You signed in with another tab or window. Reload to refresh your session.You signed out in another tab or window. Reload to refresh your session.You switched accounts on another tab or window. Reload to refresh your session.Dismiss alert
Copy file name to clipboardExpand all lines: articles/github-copilot-azure/get-started.md
+166-4
Original file line number
Diff line number
Diff line change
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ description: This article describes the requirements and installation procedure
4
4
keywords: github, copilot, ai, azure
5
5
ms.service: github-copilot-for-azure
6
6
ms.topic: get-started
7
-
ms.date: 11/18/2024
7
+
ms.date: 4/17/2025
8
8
ms.collection: ce-skilling-ai-copilot
9
9
---
10
10
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ To complete the steps in this article, make sure that you have:
26
26
27
27
28
28
>[!IMPORTANT]
29
-
>GitHub Copilot is not included in Visual Studio Subscriptions and is a separate subscription managed by GitHub. For questions regarding GitHub Copilot subscriptions and Support, see [Individual Subscriptions](https://docs.github.com/en/billing/managing-billing-for-github-copilot/managing-your-github-copilot-individual-subscription) or [Business subscriptions](https://docs.github.com/en/billing/managing-billing-for-github-copilot/managing-your-github-copilot-business-subscription).
29
+
>GitHub Copilot isn't included in Visual Studio Subscriptions and is a separate subscription managed by GitHub. For questions regarding GitHub Copilot subscriptions and Support, see [Individual Subscriptions](https://docs.github.com/en/billing/managing-billing-for-github-copilot/managing-your-github-copilot-individual-subscription) or [Business subscriptions](https://docs.github.com/en/billing/managing-billing-for-github-copilot/managing-your-github-copilot-business-subscription).
30
30
31
31
## Install GitHub Copilot for Azure Preview
32
32
@@ -37,17 +37,179 @@ To complete the steps in this article, make sure that you have:
37
37
## Write your first prompt
38
38
39
39
1. Ensure that the extension is installed, that you're properly authenticated, and that the extension is working correctly.
40
-
1. On the Activity Bar, select the **Chat** icon.
40
+
41
+
1. If the Chat window isn't already open, make sure it's open by either selecting the **Toggle Chat** button in the menu bar, or select the dropdown next to the **Toggle Chat** button and select **Open Chat (Ctrl+Alt+I)**.
42
+
43
+
:::image type="content" source="media/get-started/open-chat.png" alt-text="Screenshot that shows the Toggle Chat menu open and selecting the Open Chat menu option.":::
44
+
41
45
1. In the chat text area at the bottom of the chat pane, enter the following prompt:
42
46
43
47
```prompt
44
48
@azure Do I have any resources currently running?
45
49
```
46
50
47
-
The `@azure` part indicates that you want to include the Azure chat participant in the conversation. It scopes your prompt to a specific domain, namely, your Azure account.
51
+
:::image type="content" source="media/get-started/ask-mode.png" alt-text="Screenshot that shows the default ask mode state of the chat pane with an example prompt.":::
52
+
53
+
By default, GitHub Copilot uses **ask** mode. Ask mode provides answers to your prompts in the chat pane. **Agent** mode enables GitHub Copilot to take action in your workspace.
54
+
55
+
In ask mode, the `@azure` part indicates that you want to include the Azure chat participant in the conversation. It scopes your prompt to a specific domain, namely, your Azure account.
48
56
49
57
The answer to your question depends on what's currently running in Azure in your subscription.
50
58
59
+
## Agent mode
60
+
61
+
Beginning in Visual Studio Code version 1.99, GitHub Copilot introduced [agent mode](https://code.visualstudio.com/blogs/2025/02/24/introducing-copilot-agent-mode), an agentic experience that can perform tasks across your entire Visual Studio Code workspace, making edits, executing terminal commands, and so on.
62
+
63
+
GitHub Copilot for Azure provides "tools" to GitHub copilot to enhance the agentic experience through deep integration with Azure.
64
+
65
+
In agent mode, you don't need to instruct GitHub Copilot to use GitHub Copilot for Azure with the `@azure` prefix.
66
+
67
+
### Enable agent mode
68
+
69
+
You might need to enable agent mode.
70
+
71
+
1. In Visual Studio Code, open **Settings** using the **Manage** icon (gear).
72
+
73
+
:::image type="content" source="media/get-started/vscode-settings.png" alt-text="Screenshot that shows the Visual Studio Code settings menu by selecting the Manage button.":::
74
+
75
+
76
+
1. In the Settings' Search bar, search for `chat.agent.enabled`.
77
+
1. Check the box next to **Chat > Agent: Enabled**.
78
+
79
+
:::image type="content" source="media/get-started/chat-agent-enabled.png" alt-text="Screenshot that shows the settings dialog with settings filtered to chat.agent.enabled.":::
80
+
81
+
### Use agent mode
82
+
83
+
There are three modes: ask (default), edit and agent. To use agent mode, you must select it in the chat pane.
84
+
85
+
1. In the chat pane, in the chat prompt, select the mode dropdown and choose **Agent**.
86
+
87
+
:::image type="content" source="media/get-started/mode-agent.png" alt-text="Screenshot that shows the pop-up menu in the Chat box with Agent selected.":::
88
+
89
+
1. The chat pane confirms that you're currently in agent mode.
90
+
91
+
:::image type="content" source="media/get-started/agent-mode-confirmation.png" alt-text="Screenshot that shows the chat pane confirming you're now in agent mode.":::
92
+
93
+
1. To see agent mode working, use the following prompt:
94
+
95
+
```
96
+
What are your tools?
97
+
```
98
+
99
+
100
+
The completion response displays a list of GitHub Copilot for Azure specific tools available to GitHub Copilot. The response provides a good overview of the kinds of functionality now available to you:
101
+
102
+
103
+
```
104
+
I can assist you with various tasks using a range of tools. Here are the main tools I have available:
105
+
106
+
1. Search and Navigation
107
+
Semantic search for code or documentation
108
+
File search using glob patterns
109
+
Text search (grep)
110
+
List directory contents
111
+
Read file contents
112
+
List code usages/references
113
+
114
+
2. Code Editing and Analysis
115
+
Insert edits into files
116
+
Get errors in code files
117
+
Test search (find test files)
118
+
119
+
3. Terminal and Git Operations
120
+
Run commands in terminal
121
+
Get terminal output
122
+
Get Git diffs and changed files
123
+
124
+
4. Project Creation
125
+
Create new workspaces
126
+
Get project setup information
127
+
Install VS Code extensions
128
+
Create new Jupyter Notebooks
129
+
130
+
5. Web and API Tools
131
+
Fetch webpage content
132
+
Get VS Code API references
133
+
134
+
6. Azure Tools
135
+
Azure development best practices
136
+
Microsoft Learn documentation
137
+
Azure resource management
138
+
Azure authentication tools
139
+
AI model deployment and management
140
+
Azure Bicep schemas
141
+
Service configuration and deployment
142
+
Azure Developer CLI tools
143
+
144
+
Would you like me to explain any specific tool in more detail or help you with a particular task?
145
+
146
+
```
147
+
148
+
149
+
1. The last entry, `Azure Developer CLI tools`, could be employed with the following prompt:
150
+
151
+
```
152
+
What is the az command to list all my storage accounts ordered by location?
153
+
```
154
+
155
+
The completion to that prompt might generate:
156
+
157
+
```
158
+
159
+
I'll help you generate the Azure CLI command to list all your storage accounts ordered by location. Let me use the Azure CLI generator tool to get the correct syntax for this command.
160
+
161
+
To list all your storage accounts ordered by location in Azure, you can use the following Azure CLI command:
162
+
163
+
az storage account list --query "sort_by(@, &location)"
164
+
165
+
This command will:
166
+
167
+
1. Retrieve all storage accounts you have access to in your Azure subscription
168
+
2. Sort the results based on the location (Azure region) of each storage account
169
+
3. Display the full details of each storage account in the sorted order
170
+
171
+
If you'd prefer a more concise output focusing on specific fields, you could modify the query. For example, to show only the name and location in a table format:
172
+
173
+
az storage account list --query "sort_by(@, &location)[].[name,location]" -o table
174
+
175
+
Make sure you're logged into the Azure CLI before running this command. If you're not logged in yet, you can do so with az login.
176
+
177
+
```
178
+
179
+
### Enable and disable tools in agent mode
180
+
181
+
You might want to disable or re-enable certain tools available by GitHub Copilot for Azure.
182
+
183
+
1. Select the tool icon in the chat pane.
184
+
185
+
:::image type="content" source="media/get-started/tool-icon.png" alt-text="Screenshot of chat pane with highlight around the tool icon.":::
186
+
187
+
1. Use the checkbox next to the list of tools to enable / disable tools (or groups of tools).
188
+
189
+
:::image type="content" source="media/get-started/tool-list.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the list of tools in Visual Studio Code.":::
190
+
191
+
192
+
### Best practices for working in agent mode
193
+
194
+
To get better agentic results, consider the following best practices.
195
+
196
+
-**When prompted, add the `copilot-instructions.md` file to your workspace.**
197
+
198
+
:::image type="content" source="media/get-started/copilot-instructions.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the Visual Studio Code notification to add the copilot instructions file to the workspace.":::
199
+
200
+
-**Keep your prompts as granular as possible.** Instead of a prompt like `Generate a Python web application and deploy it to Azure`, you should break that up into a few prompts each with a smaller scope of responsibility.
201
+
202
+
-**Allow GitHub Copilot to do work (instead of doing it yourself).** Occasionally, GitHub Copilot asks for permission to perform a task with a "Continue" button. While it's possible for you to perform that task outside of the Chat window, you should allow GitHub Copilot to perform the task instead. This allows GitHub Copilot to retain the context of the current state of its larger plan.
203
+
204
+
-**Allow GitHub Copilot to repeat itself.** Occasionally, GitHub Copilot asks for permission to perform a task repeatedly. It does this to better understand the state of the project files and what it should do next. You should allow GitHub Copilot to repeat tasks it needs to perform.
205
+
206
+
-**Express your preferences.** If GitHub Copilot wants to perform an action but you would prefer it to take a *different* action, you can instruct it to do it your preferred way. For example, if it wants to create a folder to contain bicep files called `\.azure`, you could intervene and ask it to use a different folder with a prompt such as:
207
+
208
+
```
209
+
Instead of naming the folder `.azure`, please name it `infra`
210
+
```
211
+
212
+
51
213
## Optional: Set your default tenant
52
214
53
215
If you have multiple [Microsoft Entra ID](/entra/fundamentals/whatis#terminology) tenants, You can set a default tenant using the following prompt:
0 commit comments