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Installing the GitHub Copilot extension in your environment

To use Copilot in your preferred coding environment, follow the steps for your chosen IDE.

Prerequisite

To use Copilot in your IDE, you need either limited access through Copilot Free or a paid Copilot plan for full access. For more information about how to get access and choose the right plan, see What is GitHub Copilot?.

About the GitHub Copilot extension for Xcode

Installing the GitHub Copilot extension for Xcode allows you to receive coding suggestions from Copilot as you type.

To see instructions for other popular coding environments, use the tool switcher at the top of the page.

Version compatibility

To use GitHub Copilot for Xcode you must have Xcode version 8.0 or above and macOS Monterey (12.0) or above installed. See Xcode on the Apple Developer site.

Installing the GitHub Copilot extension for Xcode

  1. Make sure you have access to GitHub Copilot. For information, see About GitHub Copilot.
  2. Make sure you have a compatible version of Xcode installed. To use GitHub Copilot for Xcode you must have Xcode version 8.0 or above and macOS Monterey (12.0) or above. See Xcode on the Apple Developer site.
  3. Download the latest version of the GitHub Copilot for Xcode extension from the github/CopilotForXcode repository and install it. A background item will be added for the application to be able to start itself when Xcode starts.

Granting required permissions

Two permissions are required to be able to use the extension: "Accessibility" and "Xcode Source Editor Extension". You will be prompted to enable the "Accessibility" permission when you first start the extension.

The "Xcode Source Editor Extension" permission needs to be enabled manually.

  1. Open the GitHub Copilot for Xcode application.
  2. Click Extension Permission.
  3. Enable GitHub Copilot and click Done.

After granting the required permissions, restart Xcode. You will see a new item in the "Editor" menu called "GitHub Copilot".

Signing in to GitHub Copilot

Before you can use the GitHub Copilot extension for Xcode, you need to authorize the extension to access your GitHub account.

Note

If you're using a Copilot plan for a managed user account on GHE.com, you'll need to update some settings before you sign in. See Using GitHub Copilot with an account on GHE.com.

  1. Open the GitHub Copilot for Xcode application.
  2. Click Login to GitHub and follow the prompts to authorize the extension.

Next steps