Chapter 32: GitHub Copilot Provider — Using Copilot as Your AI Agent

SeaMeet's AI Agent powers screenshot analysis, custom AI queries, and interactive AI workflows. Rather than bundling a single AI model, SeaMeet lets you choose your agent provider — the AI engine that handles these tasks. GitHub Copilot is one of two supported providers, and its free tier makes it the easiest way to get started.

This chapter goes deeper into the Copilot provider specifically: how SeaMeet detects it, how to switch to it or away from it, and what to expect from its usage limits.

Chapter Objectives

After reading this chapter, you will be able to:

Understand how SeaMeet uses GitHub Copilot CLI as a provider
Install, authenticate, and verify Copilot in SeaMeet
Refresh provider detection when the status doesn't update
Delete or remove the Copilot integration
Switch between Copilot and Claude Code as the active provider
Work within the free tier's 50 chat/month limit

How SeaMeet Uses GitHub Copilot

SeaMeet uses the GitHub Copilot CLI (gh copilot) as a subprocess. When you trigger an AI Agent action—analysing a screenshot, asking a question about a recording—SeaMeet calls the CLI tool, which communicates with GitHub's AI backend and returns the result.

This means:

No API key to enter manually for Copilot — authentication is handled through the GitHub CLI (gh auth login)
Your queries go directly from your machine to GitHub's servers
SeaMeet's role is to format the request and display the response

Detection: How SeaMeet Finds Copilot

SeaMeet does not monitor the Copilot CLI continuously. Instead, it detects it on demand when you click Refresh.

What "detected" means:

The gh CLI is installed and accessible on your PATH
gh copilot is available (Copilot extension installed)
You are authenticated with gh auth login

Detection states:

Status indicator	Meaning
✅ Detected	CLI is installed and authenticated — ready to use
⚠️ Not detected	CLI not found, or not on PATH
❌ Auth required	CLI found but not authenticated — run `gh auth login`

How to trigger detection:

Settings → AI → API Keys
In the AI Agent section, find the GitHub Copilot tile
Click the Refresh button (🔄)
SeaMeet re-checks and updates the status

Click Refresh any time you install, update, or re-authenticate the CLI.

First-Time Setup (Summary)

If you haven't set up Copilot yet, the full steps are in Chapter 31. In brief:

Install the GitHub CLI:
- Windows: winget install GitHub.cli
- macOS: brew install gh
- Linux: sudo apt install gh
Authenticate: gh auth login
Detect in SeaMeet: Settings → AI → API Keys → Copilot tile → Refresh 🔄

Removing the Copilot Integration

If you no longer want to use Copilot with SeaMeet:

Settings → AI → API Keys
Find the GitHub Copilot tile
Click Delete (🗑️)

This removes Copilot as a configured provider in SeaMeet. It does not uninstall the GitHub CLI from your system — Copilot continues to work in your terminal.

After deletion, if no other provider is configured, AI Agent features will be unavailable until you configure a provider.

Switching Between Copilot and Claude Code

If you have both GitHub Copilot and Claude Code installed, you can choose which one SeaMeet uses:

Settings → AI → API Keys
Both provider tiles show as detected
Select the radio button on the provider you want to use
Your selection is saved immediately — no restart required

Copilot vs. Claude Code at a glance:

	GitHub Copilot	Claude Code
Cost	Free (GitHub Free plan)	Requires Claude Pro or Max
Monthly limit	50 chats/month (Free tier)	Higher limits (Pro/Max)
Best for	Occasional use, getting started	Regular AI Agent usage
Install	`gh` CLI	Separate installer
Auth	`gh auth login` (GitHub account)	`claude auth` (Anthropic account)

Understanding the 50 Chat/Month Limit

GitHub Copilot's free plan includes 50 Copilot chat requests per month. Each AI Agent action in SeaMeet — analysing a screenshot, asking a question — counts as one request.

What happens when you hit the limit:

Copilot will return an error response
SeaMeet will display an error in the AI Agent panel
Recording, transcription, and AI Summary (Gemini) are unaffected — they use separate quota

If you hit the limit frequently:

Upgrade to GitHub Copilot Pro (higher monthly limit, paid)
Or switch to Claude Code as your AI Agent provider (Chapter 31)

Tip: The 50-request limit resets at the start of each calendar month. If you hit the limit near the end of the month, you can either wait for the reset or temporarily switch to Claude Code.

Troubleshooting

"Copilot shows as Not Detected after installing"

Most likely cause: The gh CLI was installed but is not on your system PATH, or the terminal session has not reloaded.

Try:

Open a new terminal window and run gh --version
If that fails, the CLI is not on PATH — reinstall or add the install directory to PATH manually
If gh --version works, click Refresh in SeaMeet again

"Auth Required"

Cause: The CLI is installed but you haven't signed in.

Fix: Open a terminal and run gh auth login. Follow the browser prompts to authenticate with GitHub.

"Agent requests failing mid-month"

Cause: You've used your 50 Copilot chat requests for the month.

Fix: Switch to Claude Code CLI as the active provider (Settings → AI → API Keys → select Claude Code radio button), or wait until the monthly limit resets.

Quick Reference

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│               GITHUB COPILOT PROVIDER                      │
│                   Quick Reference                          │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Install (Windows)  │ winget install GitHub.cli            │
│  Install (macOS)    │ brew install gh                      │
│  Authenticate       │ gh auth login                        │
│  Detect in SeaMeet  │ Settings → AI → API Keys → Refresh 🔄│
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Free limit         │ 50 chats/month                       │
│  Resets             │ First of each calendar month         │
│  Over limit?        │ Switch to Claude Code, or upgrade    │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Remove             │ API Keys → Copilot tile → Delete 🗑️  │
│  Switch provider    │ API Keys → radio button on provider  │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  What it powers     │ Screenshot analysis, AI queries      │
│  What it doesn't    │ AI Summary (that's Gemini)           │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Last updated: 2026-03-20

← Chapter 31: BYOK Setup Guide

GitHub Copilot Provider - Using Copilot as Your AI Agent