Get started with GitHub Copilot SDK, part 1

--- title: Get started with GitHub Copilot SDK, part 1 published: true description: This article explains what GitHub Copilot SDK is and why use it tags: copilot, python, ai, programming cover_image: https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/cty891qm0yhp71exdmoe.png # Use a ratio of 100:42 for best results. published_at: 2026-03-04 20:48 +0000 --- Did you know GitHub Copilot now has an SDK and that you can leverage your existing license to build AI integrations into your app? No, well I hope I have you attention now. {% youtube hvwGZqS4qF0 %} ## Series on Copilot SDK This series is about Copilot SDK and how you can leverage your existing GitHub Copilot license to integrate AI into your apps - Part 1 - install and your first app, **you're here** - [Part 2 - streamable responses](https://dev.to/azure/getting-started-with-github-copilot-part-2-streamable-responses-49a8) ## Install You need two pieces here to get started: - GitHub Copilot CLI - A supported runtime, which at present means either Node.js, .NET, Python or Go Then you need to install the SDK for your chosen runtime like so: ```sh pip install github-copilot-sdk ``` ## The parts So what do you need to know to get started? There are three concepts: - **Client**, you need to create and instance of it. Additionally you need to start and stop it when you're done with it. - **Session**. The session takes an object where you can set things like model, system prompt and more. Also, the session is what you talk when you want to carry out a request. - **Response**. The response contains your LLM response. Below is an example program using these three concepts. As you can see we choose "gpt-4.1" as model but this can be changed. See also how we pass the prompt to the function `send_and_wait`. ```python import asyncio from copilot import CopilotClient async def main(): client = CopilotClient() await client.start() session = await client.create_session({"model": "gpt-4.1"}) response = await session.send_and_wait({"prompt": "What is 2 + 2?"}) print(response.data.content) await client.stop() asyncio.run(main()) ``` Ok, now that we know what a simple program looks like, let's make something interesting, an FAQ responder. ## Your first app An FAQ for a web page, is often a pretty boring read. A way to make that more interesting for the end user is if they can instead chat with the FAQ, let's make that happen. Here's the plan: - Define a static FAQ - Add the FAQ as part of the prompt. - Make a request to to the LLM and print out the response. Let's build out the code little by little. First, let's define the FAQ information. **-1- FAQ information** ```python # faq.py faq = { "warranty": "Our products come with a 1-year warranty covering manufacturing defects. Please contact our support team for assistance.", "return_policy": "We offer a 30-day return policy for unused products in their original packaging. To initiate a return, please visit our returns page and follow the instructions.", "shipping": "We offer free standard shipping on all orders over $50. Expedited shipping options are available at checkout for an additional fee.", } ``` Next, let's add the call to the Copilot SDK **-2 Adding the LLM call** ```python import asyncio from copilot import CopilotClient def faq_to_string(faq: dict) -> str: return "\n".join([f"{key}: {value}" for key, value in faq.items()]) async def main(user_prompt: str = "Tell me about shipping"): client = CopilotClient() await client.start() prompt = f"Here's the FAQ, {faq_to_string(faq)}\n\nUser question: {user_prompt}\nAnswer:" session = await client.create_session({"model": "gpt-4.1"}) response = await session.send_and_wait({"prompt": prompt}) print(response.data.content) await client.stop() if __name__ == "__main__": print("My first app using the GitHub Copilot SDK!") print(f"[LOG] Asking the model about shipping information...") asyncio.run(main("Tell me about shipping")) ``` Note how we concatenate the FAQ data with the user's prompt: ```python prompt = f"Here's the FAQ, {faq_to_string(faq)}\n\nUser question: {user_prompt}\nAnswer:" ``` **-3- Let's run it** Now run it: ```sh uv run faq.py ``` You should see output like so: ```text My first app using the GitHub Copilot SDK! [LOG] Asking the model about shipping information... We offer free standard shipping on all orders over $50. Expedited shipping options are available at checkout for an additional fee. ``` ## What's next Check out the [official docs](https://github.com/github/copilot-sdk/blob/main/docs/getting-started.md)