GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot is an AI coding assistant that doesn't support custom base URLs but does respect proxy configurations. This makes it compatible with AI Gateway Proxy, which integrates with AI Gateway for full access to auditing and governance features. To use Copilot with AI Gateway, make sure AI Gateway Proxy is properly configured, see AI Gateway Proxy Setup for instructions.

Copilot uses per-user tokens tied to GitHub accounts rather than a shared API key. Users must still authenticate with GitHub to use Copilot.

For general information about GitHub Copilot, see the GitHub Copilot documentation.

For general client configuration requirements, see AI Gateway Proxy Client Configuration. The sections below cover Copilot-specific setup for each client.

For provider configuration (admin), see GitHub Copilot provider setup.

Copilot CLI

For installation instructions, see GitHub Copilot CLI documentation.

Proxy configuration

Set the HTTPS_PROXY environment variable:

Replace <proxy-host> with your AI Gateway Proxy hostname.

Note: if TLS is not enabled on the proxy, replace https:// with http:// in the proxy URL.

CA certificate trust

Copilot CLI is built on Node.js and uses the NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS environment variable for custom certificates:

See Client Configuration CA certificate trust for details on how to obtain the certificate file.

When TLS is enabled on the proxy, combine the MITM CA certificate and the TLS certificate into a single file:

Copilot CLI may start MCP server processes that use runtimes other than Node.js (e.g. Go). These processes inherit environment variables like HTTPS_PROXY but may not respect NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS. Adding the TLS certificate to the system trust store ensures all processes trust it.

VS Code Copilot Extension

For installation instructions, see Installing the GitHub Copilot extension in VS Code.

Proxy configuration

You can configure the proxy using environment variables or VS Code settings. For environment variables, see AI Gateway Proxy client configuration.

Alternatively, you can configure the proxy directly in VS Code settings:

1. Open Settings (Ctrl+, for Windows or Cmd+, for macOS)
2. Search for HTTP: Proxy
3. Set the proxy URL using the format https://coder:<CODER_API_TOKEN>@<proxy-host>:8888

Or add directly to your settings.json:

Note: if TLS is not enabled on the proxy, replace https:// with http:// in the proxy URL.

The http.proxy setting is used for both HTTP and HTTPS requests. Replace <proxy-host> with your AI Gateway Proxy hostname and <CODER_API_TOKEN> with your Coder API token.

Restart VS Code for changes to take effect.

For more details, see Configuring proxy settings for Copilot in the GitHub documentation.

CA certificate trust

Add the AI Gateway Proxy CA certificate to your operating system's trust store. By default, VS Code loads system certificates, controlled by the http.systemCertificates setting.

See Client Configuration CA certificate trust for details on how to obtain the certificate file.

When TLS is enabled on the proxy, add the TLS certificate to the system trust store as well.

Using Coder Remote extension

When connecting to a Coder workspace with the Coder extension, the Copilot extension runs inside the Coder workspace and not on your local machine. This means proxy and certificate configuration must be done in the Coder workspace environment.

When TLS is enabled on the proxy, add the TLS certificate to the workspace's system trust store as well.

Proxy configuration

Configure the proxy in VS Code's remote settings:

1. Connect to your Coder workspace
2. Open Settings (Ctrl+, for Windows or Cmd+, for macOS)
3. Select the Remote tab
4. Search for HTTP: Proxy
5. Set the proxy URL using the format https://coder:<CODER_API_TOKEN>@<proxy-host>:8888

Note: if TLS is not enabled on the proxy, replace https:// with http:// in the proxy URL.

Replace <proxy-host> with your AI Gateway Proxy hostname and <CODER_API_TOKEN> with your Coder API token.

CA certificate trust

Since the Copilot extension runs inside the Coder workspace, add the AI Gateway Proxy CA certificate to the Coder workspace's system trust store. See System trust store for instructions on how to do this on Linux.

Restart VS Code for changes to take effect.

JetBrains IDEs

For installation instructions, see Installing the GitHub Copilot extension in JetBrains IDE.

Proxy configuration

Configure the proxy directly in JetBrains IDE settings:

1. Open Settings (Ctrl+Alt+S for Windows or Cmd+, for macOS)
2. Navigate to Appearance & Behavior > System Settings > HTTP Proxy
3. Select Manual proxy configuration and HTTP
4. Enter the proxy hostname and port (default: 8888)
5. Select Proxy authentication and enter:
   1. Login: coder (this value is ignored)
   2. Password: Your Coder API token
   3. Check Remember to save the password
6. Restart the IDE for changes to take effect

For more details, see Configuring proxy settings for Copilot in the GitHub documentation.

CA certificate trust

Add the AI Gateway Proxy CA certificate to your operating system's trust store. If the certificate is in the system trust store, no additional IDE configuration is needed.

When TLS is enabled on the proxy, add the TLS certificate to the system trust store as well, or add it under Accepted certificates in the IDE settings below.

Alternatively, you can configure the IDE to accept the certificate:

1. Open Settings (Ctrl+Alt+S for Windows or Cmd+, for macOS)
2. Navigate to Appearance & Behavior > System Settings > Server Certificates
3. Under Accepted certificates, click + and select the CA certificate file
4. Check Accept non-trusted certificates automatically
5. Restart the IDE for changes to take effect

For more details, see Trusted root certificates in the JetBrains documentation.

See Client Configuration CA certificate trust for details on how to obtain the certificate file.