Copilot on the Platform
Last Updated: June 24, 2025
This page explains common ways Copilot might be used within the VA ecosystem.
Prerequisites
Copilot access. Steps to request access are here: Getting Copilot access. Also see the VA Copilot onboarding handbook for a setup guide.
Copilot chat
You can use Copilot locally (here are instructions on how to configure that), or you can use it in the browser. If you access Copilot via github.com/copilot, it might be helpful to add more context to your chat by attaching a repository, a specific file, or a GitHub issue. To access Copilot chat within a file in the GitHub UI, use the keyboard shortcut Shift C, or click the Copilot icon:
Copilot icon
While in the chat, you can attach other files for Copilot to use as context. Some repos like vets-api and vets-website have a copilot-instructions.md file that should be added automatically to all chats within the repo, however, you may need to add it yourself if it doesn’t show up. This file adds helpful context if you’re asking Copilot to write code.
Copilot code review
For an extra set of “eyes” on your PR, add Copilot as a reviewer in the UI. Automatic Copilot PR reviews are enabled for some repos, so you might see Copilot already added. If the PR has already been reviewed but you want another review, click the 
button to re-request a review (see these GitHub docs for more info). You can also request a review locally in VS Code (see these GitHub docs for more info). As members of the VA GitHub organization, we each get 1,000 premium requests per month and a code review costs 1/3 of a premium request.
Request a review from Copilot
Notes on Copilot reviews
Copilot tends to catch typos well. It sometimes catches more significant things, but don’t assume that a PR doesn’t have errors when Copilot leaves no comments. It doesn’t have your context and understanding of the code base.
Copilot reviews of Terraform PRs have especially not been good so far.
In vets-api, we have configured Copilot to keep an eye out for certain red flags in a PR. It does an okay job of catching these things and commenting. Definitely not perfect, though.
Personal vs. VA Copilot license
If you'd like to use Copilot Preview features (features we don’t have access to with the VA license) for a personal or non-VA work repo, you'll need to use a different GitHub account. VA Copilot restrictions apply to all repos for the your account. If you’d like to drop your VA Copilot license to use a private license, you’ll need to request to be removed using this template. After a GitHub admin has removed you, you’ll then need to wait until the VA subscription expires. You won’t be able to use the Preview features on your personal account until the subscription expires.
Help and feedback
Get help from the Platform Support Team in Slack.
Submit a feature idea to the Platform.