Confirm Model Access

:clipboard: Before You Start

This step has two entry points:

• Arriving from the step 07 access check (error recovery): You have completed Install the gh-aw CLI Extension and pushed .github/skills/agentic-workflows/. Workflow files do not need to exist yet — fix model access first, then return to Write Your First Agentic Workflow to continue.
• Arriving as the next step after step 07 (normal flow): daily-report-status.md and daily-report-status.lock.yml are committed to your practice repository.

:dart: What You'll Do

You'll verify Copilot model access with a quick test that uses the agentic-workflows skill, then choose the billing and authentication method for the first workflow, configure it, and confirm the source and lock files agree before you continue to Step 8.

Verify model access with a test prompt

Before configuring billing, confirm Copilot is reachable from this repository. Catching an access problem here saves debugging time in the billing steps and in Step 8.

1. In the terminal that is already open in your Codespace, run:

gh copilot

1. Send the following prompt in Copilot CLI:

/agentic-workflows what trigger does a scheduled workflow use?

1. Confirm you receive a reply. Any response means the model and skill are accessible.
2. If you see an error, check github.com/settings/copilot to confirm Copilot is enabled on your account, then return here.

Pre-flight troubleshooting decision tree

Use this quick check before you choose a billing path:

• You receive a normal reply in Copilot CLI
  • If you arrived here from the step 07 access check (before creating workflow files), return to Write Your First Agentic Workflow and continue from where you left off.
  • Otherwise, continue to Choose one Copilot billing path.
• You receive an access or entitlement error
  • Confirm Copilot is enabled for your account at github.com/settings/copilot.
  • If your repository is in an organization, ask your org admin to confirm your Copilot seat and policy access.
  • Retry the same one-sentence prompt in Copilot CLI.
• You still cannot get a reply after account checks
  • Pause here and complete Side Quest: Configure GitHub Copilot for Agentic Workflows, then return to this step.

Confirm the workflow engine

Open .github/workflows/daily-report-status.md. The Step 7 workflow has no engine: line, so it uses GitHub Copilot.

Claude and Codex are optional engines introduced in later side quests. You do not need an Anthropic or OpenAI API key for this first run.

If you are working in Claude Code or OpenAI Codex, keep this first workflow on Copilot and switch later if you want:

• Claude Code: use Side Quest: Configure an Anthropic API Key.
• OpenAI Codex: use Side Quest: Configure an OpenAI API Key.

Choose one Copilot billing path

Choose exactly one method. The diagram below shows both paths and the key configuration difference between them.

Plain-language billing summary

• Choose organization centralized billing when the repository's organization already pays for Copilot in GitHub Actions. Keep copilot-requests: write. Do not add a COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN secret.
• Choose personal billing when this is your personal repository, or when the organization does not pay for Copilot in GitHub Actions. Remove copilot-requests: write, then add a COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN secret in the repository's Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions page.
• If you are not sure which path applies, ask one question: "Is centralized Copilot billing for GitHub Actions enabled for this repository?" If the answer is "no" or "I don't know," follow the personal billing path until an admin confirms otherwise.

Billing quick-reference

Use this table first, then follow the detailed steps for your selected path below.

If this is true	Choose this path	Key setting
Your organization provides centralized Copilot billing for Actions	Organization with centralized Copilot billing	Keep copilot-requests: write; no COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN secret
You are in a personal repo, or your org does not provide centralized billing	Personal billing	Remove copilot-requests: write; configure COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN

Organization with centralized Copilot billing

Use this path when the organization that owns the repository has centralized Copilot billing enabled for Actions.

1. Ask your organization administrator to confirm centralized billing is enabled.
2. Open daily-report-status.md and confirm the permissions: block includes copilot-requests: write:

---
permissions:
  contents: read
  copilot-requests: write
---

This line is already present in the workflow template. Do not remove it. 3. No repository secret is needed for this path. 4. Recompile and commit the lock file from your terminal so it reflects the confirmed configuration:

gh aw compile
git add .
git commit -m "chore: confirm lock file is current" && git push

The workflow uses the organization subscription. If you see 401 Unauthorized in the run log, see Method 1: Copilot Requests Permission for troubleshooting.

Personal billing

Use this path for a personal repository, or when the owning organization does not provide centralized Copilot billing.

1. Remove copilot-requests: write from daily-report-status.md.
2. Generate a fine-grained PAT with Copilot requests: Read-only in github.com/settings/tokens.
3. In your repository, open Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions.
4. Add a new repository secret named COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN and paste the PAT value.
5. Recompile and commit daily-report-status.lock.yml.

For the full browser walkthrough, see Method 2 (UI-only): COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN. If you prefer terminal setup, use Method 2: COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN secret.

Check the final configuration

Open daily-report-status.md and confirm it matches the method you selected:

Billing path	copilot-requests: write	Required secret
Organization centralized billing	Present	None
Personal billing	Removed	COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN

✅ Checkpoint

• I opened Copilot CLI in the terminal and sent a test prompt
• I received a response from the model and the agentic-workflows skill
• I confirmed no access errors appeared
• I confirmed the first workflow uses GitHub Copilot
• I used the agent + agentic-workflows guidance to improve workflow design decisions
• I chose organization centralized billing or personal billing
• I completed all configuration steps for my chosen billing path (inline above — no side-quest visit required)
• My source and compiled lock file use the selected method
• Both workflow files are committed to main
• I am ready for Run and Watch Your Workflow

Next: Run and Watch Your Workflow