skill-copilot-provider

name	skill-copilot-provider
version	1.0.0
description	GitHub Copilot CLI as optional zero-cost provider via copilot -p programmatic mode. Use when: AUTOMATICALLY ACTIVATE when user says:. "copilot provider" or "add copilot" or "github copilot" or "use copilot"

GitHub Copilot Provider Skill

Overview

GitHub Copilot CLI (GA since Feb 2026) serves as an optional provider in the Claude Octopus multi-LLM ecosystem. Integration uses the official copilot -p programmatic mode, not reverse-engineered API endpoints.

Core principle: Copilot supplements existing providers for research and exploration at zero additional cost (uses existing GitHub Copilot subscription). Each prompt counts as one premium request against your subscription quota.

Agent types: copilot (general), copilot-research (research-focused)

---

Detection

# Check copilot CLI is available
if ! command -v copilot &>/dev/null; then
  # Copilot CLI not installed — silently skip
  return 0
fi

Graceful degradation: When Copilot CLI is unavailable or unauthenticated, silently skip. Other providers continue to operate normally.

---

Authentication

Copilot CLI checks credentials in this precedence order:

1. COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN env var (highest priority — fine-grained PAT with "Copilot Requests" permission)
2. GH_TOKEN env var
3. GITHUB_TOKEN env var
4. OAuth token from system keychain (via copilot login)
5. GitHub CLI (gh) authentication fallback

Setup

Option 1: Interactive login (recommended for local dev)

copilot login

Option 2: Fine-grained PAT (recommended for CI/automation)

1. Create a fine-grained PAT at https://github.com/settings/personal-access-tokens/new
2. Enable the "Copilot Requests" permission
3. Set the env var:

export COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN="github_pat_..."

Option 3: Reuse existing gh auth If gh auth login is already configured, Copilot CLI will use it automatically.

Note: Classic PATs (ghp_*) are NOT supported. Use fine-grained PATs (github_pat_*).

---

Available Roles

Role	Agent Type	Use Case
General	copilot	Broad research, code explanation, exploration
Research	copilot-research	Research-focused exploration and analysis

Dispatch

# Programmatic mode (non-interactive)
copilot -p "<prompt>" --no-ask-user

---

Provider Indicators

When Copilot is active in a multi-provider workflow:

Providers:
🔴 Codex CLI - Implementation
🟡 Gemini CLI - Security review
🟢 Copilot CLI - Research perspective
🔵 Claude - Synthesis

Indicator legend:

• 🔴 = Codex CLI
• 🟡 = Gemini CLI
• 🟢 = Copilot CLI
• 🟣 = Perplexity
• 🔵 = Claude

---

Doctor Integration

The /octo:doctor providers check reports Copilot availability and auth method:

Providers:
  ✓ Copilot CLI installed (auth: keychain)

When unauthenticated: ⚠ Copilot CLI installed but not authenticated When missing: ℹ Copilot CLI not installed (optional)

---

Integration Notes

1. Zero additional cost — Uses existing GitHub Copilot subscription (Pro, Pro+, Business, Enterprise)
2. Premium request quota — Each copilot -p prompt = 1 premium request from your monthly allowance
3. Graceful degradation — When unavailable, silently skip with no errors or warnings
4. No provider cascade — If unavailable, the role is reassigned to another provider
5. Model selection — Copilot CLI selects the model internally (default: Claude Sonnet 4.5, configurable via /model)
6. Multi-model access — Copilot subscription includes access to Claude, GPT, and Gemini models

---

Example Workflows

Research with Copilot

🐙 **CLAUDE OCTOPUS ACTIVATED** - Multi-provider research mode
🔍 Discover Phase: Researching WebSocket authentication patterns

Providers:
🔴 Codex CLI - Technical implementation analysis
🟡 Gemini CLI - Ecosystem research
🟢 Copilot CLI - Research perspective
🔵 Claude - Strategic synthesis

Copilot Unavailable (Graceful Degradation)

🐙 **CLAUDE OCTOPUS ACTIVATED** - Multi-provider research mode
🔍 Discover Phase: Researching WebSocket authentication patterns

Providers:
🔴 Codex CLI - Technical implementation analysis
🟡 Gemini CLI - Ecosystem research
🔵 Claude - Strategic synthesis

When Copilot is not detected, it is silently omitted from the provider list.