Copilot connectors: start with one approved tool

Start with the information you keep copying

Pick one approved source that explains what you want your app to do. It might be a team discussion containing an agreed requirement. Ask whether connecting that source would help the AI understand the task, rather than copying the same explanation between tools.

On October 28, GitHub announced Copilot connectors in public preview, an early release that may change. These are ready-made connections to other services. You sign in and approve access once, then use the connection across supported Copilot apps with the same account.

The launch covered 26 services, including Slack, Figma, Notion and Sentry. GitHub manages the connection setup and sign-in, so you do not have to install a separate connection server on your computer.

Read the announcement: GitHub: Connect tools to Copilot without repeated setup.

Choose the access along with the task

A connector gives Copilot access to the tools and information the connected service provides. Review the requested permissions before approving it. Copilot can use a connected service when it considers it relevant, even when your request does not name that service.

For a first exercise, choose a source you are allowed to share and ask for a summary or draft. Keep sending messages and changing records subject to review. Read the tool approval request before accepting it, and decide which actions belong in your experiment.

For example, you could ask Copilot to find the discussion where your team agreed how a request form should work. Check its summary against the original thread before asking it to change the app.

Check where the connection is available

The preview is rolling out to all Copilot plans. Workplace accounts can require administrator approval, and the connected service may have its own access rules. Check those settings with the account owner before expecting the connection to appear.

Supported places include the Copilot app, its command-line tool, VS Code and Copilot cloud sessions. You can also use connected services in supported cloud sessions on GitHub Mobile. GitHub's newer cloud experience on its website and mobile app requires a paid Copilot plan. The external service can also have its own subscription requirements.

GitHub's current documentation says these connectors do not yet work in sessions running on GitHub Actions, such as assigning an issue to Copilot. Ask your builder which kind of session you are using. Access to the connector also does not establish that every task or connected service is free.

Try a result you can verify

Microsoft's VS Code guide recommends opening the tool call in the conversation to check that the connected service returned a result. A convincing answer alone does not establish that the connection was used.

1. Choose one approved source and a question with a checkable answer.
2. Review the connection permissions with the account owner.
3. Ask for a summary and inspect the recorded tool call.
4. Compare the answer with the original source before using it in a build.
5. Disconnect the service when you no longer need its tools.

Make your knowledge easier to use

Our perspective is that easier connections are most useful when you can explain which information should guide the work. Save the source, the requirement it supports and the result you checked. That gives a training session or a conversation with your builder a concrete starting point.