github-copilot-extension-starter

This is a starter template for building your own GitHub Copilot Extension. It's based on the blackbeard-extension example, modified to include deployment infrastructure and setup instructions.

Note:

Copilot Extensions are in public preview and may be subject to change.

All enrolled users with a GitHub Copilot Individual subscription can use Copilot Extensions. For organizations and enterprises with a Copilot Business or Copilot Enterprise subscription, organization owners and enterprise administrators can grant access to Copilot Extensions for use within their company.

Development

Install dependencies:

npm install

To run locally:

npm start

or in watch mode:

npm run dev

Deployment Steps

1. Azure Infrastructure Setup

1. Create a terraform.tfvars file in the terraform directory with the following content:

subscription_id = "your-azure-subscription-id"
github_repo     = "your-github-username/your-repo-name"

2. Initialize and apply the Terraform configuration:

cd terraform
terraform init
terraform plan -out tfplan.tfplan
terraform apply tfplan.tfplan

3. After successful deployment, Terraform will output several values needed for the next steps. Add these values as GitHub repository secrets (Settings -> Secrets and variables -> Actions):

• AZURE_CLIENT_ID: The client ID of the managed identity
• AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID: Your Azure subscription ID
• AZURE_TENANT_ID: Your Azure tenant ID
• ACR_LOGIN_SERVER: Your ACR login server URL
• ACR_NAME: The name of your Azure Container Registry
• RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME: The name of your Resource Group
• CONTAINER_APP_NAME: The name of your Container App
• CONTAINER_APP_ENVIRONMENT: The name of your Container App Environment

Note: The managed identity and federated credentials are automatically set up by Terraform, so there's no need to create a service principal manually.

3. GitHub App Setup

1. Go to your GitHub account settings -> Developer Settings -> GitHub Apps

2. Click "New GitHub App"

3. Fill in the required fields:

   • GitHub App name: Choose a unique name
   • Homepage URL: Your repository URL
   • Webhook:
     • Active: Uncheck this box
     • Webhook URL: Leave empty
   • Callback URL: The Container App URL from Terraform output (e.g., https://your-app-name.region.azurecontainerapps.io)
   • Expire user authorization tokens: Check this box
   • Request user authorization (OAuth) during installation: Check this box
   • Enable Device Flow: Leave unchecked

4. Set Account Permissions:

   • GitHub Copilot Chat: Read-only

5. In the left sidebar, click Copilot:

   • Read the GitHub Marketplace Developer Agreement and the GitHub Pre-release License Terms, then accept the terms for creating a Copilot Extension
   • In the "App type" section, select the dropdown menu, then click Agent
   • Under "URL," enter the Container App URL from Terraform output
   • Under "Inference description", type a brief description of your agent, then click Save. This will be the description users see when they hover over your extension's slug in the chat window.

6. Install the app:

   • Go to the "Install App" tab
   • Choose the account where you want to install it
   • Select the repositories you want the extension to have access to

Running the Extension

After deployment and configuration:

1. The GitHub Action will automatically build and deploy your extension
2. Users can access your extension through GitHub Copilot Chat once installed

Demo

Using the GitHub Copilot Exptension in Visual Studio Code:

Using the GitHub Copilot Exptension on GitHub.com:

Checking the Azure Container Logs to confirm the extension is working:

Documentation

• Using Copilot Extensions
• About building Copilot Extensions
• Set up process
• Communicating with the Copilot platform