GitHub Copilot

Installation

Install the GitHub Copilot extension in VS Code:

ext install GitHub.copilot
ext install GitHub.copilot-chat

Or via terminal:

code --install-extension GitHub.copilot
code --install-extension GitHub.copilot-chat

Keyboard Shortcuts

Inline Suggestions

Shortcut	Description
`Tab`	Accept the current inline suggestion
`Esc`	Dismiss the current inline suggestion
`Alt+]` / `Option+]`	Show next inline suggestion
`Alt+[` / `Option+[`	Show previous inline suggestion
`Ctrl+Enter`	Open Copilot completions panel
`Alt+\` / `Option+\`	Trigger inline suggestion manually

Chat

Shortcut	Description
`Ctrl+Alt+I` / `Ctrl+Cmd+I`	Open Copilot Chat panel
`Ctrl+I`	Open inline chat in the editor
`Ctrl+Shift+I`	Open Copilot Chat in a new window

Chat Slash Commands

Command	Description
`/explain`	Explain how the selected code works
`/fix`	Propose a fix for bugs in the selected code
`/tests`	Generate unit tests for the selected code
`/doc`	Add documentation comments to the selected code
`/simplify`	Simplify the selected code
`/new`	Scaffold a new workspace or file
`/newNotebook`	Create a new Jupyter notebook
`/clear`	Start a new chat session
`/help`	Show available slash commands and chat tips

Chat Variables

Reference context directly in your chat prompts using # variables:

Variable	Description
`#file`	Reference a specific file from the workspace
`#editor`	Reference the currently active editor content
`#selection`	Reference the current text selection
`#terminalSelection`	Reference the current terminal selection
`#terminalLastCommand`	Reference the last terminal command and output
`#codebase`	Search across the entire codebase for relevant files
`#sym`	Reference a specific symbol (function, class, etc.)

Example usage:

Explain how authentication works in #file:src/auth.ts

Chat Participants

Prefix your message with @ to target a specific agent:

Participant	Description
`@workspace`	Ask questions about the entire workspace/codebase
`@vscode`	Ask questions about VS Code settings, commands, and extensions
`@terminal`	Get help with shell commands and terminal usage
`@github`	Search GitHub repositories, issues, PRs and docs

Example usage:

@workspace Where is the database connection configured?
@vscode How do I change the default terminal shell?

Agent Mode

Agent mode lets Copilot autonomously plan and execute multi-step tasks across your codebase.

Enable agent mode by selecting Agent from the chat mode dropdown, then describe your task:

Create a REST API endpoint for user registration with validation and tests

Copilot will iteratively run tools (read files, run commands, edit code) and ask for confirmation before applying changes.

MCP (Model Context Protocol)

MCP servers extend Copilot's capabilities with external tools and data sources.

Configure MCP in VS Code

Edit your VS Code settings (Ctrl+Shift+P → Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)) or create .vscode/mcp.json in the workspace root:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "filesystem": {
        "type": "stdio",
        "command": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
          "/home/$USER/Documents"
        ]
      },
      "github": {
        "type": "stdio",
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
        "env": {
          "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "$GITHUB_TOKEN"
        }
      },
      "postgres": {
        "type": "stdio",
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres", "$DATABASE_URL"]
      },
      "fetch": {
        "type": "stdio",
        "command": "uvx",
        "args": ["mcp-server-fetch"]
      }
    }
  }
}

Place .vscode/mcp.json in your repository to share the MCP configuration with your team. Secrets (env vars) are resolved at runtime from your environment and are not stored in the file.

MCP Server Types

Type	Description
`stdio`	Spawns a local process communicating over stdin/stdout
`sse`	Connects to a remote server via Server-Sent Events

Manage MCP Servers

List, enable, or disable MCP servers from the VS Code Chat view using the tools icon (⚙️) or via the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P):

MCP: List Servers
MCP: Add Server