free
Models GPT-4.1, GPT-4o, Claude Sonnet, etc. Provider-specific Open models
Privacy GitHub Copilot terms apply Varies by provider Data stays local

Perfect for:

  • GitHub Copilot subscribers who want zero-config AI
  • Quick prototyping without managing API keys or endpoints
  • Teams already using GitHub Copilot in their workflow

Prerequisites

  • GitHub Copilot subscription: Individual, Business, or Enterprise (sign up)
  • GitHub Copilot CLI installed, or signed in to GitHub via VS Code
  • .NET 10 SDK or later

Step 1: Install GitHub Copilot CLI

Via GitHub CLI Extension

# Install GitHub CLI if you don't have it
# https://cli.github.com/

# Install the Copilot CLI extension
gh extension install github/gh-copilot

Via VS Code

If you use VS Code with the GitHub Copilot extension, you're already authenticated — the SDK picks up your session automatically.

Step 2: Authenticate

Option A: GitHub Copilot CLI

# Log in to GitHub Copilot
copilot auth login

# Verify authentication status
copilot auth status

Option B: GitHub CLI

# Log in with GitHub CLI
gh auth login

# Verify your Copilot access
gh copilot --help

Option C: VS Code

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Sign in to GitHub via the Accounts menu (bottom-left)
  3. Ensure the GitHub Copilot extension is installed and active

The Copilot SDK uses UseLoggedInUser = true, which detects your active GitHub session from any of these methods.

Step 3: Configure graphify-dotnet

CLI Usage (Recommended)

# Run with Copilot SDK (default model: gpt-4.1)
graphify run ./my-project --provider copilotsdk

# Specify a different model
graphify run ./my-project --provider copilotsdk --model gpt-4o

# Use Claude Sonnet via Copilot
graphify run ./my-project --provider copilotsdk --model claude-sonnet

# Verbose output to see progress
graphify run ./my-project --provider copilotsdk -v

Configuration Sources

graphify-dotnet supports a layered configuration system (priority order):

  1. CLI arguments (highest priority)
  2. User secrets (.NET user secrets)
  3. Environment variables
  4. appsettings.local.json (saved by graphify config wizard)
  5. appsettings.json (lowest priority)

Environment Variables

Set these for automatic configuration:

# Linux/macOS
export GRAPHIFY__Provider=CopilotSdk
export GRAPHIFY__CopilotSdk__ModelId=gpt-4.1

# Windows (PowerShell)
$env:GRAPHIFY__Provider = "CopilotSdk"
$env:GRAPHIFY__CopilotSdk__ModelId = "gpt-4.1"

User Secrets

Use .NET user secrets for local development:

# Set secrets for your project
dotnet user-secrets set "Graphify:Provider" "CopilotSdk"
dotnet user-secrets set "Graphify:CopilotSdk:ModelId" "gpt-4.1"

# List configured secrets
dotnet user-secrets list

appsettings.json

Configure in your application's appsettings.json:

{
  "Graphify": {
    "Provider": "CopilotSdk",
    "CopilotSdk": {
      "ModelId": "gpt-4.1"
    }
  }
}

View Current Configuration

Use the graphify config show command to verify your configuration:

graphify config show

This displays the active configuration values from all sources.

Programmatic Configuration (Code)

For SDK usage in your own applications:

using Graphify.Sdk;
using Microsoft.Extensions.AI;

// Create CopilotSdk options
var aiOptions = new AiProviderOptions(
    Provider: AiProvider.CopilotSdk,
    ModelId: "gpt-4.1"
);

// Note: CopilotSdk requires async initialization
IChatClient client = await ChatClientFactory.CreateAsync(aiOptions);

// Use the client
var response = await client.GetResponseAsync(
    [new ChatMessage(ChatRole.User, "Analyze this code structure...")]);
Console.WriteLine(response.Text);

Full Working Example

using System;
using Graphify.Sdk;
using Microsoft.Extensions.AI;

public class CopilotCodeAnalyzer
{
    public static async Task Main(string[] args)
    {
        // 1. Create options (no API key needed!)
        var options = new AiProviderOptions(
            Provider: AiProvider.CopilotSdk,
            ModelId: "gpt-4.1"
        );

        // 2. Create the client (async required for Copilot SDK)
        IChatClient client = await ChatClientFactory.CreateAsync(options);

        // 3. Analyze code
        string codeSnippet = @"
public class Calculator {
    public int Add(int a, int b) => a + b;
    public int Multiply(int a, int b) => a * b;
}";

        string prompt = $"Analyze this C# code and explain its structure:\n\n{codeSnippet}";

        Console.WriteLine("Analyzing with GitHub Copilot (gpt-4.1)...");
        var response = await client.GetResponseAsync(
            [new ChatMessage(ChatRole.User, prompt)]);
        Console.WriteLine("\nAnalysis:");
        Console.WriteLine(response.Text);
    }
}

Available Models

Models available through GitHub Copilot SDK depend on your subscription tier. Common options:

Model Description Best For
gpt-4.1 Latest GPT-4.1 (default) General code analysis, high quality
gpt-4o GPT-4o multimodal Fast, good for images + code
gpt-4o-mini GPT-4o mini Cost-effective, quick tasks
claude-sonnet Claude Sonnet Strong reasoning, detailed analysis

Note: Available models may change as GitHub Copilot updates its offerings. Use --model to select the model that fits your needs.

How It Works

Under the hood, the Copilot SDK provider:

  1. Authenticates via your existing GitHub Copilot session (CLI, VS Code, or GitHub CLI)
  2. Creates a CopilotClient with UseLoggedInUser = true
  3. Wraps it in CopilotChatClient — an IChatClient adapter that bridges the Copilot SDK to the standard Microsoft.Extensions.AI interface
  4. Creates sessions per request, sending prompts and collecting responses

This means the Copilot SDK integrates seamlessly with the same graphify pipeline used by Azure OpenAI and Ollama — no provider-specific code needed in the analysis pipeline.

Microsoft Agent Framework

The SDK also includes integration with the Microsoft Agent Framework (Microsoft.Agents.AI and Microsoft.Agents.AI.GitHub.Copilot packages). This enables advanced agentic scenarios beyond basic chat completions.

Troubleshooting

❌ Authentication Failed / Not Logged In

Cause: No active GitHub Copilot session found

Solution:

# Check if you're logged in
copilot auth status

# Or with GitHub CLI
gh auth status

# Log in if needed
copilot auth login
# or
gh auth login

If using VS Code, ensure you're signed in to GitHub in the Accounts menu and the Copilot extension is active.

❌ Copilot CLI Not Found

Cause: GitHub Copilot CLI not installed or not in PATH

Solution:

# Install via GitHub CLI
gh extension install github/gh-copilot

# Verify installation
gh copilot --help

❌ "CopilotSdk requires async initialization"

Cause: Using ChatClientFactory.Create() (sync) instead of CreateAsync()

Solution: The Copilot SDK needs to start an async session. Use CreateAsync:

// ❌ Wrong — throws InvalidOperationException
var client = ChatClientFactory.Create(options);

// ✅ Correct
var client = await ChatClientFactory.CreateAsync(options);

When using the CLI (graphify run), this is handled automatically.

❌ Subscription / Access Denied

Cause: Your GitHub account doesn't have an active Copilot subscription

Solution:

  • Verify your subscription at github.com/settings/copilot
  • If using Copilot Business or Enterprise, ensure your organization admin has granted you access
  • Try logging out and back in: gh auth logout then gh auth login

❌ Model Not Available

Cause: The requested model isn't available in your Copilot tier

Solution:

  • Try the default model: --model gpt-4.1
  • Check available models in your Copilot dashboard
  • Some models may be restricted to certain subscription tiers

See Also

Next Steps

Once configured:

  1. Run your first analysis: graphify run . --provider copilotsdk
  2. Try different models: --model gpt-4o or --model claude-sonnet
  3. Explore the README for full CLI features and export formats
  4. Check out Export Formats for output options

Need help? Open an issue on GitHub or check the documentation.