Demo GitHub Copilot for the Command Line

Welcome to our hands-on guide showing how to turbocharge your terminal with AI-driven suggestions. GitHub Copilot brings context-aware command completions, explanations, and chat directly into your shell—boosting productivity on macOS, Linux, and Windows.

Getting Started

You can activate Copilot in your terminal using one of two methods:

Method	Requirements	Key Commands
GitHub CLI	GitHub Copilot subscription, GitHub CLI installed	`brew install gh` <br> `gh extension install github/gh-copilot`
Windows Terminal Canary	Windows Terminal Canary build	Configure Copilot in Terminal settings

1. GitHub CLI Method

Note

A GitHub Copilot subscription is required (free for eligible users).

The image is a flowchart titled "Getting Started" that outlines the steps for using the GitHub CLI method, requiring a GitHub Copilot subscription. It includes steps to install the GitHub CLI and Copilot extension, and to authenticate to start.

Install GitHub CLI

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install gh

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt update && sudo apt install gh

Authenticate to GitHub
```
gh auth login
```
Install Copilot extension
```
gh extension install github/gh-copilot
```
Verify setup
```
gh copilot --help
```

2. Windows Terminal Canary Method

The image is a flowchart titled "Getting Started" for the "Windows Terminal Method," requiring a Windows Terminal Canary for native integration. It includes steps to configure settings for authentication and link a GitHub account to the terminal.

Install Windows Terminal Canary from the Microsoft Store.
Open Settings → Copilot and Sign in with GitHub.
Restart the terminal to enable AI suggestions natively.

Context & Prompting

Copilot’s prompt is the code and comments around your cursor. Better context means smarter suggestions. Copilot now:

Extracts nearby code, open tabs, and imports
Scans project files for relevant patterns
Achieves a ~35% acceptance rate on prompts (vs. ~20% at preview)

Experiment by including clear comments or function signatures before your cursor to get precise completions.

Command-Line Features

Explain: Summarize commands in plain English.
Suggest: Generate ready-to-use commands.
Chat: Interactive Q&A via gh copilot chat.

Shell Aliases

Save keystrokes by defining shortcuts in your shell config:

The image illustrates how to set up aliases in Bash, PowerShell, and Zsh, specifying the respective configuration files: `.bashrc`, Profile script, and `.zshrc`.

Shell	Config File	Alias Example
Bash	`~/.bashrc`	`alias ghcs="gh copilot suggest"`
Zsh	`~/.zshrc`	`alias ghce="gh copilot explain"`
PowerShell	Profile script	`Set-Alias ghcs gh copilot suggest`

Reload your shell (source ~/.bashrc or restart) to apply.

Practical Use Cases

The image outlines practical use cases for Git operations, system administration, and error resolution, highlighting tasks like managing branches, file operations, and troubleshooting errors.

Git Workflows: Branch creation, commit messages, conflict resolution.
SysAdmin Tasks: File ops, permissions, process control.
Error Debugging: Convert cryptic errors into actionable fixes.

VS Code Integration

Copilot extends into VS Code’s integrated terminal and chat:

Inline Chat: Run “GitHub Copilot: Open Copilot Chat” from the Command Palette.
@Terminal Agent: Prefix prompts with @Terminal to target shell commands.

The image shows instructions for integrating with VS Code, highlighting terminal integration and workflow enhancement features, including keyboard shortcuts for activating inline chat on Windows and Mac.

Best Practices

Provide clear prompts and context (project name, file paths).
Review suggestions carefully—especially for destructive commands.
Rate responses to help Copilot improve over time.

Warning

Always inspect AI-generated commands before executing in production environments.

Command-Line Demo

Try these hands-on examples:

Authenticate
```
gh auth login
```
Install
```
gh extension install github/gh-copilot
```
Explain a Command
```
gh copilot explain "chmod 777 /test"
```

Explain a Pipeline

gh copilot explain "find . -type f -name '*.js' | xargs grep 'function'"

Suggest a Git Command

gh copilot suggest "delete a git branch"

Copilot proposes:

git branch -d <branch>
git push origin --delete <branch>

Links and References

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