/skill-copilot-provider

name: skill-copilot-provider
description: "GitHub Copilot CLI as optional zero-cost provider via copilot -p programmatic mode"
disable-model-invocation: true

> **Host: Codex CLI** — This skill was designed for Claude Code and adapted for Codex. > Cross-reference commands use installed skill names in Codex rather than `/octo:*` slash commands. > Use the active Codex shell and subagent tools. Do not claim a provider, model, or host subagent is available until the current session exposes it. > For host tool equivalents, see `skills/blocks/codex-host-adapter.md`.

GitHub Copilot Provider Skill

Overview

GitHub Copilot CLI (GA since Feb 2026) serves as an optional provider in the Claude Octopus multi-LLM ecosystem. Integration uses the official `copilot -p` programmatic mode, not reverse-engineered API endpoints.

**Core principle:** Copilot supplements existing providers for research and exploration at zero additional cost (uses existing GitHub Copilot subscription). Each prompt counts as one premium request against your subscription quota.

**Agent types:** `copilot` (general), `copilot-research` (research-focused)

Detection

# Check copilot CLI is available
if ! command -v copilot &>/dev/null; then
  # Copilot CLI not installed — silently skip
  return 0
fi

**Graceful degradation:** When Copilot CLI is unavailable or unauthenticated, silently skip. Other providers continue to operate normally.

Authentication

Copilot CLI checks credentials in this precedence order:

1. `COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN` env var (highest priority — fine-grained PAT with "Copilot Requests" permission) 2. `GH_TOKEN` env var 3. `GITHUB_TOKEN` env var 4. OAuth token from system keychain (via `copilot login`) 5. GitHub CLI (`gh`) authentication fallback

Setup

**Option 1: Interactive login (recommended for local dev)**

copilot login

**Option 2: Fine-grained PAT (recommended for CI/automation)** 1. Create a fine-grained PAT at https://github.com/settings/personal-access-tokens/new 2. Enable the "Copilot Requests" permission 3. Set the env var:

export COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN="github_pat_..."

**Option 3: Reuse existing `gh` auth** If `gh auth login` is already configured, Copilot CLI will use it automatically.

**Note:** Classic PATs (`ghp_*`) are NOT supported. Use fine-grained PATs (`github_pat_*`).

Available Roles

| Role | Agent Type | Use Case | |------|-----------|----------| | **General** | `copilot` | Broad research, code explanation, exploration | | **Research** | `copilot-research` | Research-focused exploration and analysis |

Dispatch

# Programmatic mode (non-interactive)
copilot -p "<prompt>" --no-ask-user

Provider Indicators

When Copilot is active in a multi-provider workflow:

Providers:
🔴 Codex CLI - Implementation
🟡 Antigravity CLI - Security review
🟢 Copilot CLI - Research perspective
🔵 Claude - Synthesis

Indicator legend:

• 🔴 = Codex CLI
• 🟡 = Antigravity CLI
• 🟢 = Copilot CLI
• 🟣 = Perplexity
• 🔵 = Claude

Doctor Integration

The `octopus doctor providers` check reports Copilot availability and auth method:

Providers:
  ✓ Copilot CLI installed (auth: keychain)

When unauthenticated: `⚠ Copilot CLI installed but not authenticated` When missing: `ℹ Copilot CLI not installed (optional)`

Integration Notes

1. **Zero additional cost** — Uses existing GitHub Copilot subscription (Pro, Pro+, Business, Enterprise) 2. **Premium request quota** — Each `copilot -p` prompt = 1 premium request from your monthly allowance 3. **Graceful degradation** — When unavailable, silently skip with no errors or warnings 4. **No provider cascade** — If unavailable, the role is reassigned to another provider 5. **Model selection** — Octopus uses Copilot's `auto` selector by default; pin `OCTOPUS_COPILOT_MODEL` to pass an explicit `--model` value 6. **Multi-model access** — Copilot subscription includes access to Claude, GPT, and Gemini models

Example Workflows

Research with Copilot

🐙 **CLAUDE OCTOPUS ACTIVATED** - Multi-provider research mode
🔍 Discover Phase: Researching WebSocket authentication patterns

Providers:
🔴 Codex CLI - Technical implementation analysis
🟡 Antigravity CLI - Ecosystem research
🟢 Copilot CLI - Research perspective
🔵 Claude - Strategic synthesis

Copilot Unavailable (Graceful Degradation)

🐙 **CLAUDE OCTOPUS ACTIVATED** - Multi-provider research mode
🔍 Discover Phase: Researching WebSocket authentication patterns

Providers:
🔴 Codex CLI - Technical implementation analysis
🟡 Antigravity CLI - Ecosystem research
🔵 Claude - Strategic synthesis

When Copilot is not detected, it is silently omitted from the provider list.