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dsyme merged 2 commits into from
Feb 27, 2026
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docs: update fine-grained PAT repository access instructions for Copi… #18682

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docs: update fine-grained PAT repository access instructions for Copi…
mnkiefer Feb 27, 2026
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simplify instructions
mnkiefer Feb 27, 2026
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14 changes: 3 additions & 11 deletions docs/src/content/docs/reference/auth.mdx
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Expand Up @@ -81,22 +81,14 @@ If using Copilot as your AI engine, you need a GitHub Actions Secret set to a Gi
[**Create a fine-grained PAT**](https://github.com/settings/personal-access-tokens/new?name=COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN&description=GitHub+Agentic+Workflows+-+Copilot+engine+authentication&user_copilot_requests=read) (this link pre-fills the token name, description, and Copilot Requests permission). Verify the following settings before generating:

1. **Resource owner** is your **user account**, not an organization.
2. **Repository access** is set to **Public repositories**, even if you will be using it with private repositories. This is required for the "Copilot Requests" permission to be available.
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@pelikhan pelikhan Feb 27, 2026

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This should be bolded. Half the room in my team changed the setting.

3. Under **Permissions → Account permissions**, **Copilot Requests** is set to **Read**.
4. Click **Generate token** and copy the token value.
5. Add the PAT to your GitHub Actions repository secrets as `COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN`, either by CLI or GitHub UI.
2. Under **Permissions → Account permissions**, **Copilot Requests** is set to **Read**.
3. Click **Generate token** and copy the token value.
4. Add the PAT to your GitHub Actions repository secrets as `COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN`, either by CLI or GitHub UI.

```bash wrap
gh aw secrets set COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN --value "<your-github-pat>"
```

<Video
src="/gh-aw/videos/create-pat-user-copilot.mp4"
caption="Creating a fine-grained PAT for user-owned repositories with Copilot permissions"
aspectRatio="16:9"
silenced={true}
/>

**Troubleshooting**:

If your workflow fails at the Copilot inference step even with the token set, verify that the token owner's account has an active Copilot license. See [Copilot License or Inference Access Issues](/gh-aw/troubleshooting/common-issues/#copilot-license-or-inference-access-issues) for a local diagnostic step.
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