First Steps with GitHub Copilot

A zero-dependency, self-paced workshop for the GitHub Copilot app, Copilot CLI, and Copilot in VS Code.

Start the lab →

Choose a product from the switcher in the header. Each product has its own maintainable lab module, product-scoped progress, shared theme/navigation/copy behavior, and a focused route for building the same dependency-free space-quiz.

Routes

Route	Focus
Desktop App	Baseline storyline: sessions, integrated browser, element picker, /init, GitHub issues and PRs, Plan mode, Changes tab, Automations, /remote, Canvas, and GitHub Pages deployment
CLI	/model, /diff on every change, /init, publishing by prompt or by hand, c to add an issue to chat, parallel sessions via the left-arrow side panel, /worktree, ! shell commands, Plan mode, /context, /resume and copilot --resume, optional /remote, /pr create, /pr agentmerge, then /delegate
VS Code	Built-in Copilot plus the GitHub Pull Requests and Issues extension, integrated browser with element picking, /init custom instructions, bottom-right context inspection, tests before Git init, Git integration publish and diffs, /plan prompts, GitHub MCP, + new sessions, PR creation/review/merge

The shared model preference order is GPT-6-Luna (recommended), Auto (balanced backup), then your choice from the active models list.

When capturing project instructions, run /init create simple rules for the project. Include the request text after /init to avoid the app's "Command input required" error.

Prerequisites

Before installing:

1. Create a GitHub account, or use your existing account.
2. Activate Copilot Free or a paid Copilot plan. If your organization already provides Copilot access, use that account instead of signing up for another plan.
3. Install the GitHub Copilot app, Copilot CLI, or VS Code + GitHub Copilot, depending on the route. Git is required for the CLI and VS Code routes; the desktop app bundles Git.

PR code review: Copilot Free does not include Copilot code review. Requesting Copilot as a PR reviewer requires a plan that includes code review, or organization-enabled access on GitHub.com. Organization access also depends on administrator policies. Without access, skip the Copilot reviewer request, inspect the diff yourself or ask a human reviewer, and retest. Manual review still counts toward completing the lab; creating PRs and using Copilot Chat for follow-up work are separate from the code review feature.

Run locally

There is no build step, package manager, or runtime dependency. Serve the repository root with any static server:

python3 -m http.server 8000

Open http://localhost:8000.

Project structure

index.html             # Shared shell (the route picker renders inside the lab)
styles.css             # Shared theme, layout, and components
script.js              # Shared rendering, progress, copy, theme, and navigation
labs/shared.js         # Shared lab helpers, route picker, and model preferences
labs/art.js            # Hand-drawn SVG interface scenes
labs/app.js            # GitHub Copilot app lab definition
labs/cli.js            # Copilot CLI lab definition
labs/vscode.js         # Copilot in VS Code lab definition
assets/favicon.svg     # Site icon
.github/workflows/     # GitHub Pages deployment

Deploy

The GitHub Pages workflow publishes the repository root whenever changes are pushed to main. Enable GitHub Actions as the Pages source in repository settings.

Images

Every interface illustration is drawn in SVG in labs/art.js. They inherit the site's theme variables, so they follow light and dark mode, stay sharp at any size, and never go stale when a product ships a redesign.

To add one, write a new entry in the scenes object and call art("sceneName", "caption") from a lab.

License

Released under the MIT License.