GitHub Copilot CLI command reference

Command-line commands

Command	Purpose
copilot	Launch the interactive user interface.
copilot help [topic]	Display help information. Help topics include: config, commands, environment, logging, and permissions.
copilot init	Initialize Copilot custom instructions for this repository.
copilot update	Download and install the latest version.
copilot version	Display version information and check for updates.
copilot login	Authenticate with Copilot via the OAuth device flow. Accepts --host HOST to specify the GitHub host URL (default: https://github.com).
copilot logout	Sign out of GitHub and remove stored credentials.
copilot plugin	Manage plugins and plugin marketplaces.

Global shortcuts in the interactive interface

Shortcut	Purpose
@ FILENAME	Include file contents in the context.
Ctrl+X then /	After you have started typing a prompt, this allows you to run a slash command—for example, if you want to change the model without having to retype your prompt.
Esc	Cancel the current operation.
! COMMAND	Execute a command in your local shell, bypassing Copilot.
Ctrl+C	Cancel operation / clear input. Press twice to exit.
Ctrl+D	Shutdown.
Ctrl+L	Clear the screen.
Shift+Tab	Cycle between standard, plan, and autopilot mode.

Timeline shortcuts in the interactive interface

Shortcut	Purpose
ctrl+o	While there is nothing in the prompt input, this expands recent items in Copilot's response timeline to show more details.
ctrl+e	While there is nothing in the prompt input, this expands all items in Copilot's response timeline.
ctrl+t	Expand/collapse display of reasoning in responses.

Navigation shortcuts in the interactive interface

Shortcut	Purpose
Ctrl+A	Move to beginning of the line (when typing).
Ctrl+B	Move to the previous character.
Ctrl+E	Move to end of the line (when typing).
Ctrl+F	Move to the next character.
Ctrl+G	Edit the prompt in an external editor.
Ctrl+H	Delete the previous character.
Ctrl+K	Delete from cursor to end of the line.
Ctrl+U	Delete from cursor to beginning of the line.
Ctrl+W	Delete the previous word.
Home	Move to the start of the current line.
End	Move to the end of the current line.
Ctrl+Home	Move to the start of the text.
Ctrl+End	Move to the end of the text.
Meta+←/→	Move the cursor by a word.
↑/↓	Navigate the command history.

Slash commands in the interactive interface

Command	Purpose
/add-dir PATH	Add a directory to the allowed list for file access.
/agent	Browse and select from available agents (if any).
/allow-all, /yolo	Enable all permissions (tools, paths, and URLs).
/clear, /new	Clear the conversation history.
/compact	Summarize the conversation history to reduce context window usage.
/context	Show the context window token usage and visualization.
/cwd, /cd [PATH]	Change the working directory or display the current directory.
/delegate [PROMPT]	Delegate changes to a remote repository with an AI-generated pull request.
/diff	Review the changes made in the current directory.
/exit, /quit	Exit the CLI.
/experimental [on|off]	Toggle or turn on/off experimental features.
/feedback	Provide feedback about the CLI.
/fleet [PROMPT]	Enable parallel subagent execution of parts of a task. See Running tasks in parallel with the /fleet command.
/help	Show the help for interactive commands.
/ide	Connect to an IDE workspace.
/init	Initialize Copilot custom instructions and agentic features for this repository.
/list-dirs	Display all of the directories for which file access has been allowed.
/login	Log in to Copilot.
/logout	Log out of Copilot.
/lsp [show|test|reload|help] [SERVER-NAME]	Manage the language server configuration.
/mcp [show|add|edit|delete|disable|enable] [SERVER-NAME]	Manage the MCP server configuration.
/model, /models [MODEL]	Select the AI model you want to use.
/plan [PROMPT]	Create an implementation plan before coding.
/plugin [marketplace|install|uninstall|update|list] [ARGS...]	Manage plugins and plugin marketplaces.
/rename NAME	Rename the current session (alias for /session rename).
/reset-allowed-tools	Reset the list of allowed tools.
/resume [SESSION-ID]	Switch to a different session by choosing from a list (optionally specify a session ID).
/review [PROMPT]	Run the code review agent to analyze changes.
/session [checkpoints [n]|files|plan|rename NAME]	Show session information and a workspace summary. Use the subcommands for details.
/share [file|gist] [PATH]	Share the session to a Markdown file or GitHub gist.
/skills [list|info|add|remove|reload] [ARGS...]	Manage skills for enhanced capabilities.
/terminal-setup	Configure the terminal for multiline input support (Shift+Enter and Ctrl+Enter).
/theme [show|set|list] [auto|THEME-ID]	View or configure the terminal theme.
/usage	Display session usage metrics and statistics.
/user [show|list|switch]	Manage the current GitHub user.

For a complete list of available slash commands enter /help in the CLI's interactive interface.

Command-line options

Option	Purpose
--acp	Start the Agent Client Protocol server.
--add-dir PATH	Add a directory to the allowed list for file access (can be used multiple times).
--add-github-mcp-tool TOOL	Add a tool to enable for the GitHub MCP server, instead of the default CLI subset (can be used multiple times). Use * for all tools.
--add-github-mcp-toolset TOOLSET	Add a toolset to enable for the GitHub MCP server, instead of the default CLI subset (can be used multiple times). Use all for all toolsets.
--additional-mcp-config JSON	Add an MCP server for this session only. The server configuration can be supplied as a JSON string or a file path (prefix with @). Augments the configuration from ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json. Overrides any installed MCP server configuration with the same name.
--agent AGENT	Specify a custom agent to use.
--allow-all	Enable all permissions (equivalent to --allow-all-tools --allow-all-paths --allow-all-urls).
--allow-all-paths	Disable file path verification and allow access to any path.
--allow-all-tools	Allow all tools to run automatically without confirmation. Required when using the CLI programmatically (env: COPILOT_ALLOW_ALL).
--allow-all-urls	Allow access to all URLs without confirmation.
--allow-tool [TOOLS...]	Tools the CLI has permission to use. Will not prompt for permission.
--allow-url [URLS...]	Allow access to specific URLs or domains.
--alt-screen [VALUE]	Use the terminal alternate screen buffer (on or off).
--autopilot	Enable autopilot continuation in prompt mode. See Allowing GitHub Copilot CLI to work autonomously.
--available-tools [TOOLS...]	Only these tools will be available to the model.
--banner	Show the startup banner.
--bash-env [VALUE]	Enable BASH_ENV support for bash shells (on or off).
--config-dir PATH	Set the configuration directory (default: ~/.copilot).
--continue	Resume the most recent session.
--deny-tool [TOOLS...]	Tools the CLI does not have permission to use. Will not prompt for permission.
--deny-url [URLS...]	Deny access to specific URLs or domains, takes precedence over --allow-url.
--disable-builtin-mcps	Disable all built-in MCP servers (currently: github-mcp-server).
--disable-mcp-server SERVER-NAME	Disable a specific MCP server (can be used multiple times).
--disable-parallel-tools-execution	Disable parallel execution of tools (LLM can still make parallel tool calls, but they will be executed sequentially).
--disallow-temp-dir	Prevent automatic access to the system temporary directory.
--enable-all-github-mcp-tools	Enable all GitHub MCP server tools, instead of the default CLI subset. Overrides the --add-github-mcp-toolset and --add-github-mcp-tool options.
--excluded-tools [TOOLS...]	These tools will not be available to the model.
--experimental	Enable experimental features (use --no-experimental to disable).
-h, --help	Display help.
-i PROMPT, --interactive PROMPT	Start an interactive session and automatically execute this prompt.
--log-dir DIRECTORY	Set the log file directory (default: ~/.copilot/logs/).
--log-level LEVEL	Set the log level