cli-command-reference.md

title	GitHub Copilot CLI command reference
shortTitle	CLI command reference
intro	Find commands and keyboard shortcuts to help you use {% data variables.copilot.copilot_cli_short %} effectively.
versions	feature copilot
category	Author and optimize with Copilot
topics	Copilot
contentType	reference

Command-line commands

Command	Purpose
copilot	Launch interactive mode.
copilot help [topic]	Display help information. Help topics include: config, commands, environment, logging, and permissions.
copilot init	Initialize {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} custom instructions for this repository.
copilot update	Download and install the latest version.
copilot version	Display version information and check for updates.
copilot plugin	Manage plugins and plugin marketplaces.

Global shortcuts in interactive mode

Shortcut	Purpose
@ FILENAME	Include file contents in the context.
Ctrl+X then /	After you have started typing a prompt, this allows you to run a slash command—for example, if you want to change the model without having to retype your prompt.
Esc	Cancel the current operation.
! COMMAND	Execute a command in your local shell, bypassing {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %}.
Ctrl+C	Cancel operation / clear input. Press twice to exit.
Ctrl+D	Shutdown.
Ctrl+L	Clear the screen.

Timeline shortcuts in interactive mode

Shortcut	Purpose
ctrl+o	While there is nothing in the prompt input, this expands recent items in {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %}'s response timeline to show more details.
ctrl+e	While there is nothing in the prompt input, this expands all items in {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %}'s response timeline.

Navigation shortcuts in interactive mode

Shortcut	Purpose
Ctrl+A	Move to beginning of the line (when typing).
Ctrl+E	Move to end of the line (when typing).
Ctrl+H	Delete the previous character.
Ctrl+W	Delete the previous word.
Ctrl+U	Delete from cursor to beginning of the line.
Ctrl+K	Delete from cursor to end of the line.
Meta+←/→	Move the cursor by a word.
↑/↓	Navigate the command history.

Slash commands in interactive mode

Command	Purpose
/add-dir PATH	Add a directory to the allowed list for file access.
/agent	Browse and select from available agents (if any).
/allow-all, /yolo	Enable all permissions (tools, paths, and URLs).
/clear, /new	Clear the conversation history.
/compact	Summarize the conversation history to reduce context window usage.
/context	Show the context window token usage and visualization.
/cwd, /cd [PATH]	Change the working directory or display the current directory.
/delegate [PROMPT]	Delegate changes to a remote repository with an AI-generated pull request.
/diff	Review the changes made in the current directory.
/exit, /quit	Exit the CLI.
/experimental [on|off]	Toggle or turn on/off experimental features.
/share [file|gist] [PATH]	Share the session to a Markdown file or GitHub gist.
/feedback	Provide feedback about the CLI.
/help	Show the help for interactive commands.
/ide	Connect to an IDE workspace.
/init	Initialize {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} custom instructions and agentic features for this repository.
/list-dirs	Display all of the directories for which file access has been allowed.
/login	Log in to {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %}.
/logout	Log out of {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %}.
/lsp [show|test|reload|help] [SERVER-NAME]	Manage the language server configuration.
/mcp [show|add|edit|delete|disable|enable] [SERVER-NAME]	Manage the MCP server configuration.
/model, /models [MODEL]	Select the AI model you want to use.
/plan [PROMPT]	Create an implementation plan before coding.
/plugin [marketplace|install|uninstall|update|list] [ARGS...]	Manage plugins and plugin marketplaces.
/rename NAME	Rename the current session (alias for /session rename).
/reset-allowed-tools	Reset the list of allowed tools.
/resume [SESSION-ID]	Switch to a different session (optionally specify a session ID).
/review [PROMPT]	Run the code review agent to analyze changes.
/session [checkpoints [n]|files|plan|rename NAME]	Show session information and a workspace summary. Use the subcommands for details.
/skills [list|info|add|remove|reload] [ARGS...]	Manage skills for enhanced capabilities.
/terminal-setup	Configure the terminal for multiline input support (Shift+Enter and Ctrl+Enter).
/theme [show|set|list] [auto|THEME-ID]	View or configure the terminal theme.
/usage	Display session usage metrics and statistics.
/user [show|list|switch]	Manage the current {% data variables.product.github %} user.

For a complete list of available slash commands enter /help in interactive mode.

Command-line options

Option	Purpose
--acp	Start the Agent Client Protocol server.
--add-dir PATH	Add a directory to the allowed list for file access (can be used multiple times).
--add-github-mcp-tool TOOL	Add a tool to enable for the {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server, instead of the default CLI subset (can be used multiple times). Use * for all tools.
--add-github-mcp-toolset TOOLSET	Add a toolset to enable for the {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server, instead of the default CLI subset (can be used multiple times). Use all for all toolsets.
--additional-mcp-config JSON	Additional MCP servers configuration as a JSON string or a file path (prefix with @) (can be used multiple times). Augments the configuration from ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json for this session.
--agent AGENT	Specify a custom agent to use.
--allow-all	Enable all permissions (equivalent to --allow-all-tools --allow-all-paths --allow-all-urls).
--allow-all-paths	Disable file path verification and allow access to any path.
--allow-all-tools	Allow all tools to run automatically without confirmation. Required for non-interactive mode (env: COPILOT_ALLOW_ALL).
--allow-all-urls	Allow access to all URLs without confirmation.
--allow-tool [TOOLS...]	Tools the CLI has permission to use. Will not prompt for permission.
--allow-url [URLS...]	Allow access to specific URLs or domains.
--available-tools [TOOLS...]	Only these tools will be available to the model.
--banner	Show the startup banner.
--config-dir PATH	Set the configuration directory (default: ~/.copilot).
--continue	Resume the most recent session.
--deny-tool [TOOLS...]	Tools the CLI does not have permission to use. Will not prompt for permission.
--deny-url [URLS...]	Deny access to specific URLs or domains, takes precedence over --allow-url.
--disable-builtin-mcps	Disable all built-in MCP servers (currently: github-mcp-server).
--disable-mcp-server SERVER-NAME	Disable a specific MCP server (can be used multiple times).
--disable-parallel-tools-execution	Disable parallel execution of tools (LLM can still make parallel tool calls, but they will be executed sequentially).
--disallow-temp-dir	Prevent automatic access to the system temporary directory.
--enable-all-github-mcp-tools	Enable all {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server tools, instead of the default CLI subset. Overrides the --add-github-mcp-toolset and --add-github-mcp-tool options.
--excluded-tools [TOOLS...]	These tools will not be available to the model.
--experimental	Enable experimental features (use --no-experimental to disable).
-h, --help	Display help.
-i PROMPT, --interactive PROMPT	Start interactive mode and automatically execute this prompt.
--log-dir DIRECTORY	Set the log file directory (default: ~/.copilot/logs/).
--log-level LEVEL	Set the log level (choices: none, error, warning, info, debug, all, default).
--model MODEL	Set the AI model you want to use.
--no-ask-user	Disable the ask_user tool (the agent works autonomously without asking questions).
--no-auto-update	Disable downloading CLI updates automatically.
--no-color	Disable all color output.
--no-custom-instructions	Disable loading of custom instructions from AGENTS.md and related files.
-p PROMPT, --prompt PROMPT	Execute a prompt in non-interactive mode (exits after completion).
--plain-diff	Disable rich diff rendering (syntax highlighting via the diff tool specified by your git config).
--resume [SESSION-ID]	Resume from a previous session (optionally specify a session ID).
-s, --silent	Output only the agent response (without usage statistics), useful for scripting with -p.
--screen-reader	Enable screen reader optimizations.
--share [PATH]	Share a session to a Markdown file after completion in non-interactive mode (default path: ./copilot-session-<ID>.md).
--share-gist	Share a session to a secret {% data variables.product.github %} gist after completion in non-interactive mode.
--stream MODE	Enable or disable streaming mode (mode choices: on or off).
-v, --version	Show version information.
--yolo	Enable all permissions (equivalent to --allow-all-tools --allow-all-paths --allow-all-urls).

For a complete list of commands and options, run copilot help.