GitHub Copilot Workshop · 1h 15m

Vibe Coding with GitHub Copilot App

Overview ~75 min left
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GitHub Copilot mascot

Goal

By the end of the session, everyone in the room has:

Understand

What GitHub Copilot App is and why it's your goto AI workspace.

Set up

Successfully set up GitHub Copilot App.

Basics

Successfully started using GitHub Copilot App quick chat, add project from repo.

Prototype

Prototype your own Holiday Itinerary App

Duration: 2 minutes

Your AI workspace, unified.

Your choice of leading models, switch anytime, never locked in.
Duration: 10 minutes

Install the app

Before you install

  • A GitHub account with an active Copilot Student, Pro, Pro+, Business, or Enterprise plan
  • A computer running macOS, Linux, or Windows
  • Git installed on your computer
  • If you are using Copilot Business or Copilot Enterprise, your administrator must enable the Copilot CLI policy before you can use the app
1
DownloadGet the app
2
Sign inUse the licensed GitHub account
3
ReadyConfirm the app shows "Connected"

Step by step

1

Download the app

Go to the GitHub Copilot app page and download the version for your operating system, it's available for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Install it, then open it.

GitHub Copilot app download page with a Download for macOS button and macOS, Windows, and Linux options.
Download the app for your operating system, then install and open it.
2

Launch the app and choose how to sign in

Open the app after installing it. On the welcome screen, select Sign in to GitHub (or Sign in to GitHub Enterprise Cloud if your organization uses a *.ghe.com address).

GitHub Copilot app welcome screen with buttons to sign in to GitHub or GitHub Enterprise Cloud.
Select Sign in to GitHub to begin.
3

Note the device code

The app displays a short device code and automatically opens GitHub.com in your browser. Keep this code visible — you'll enter it in the next few steps. (If the code isn't copied automatically, you can copy it manually.)

GitHub Copilot app showing an eight-character device code while opening GitHub.com to authorize.
The app shows a device code (e.g. 17F9-8193) and opens GitHub.com in the browser.
4

Confirm your GitHub account

In the browser tab that opens, check that you're signed in with the GitHub account that has Copilot access, then select Continue.

GitHub Device Activation page showing the signed-in account with a Continue button.
Confirm the right account, then select Continue.
5

Enter the device code

On the Authorize your device page, type the code exactly as it appears in the app. Only ever use a code shown on your own device.

Authorize your device page with input boxes to enter the device code.
Enter the code exactly as shown in the app.
6

Authorize single sign-on

If your organization uses single sign-on, select Authorize next to each organization you need access to.

Single sign-on page listing organizations each with an Authorize button.
Authorize single sign-on for your organization(s) if prompted.
7

Authorization completes in the app

Switch back to the app. It confirms the authorization is complete and continues automatically to finish setup.

GitHub Copilot app screen showing authorization complete.
The app confirms Authorization complete.
8

Connect your repositories

Choose the local or GitHub repositories you want to work with. You can always add more later, so don't worry if you're not sure yet.

Connect your repositories screen with local and GitHub repositories to select.
Select the repositories you want, then select Continue.
9

Pick a theme and finish

Choose a colour theme for the app (you can change it anytime in settings), then select Finish.

Theme picker screen showing palette options with a Finish button.
Pick a theme, then select Finish.

Ready check

In the browser you'll see "Congratulations, you're all set! Your device is now connected." That confirms the app is authorized and ready to use.

Congratulations, you're all set screen confirming the device is now connected.
This confirmation means setup is complete.

Back in the app you'll land on the home screen, ready to ask a question, start a project, or paste a URL to get going.

GitHub Copilot app home screen with an Ask anything prompt box, model picker, and starter project ideas.
The app home screen, type in the Ask anything box to begin.
Duration: 10 minutes

Two core skills

This section teaches the two things you'll use most in the GitHub Copilot app. Get these two down and you can do almost everything else.

1

Quick chat

Ask a question in plain English and get an answer back — no project or setup needed. Great for quick help, ideas, and explanations.

2

Add a new project

Point the app at a repository so it understands your files, then work on real code together in context.

Skill 1 · Quick chat

1

Start a new quick chat

In the left sidebar, open Sessions › Chats and select New chat (or press ⌘⇧O). Then type your question and press Enter.

Copilot app sidebar showing Sessions and Chats with a New chat button highlighted.
Open Sessions › Chats and select New chat to begin.
2

See it in action

Watch a quick chat from start to finish — ask a question, read the answer, and keep the conversation going.

A quick chat from start to finish.

Skill 2 · Add a new project

1

Add a project

Watch how to add a project so the app can see your files. In the app, choose to add a project, then pick a local folder or a GitHub repository to work with.

Adding a project from a repository, start to finish.
2

Your project is ready

Once added, the project appears in the app and Copilot can work with its files in context.

GitHub Copilot app showing a newly added project ready to work with.
Your project is added and ready to work with.
Duration: 30 minutes

Rapid prototyping workflow

Move from an idea to a published holiday itinerary with Copilot. Select each stage to see the prompt or action.

Plan, Build, Review, Ship workflow A four-stage workflow showing a user and AI collaborating to create and publish a holiday itinerary. Plan Build Review Ship USER AI

Plan

Decide what you're making before touching code.

Generate a 7-day itinerary for a couple around Bali who want to relax, see temples and surf, with a budget of $500/day including accommodation, activities and food.

Build

Turn the plan into a real artifact.

Generate a colourful single-page website from this itinerary, with a tropical theme, a card for each day, a budget table and travel tips.

Review

Check it works before it goes out.

Open the live browser preview, inspect the itinerary, and ask Copilot to correct anything that needs another pass.

Ship

Publish it to the world.

Publish this on my GitHub Pages and give me the website URL.
  • Commit and push to main, enable GitHub Pages, and confirm the live URL loads.

View the finished itinerary

Polish the experience

Copilot app showing completed styling changes beside the refreshed Bali itinerary preview
Review the refreshed result. Check the polished itinerary in the live preview, then review the change count and select Commit when you are happy with the result.
Save and share the result. Select Commit to create a checkpoint for the polished changes, then push them to GitHub so the latest version is ready to publish.
Duration: 5 minutes

Wrap-up

Keep going after today

Video playlist

Copilot in action

Hands-on walkthroughs of the same plan → implement → review workflow you practiced today.

Watch on YouTube → GitHub Blog

Product news & deep dives

Stay current on new Copilot capabilities, engineering practices, and real-world adoption stories.

Read the blog → Certification

Agentic workflows

Turn today's practice into a credential with GitHub's official agentic certification path.

Get certified →