How do you use Copilot CLI effectively with private repositories?

Copilot CLI works with private repositories the same way it works with public ones - the local file system access means it reads private files directly without sending them to GitHub. However, when using GitHub-integrated features like /pr or MCP, your token must have the appropriate private repository permissions.

# Working with a private repository is straightforward:
git clone https://github.com/myorg/private-repo.git
cd private-repo
copilot
# → Trust prompt → session starts with access to all local files

# Copilot reads your private code locally - it doesn't
# upload your entire repo to GitHub to enable CLI features

# For /pr on a private repo, your token needs:
# - repo scope (classic PAT) OR
# - Contents: read + Pull requests: write (fine-grained PAT)

# Fine-grained PAT setup for private org repo:
export COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN=github_pat_xxx
# Token needs: Copilot Requests + Contents (read) + Pull requests (write)
# for full CLI + PR functionality on private repos

Security considerations for private repos:

• Copilot CLI reads private files locally - the content it reads for local tasks stays in your AI inference session and is governed by your plan's data policy
• For Business/Enterprise plans, private code is not used for training
• Prompts containing private code snippets are governed by GitHub's data handling policies
• The trust prompt is especially important in private repos - ensure only authorised users can start Copilot sessions in sensitive directories

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