openclaw/docs/providers/github-copilot-cli.md

summary	read_when
Use GitHub Copilot CLI as a text-only fallback backend	You want to use GitHub Copilot CLI as a model provider You need a fallback when API providers fail You already have GitHub Copilot CLI installed

GitHub Copilot CLI

GitHub Copilot CLI (copilot) is GitHub's terminal-based AI assistant. Moltbot can use it as a CLI backend for text-only fallback when API providers are unavailable.

Prerequisites

• GitHub account (free tier works for gpt-4.1)
• GitHub CLI (gh) authenticated with your GitHub account

Note: gpt-4.1 is available on the free GitHub tier. Other models like gpt-4o, claude-sonnet-4-5, and claude-opus-4-5 require a paid GitHub Copilot subscription.

Installation

Install the Copilot CLI via npm:

npm install -g @github/copilot

Or via Homebrew:

brew install github/copilot/copilot

Or use the gh copilot extension:

gh extension install github/gh-copilot

Verify installation:

copilot --help
# or
gh copilot --help

Quick start

Use Copilot CLI directly with Moltbot:

moltbot agent --message "hi" --model copilot-cli/gpt-4.1

Configuration

Minimal config (custom command path)

If your gateway runs under launchd/systemd with a minimal PATH, specify the full path:

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      cliBackends: {
        "copilot-cli": {
          command: "/opt/homebrew/bin/copilot"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Using as a fallback

Add copilot-cli to your fallback list so it only runs when primary models fail:

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: {
        primary: "github-copilot/gpt-4.1",
        fallbacks: [
          "copilot-cli/gpt-4.1"
        ]
      },
      models: {
        "github-copilot/gpt-4.1": { alias: "Copilot" },
        "copilot-cli/gpt-4.1": {}
      }
    }
  }
}

Supported models

Copilot CLI supports these models (availability depends on your GitHub plan):

Free tier (GitHub Free):

• gpt-4.1 ← recommended default
• gpt-4.1-mini

Paid tier (GitHub Copilot subscription):

• gpt-4o
• gpt-4-turbo
• claude-sonnet-4-5
• claude-opus-4-5

Example model refs:

copilot-cli/gpt-4.1
copilot-cli/gpt-4.1-mini
copilot-cli/gpt-4o
copilot-cli/claude-sonnet-4-5

Authentication

Copilot CLI uses GitHub CLI authentication. Ensure you're logged in:

gh auth status

If not logged in:

gh auth login

Limitations

• Text output only: Copilot CLI does not support JSON output, so responses are plain text.
• Tools disabled: CLI backends never receive tool calls. The CLI may still run its own agent tooling internally.
• No streaming: CLI output is collected then returned.
• Session resume: Uses --resume flag with session ID when available.

Differences from the API provider

Aspect	github-copilot (API)	copilot-cli (CLI backend)
Output format	JSON (structured)	Text only
Tools	Moltbot tools work	Tools disabled
Streaming	Supported	Not supported
Auth	Device flow / token exchange	GitHub CLI (gh auth)

Choose the API provider (github-copilot) for full functionality. Use copilot-cli as a fallback when you want "always works" text responses.

Troubleshooting

CLI not found

Set the full command path in your config:

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      cliBackends: {
        "copilot-cli": {
          command: "/usr/local/bin/copilot"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Authentication errors

Re-authenticate with GitHub CLI:

gh auth login
gh auth status

Model not available

Model availability depends on your GitHub Copilot plan. Try a different model:

moltbot agent --message "hi" --model copilot-cli/gpt-4.1

See also

• GitHub Copilot (API provider)
• CLI backends
• Configuration