Using automations in the GitHub Copilot app

Automate recurring agent tasks so they run on a schedule or on demand, without manual intervention.

Who can use this feature?

GitHub Copilot app is in technical preview. GitHub Copilot Business, GitHub Copilot Enterprise, GitHub Copilot Pro, and GitHub Copilot Pro+ users can download and use the app. GitHub Copilot Free users and users without a Copilot plan can join the waitlist to request access.

In this article

Note

The GitHub Copilot app is in technical preview and subject to change.

  • Copilot Business, Copilot Enterprise, Copilot Pro, and Copilot Pro+ users — Download and install from the GitHub Copilot app repository. For Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise, your organization or enterprise must enable preview features and Copilot CLI.
  • Copilot Free users and users without a Copilot plan — To request access, join the waitlist.

About automations

Automations let you save recurring agent tasks and run them on a schedule or on demand. For example, you can create an automation that triages new issues daily or checks your open pull requests for review status each morning.

If you enable Run in the cloud when creating an automation, the automation runs in cloud sandboxes (public preview) hosted by GitHub. This lets the automation keep running even when your computer is off. For more information, see About cloud and local sandboxes for GitHub Copilot.

Click Automations in the sidebar to see your saved automations. Each automation shows its name, schedule, associated repository, and last run status.

Creating an automation

  1. Click New automation in the top-right corner.
  2. Give the automation a name and write a prompt describing the task. You can type / to add skills.
  3. Set the interval—either a recurring schedule (for example, daily at 9:00 AM) or manual.
  4. Optionally, configure the session mode, project, model, and reasoning effort.
  5. Optionally, enable Run in the cloud to let the automation run in a cloud sandbox, allowing the automation to run even when your computer is off.
  6. Click Create to save, or select Create and run to save and test the automation immediately.

Running an automation on demand

You can trigger any saved automation manually by clicking the play button on its card on the "Automations" page, without waiting for its next scheduled run.