Technical Preview

Your AI pair programmer

With GitHub Copilot, get suggestions for whole lines or entire functions right inside your editor.

Trained on billions of lines of public code, GitHub Copilot puts the knowledge you need at your fingertips, saving you time and helping you stay focused.

Extends your editor

GitHub Copilot is available as an extension for Neovim, JetBrains, and Visual Studio Code. You can use the GitHub Copilot extension on your desktop or in the cloud on GitHub Codespaces. And it’s fast enough to use as you type.

Speaks all the languages you love

GitHub Copilot works with a broad set of frameworks and languages. The technical preview does especially well for Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Ruby, Java, and Go, but it understands dozens of languages and can help you find your way around almost anything.

You’re the pilot

With GitHub Copilot, you’re always in charge. You can cycle through alternative suggestions, choose which to accept or reject, and manually edit suggested code. GitHub Copilot adapts to the edits you make, matching your coding style.

More than autocomplete

GitHub Copilot is powered by Codex, the new AI system created by OpenAI. GitHub Copilot understands significantly more context than most code assistants. So, whether it’s in a docstring, comment, function name, or the code itself, GitHub Copilot uses the context you’ve provided and synthesizes code to match. Together with OpenAI, we’re designing GitHub Copilot to get smarter at producing safe and effective code as developers use it.

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Skip the docs and stop searching for examples. GitHub Copilot helps you stay focused right in your editor.

Convert comments to code. Write a comment describing the logic you want, and let GitHub Copilot assemble the code for you.

Autofill for repetitive code. GitHub Copilot works great for quickly producing boilerplate and repetitive code patterns. Feed it a few examples and let it generate the rest!

Tests without the toil. Tests are the backbone of any robust software engineering project. Import a unit test package, and let GitHub Copilot suggest tests that match your implementation code.

Show me alternatives. Want to evaluate a few different approaches? GitHub Copilot can show you a list of solutions. Use the code as provided, or edit it to meet your needs.

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Code confidently
in unfamiliar territory

Whether you’re working in a new language or framework, or just learning to code, GitHub Copilot can help you find your way. Tackle a bug, or learn how to use a new framework without spending most of your time spelunking through the docs or searching the web.

Flight reports

Hundreds of engineers, including many of our own, have been using GitHub Copilot every day. It’s transformed the way they work – here’s what they have to say:

Trying to code in an unfamiliar language by googling everything is like navigating a foreign country with just a phrase book. Using GitHub Copilot is like hiring an interpreter.

Harri Edwards // OpenAI

It surprised me with how precisely it understood my comment and generated accurate suggestions. The ability to choose from 10 different suggestions was the cherry on top.

Gunnika Batra

In the first day, GitHub Copilot already taught me about a nuance in Javascript object comparison and is as comfortable with our database schema as I am. This is the single most mind-blowing application of ML I’ve ever seen.

Mike Krieger // Co-founder, Instagram

I’m impressed by how GitHub Copilot seems to know exactly what I want to type next. GitHub Copilot is particularly helpful when working on React components, where it makes eerily accurate predictions. GitHub Copilot has become an indispensable part of my programmer toolbelt.

Feross Aboukhadijeh

GitHub Copilot discovered that a test file I was working in was missing a specific test and suggested and wrote the test for me.

Kate Studwell // GitHub

How it works

Frequently
asked questions

What is GitHub Copilot?

GitHub Copilot is an AI pair programmer that helps you write code faster and with less work. GitHub Copilot draws context from comments and code, and suggests individual lines and whole functions instantly. GitHub Copilot is powered by OpenAI Codex, a new AI system created by OpenAI. The GitHub Copilot technical preview is available as an extension for Visual Studio Code, Neovim, and the JetBrains suite of IDEs.

How does GitHub Copilot work?

OpenAI Codex was trained on publicly available source code and natural language, so it understands both programming and human languages. The GitHub Copilot editor extension sends your comments and code to the GitHub Copilot service, which then uses OpenAI Codex to synthesize and suggest individual lines and whole functions.

How good is GitHub Copilot?

We recently benchmarked against a set of Python functions that have good test coverage in open source repos. We blanked out the function bodies and asked GitHub Copilot to fill them in. The model got this right 43% of the time on the first try, and 57% of the time when allowed 10 attempts. And it’s getting smarter all the time.

Does GitHub Copilot write perfect code?

No. GitHub Copilot tries to understand your intent and to generate the best code it can, but the code it suggests may not always work, or even make sense. While we are working hard to make GitHub Copilot better, code suggested by GitHub Copilot should be carefully tested, reviewed, and vetted, like any other code. As the developer, you are always in charge.

How do I get the most out of GitHub Copilot?

It works best when you divide your code into small functions, use meaningful names for functions parameters, and write good docstrings and comments as you go. It also seems to do best when it’s helping you navigate unfamiliar libraries or frameworks.

What context does GitHub Copilot use to generate suggestions?

GitHub Copilot relies on file content for context, both in the file you are editing, as well as neighboring or related files. When you are using GitHub Copilot, it may also collect the URLs of repositories or file paths to identify relevant context.

How will GitHub Copilot get better over time?

GitHub Copilot doesn’t actually test the code it suggests, so the code may not even compile or run. GitHub Copilot can only hold a very limited context, so even single source files longer than a few hundred lines are clipped and only the immediately preceding context is used. And GitHub Copilot may suggest old or deprecated uses of libraries and languages. You can use the code anywhere, but you do so at your own risk.

How can I contribute?

The best way to contribute is to sign up for the technical preview. By using GitHub Copilot and sharing your feedback, you help to improve the models that power GitHub Copilot.

Of course! Please use #GitHubCopilot when you post so we can see what you produce!

What data has GitHub Copilot been trained on?

GitHub Copilot is powered by OpenAI Codex, a new AI system created by OpenAI. It has been trained on a selection of English language and source code from publicly available sources, including code in public repositories on GitHub.

Why was GitHub Copilot trained on data from publicly available sources?

Training machine learning models on publicly available data is considered fair use across the machine learning community. The models gain insight and accuracy from the public collective intelligence. But this is a new space, and we are keen to engage in a discussion with developers on these topics and lead the industry in setting appropriate standards for training AI models.

Will GitHub Copilot help me write code for a new platform?

When a new platform or API is launched for the first time, developers are the least familiar with it. There is also very little public code available that uses that API, and a machine learning model is unlikely to generate the code without fine tuning. In the future, we will provide ways to highlight newer APIs and samples to raise their relevance in GitHub Copilot’s suggestions.

Does GitHub Copilot recite code from the training set?

GitHub Copilot is a code synthesizer, not a search engine: the vast majority of the code that it suggests is uniquely generated and has never been seen before. We found that about 0.1% of the time, the suggestion may contain some snippets that are verbatim from the training set. Here is an in-depth study on the model’s behavior. Many of these cases happen when you don’t provide sufficient context (in particular, when editing an empty file), or when there is a common, perhaps even universal, solution to the problem. We are building a filter to help detect and suppress the rare instances of code that is repeated from a public repository on GitHub.

Who owns the code GitHub Copilot helps me write?

GitHub Copilot is a tool, like a compiler or a pen. The suggestions GitHub Copilot generates, and the code you write with its help, belong to you, and you are responsible for it. We recommend that you carefully test, review, and vet the code, as you would with any code you write yourself.

Do I need to credit GitHub Copilot for helping me write code?

No, the code you create with GitHub Copilot’s help belongs to you. While every friendly robot likes the occasional word of thanks, you are in no way obligated to credit GitHub Copilot. Just like with a compiler, the output of your use of GitHub Copilot belongs to you.

Does GitHub Copilot ever output personal data?

Because GitHub Copilot was trained on publicly available code, its training set included public personal data included in that code. From our internal testing, we found it to be extremely rare that GitHub Copilot suggestions included personal data verbatim from the training set. In some cases, the model will suggest what appears to be personal data – email addresses, phone numbers, access keys, etc. – but is actually made-up information synthesized from patterns in training data. For the technical preview, we have implemented a rudimentary filter that blocks emails when shown in standard formats, but it’s still possible to get the model to suggest this sort of content if you try hard enough.

Can GitHub Copilot introduce insecure code in its suggestions?

There’s a lot of public code in the world with insecure coding patterns, bugs, or references to outdated APIs or idioms. When GitHub Copilot synthesizes code suggestions based on this data, it can also synthesize code that contains these undesirable patterns. This is something we care a lot about at GitHub, and in recent years we’ve provided tools such as Actions, Dependabot, and CodeQL to open source projects to help improve code quality. Similarly, as GitHub Copilot improves, we will work to exclude insecure or low-quality code from the training set. Of course, you should always use GitHub Copilot together with testing practices and security tools, as well as your own judgment.

Does GitHub Copilot produce offensive outputs?

The technical preview includes filters to block offensive words and avoid synthesizing suggestions in sensitive contexts. Due to the pre-release nature of the underlying technology, GitHub Copilot may sometimes produce undesired outputs, including biased, discriminatory, abusive, or offensive outputs. If you see offensive outputs, please report them directly to copilot-safety@github.com, so that we can improve our safeguards. GitHub takes this challenge very seriously and we are committed to addressing it with GitHub Copilot.

How will advanced code generation tools like GitHub Copilot affect developer jobs?

Bringing in more intelligent systems has the potential to bring enormous change to the developer experience. We expect this technology will enable existing engineers to be more productive, reducing manual tasks and helping them focus on interesting work. We also believe that GitHub Copilot has the potential to lower barriers to entry, enabling more people to explore software development and join the next generation of developers.

How is the data that GitHub Copilot collects used?

In order to generate suggestions, GitHub Copilot transmits part of the file you are editing to the service. This context is used to synthesize suggestions for you. GitHub Copilot also records whether the suggestions are accepted or rejected. This telemetry is used to improve future versions of the AI system, so that GitHub Copilot can make better suggestions for all users in the future. In the future we will give users the option to control how their telemetry is used. More information about our use of telemetry can be found here.

Is the transmitted data secure?

All data is transmitted and stored securely. Access to the telemetry is strictly limited to individuals on a need-to-know basis. Inspection of the gathered source code will be predominantly automatic, and when humans read it, it is specifically with the aim of improving the model or detecting abuse.

Will my private code be shared with other users?

No. We use telemetry data, including information about which suggestions users accept or reject, to improve the model. Your private code is not used as suggested code for other users of GitHub Copilot.

Privacy & Data Protection

Please see the GitHub Copilot telemetry terms and About GitHub Copilot Telemetry. More information on how GitHub processes and uses personal data is available in our Privacy Statement.

Why is the technical preview restricted, and not available to everyone?

GitHub Copilot requires state-of-the-art AI hardware. During the technical preview, we are offering GitHub Copilot to a limited number of testers for free. When we launch a commercial product, we will make it available as broadly as possible.

Will there be a paid version?

If the technical preview is successful, our plan is to build a commercial version of GitHub Copilot in the future. We want to use the preview to learn how people use GitHub Copilot and what it takes to operate it at scale.

What development environments are supported?

We currently support Visual Studio Code, Neovim, and IntelliJ-based IDEs like JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA, Android Studio or PyCharm.