GitHub Copilot Setup Guide

February 15, 2026 · View on GitHub

Track your GitHub Copilot premium request usage with onWatch.

Prerequisites

  • GitHub account with an active Copilot subscription (Individual, Business, or Enterprise)
  • onWatch installed (Quick Start)

Step 1: Create a GitHub Personal Access Token

  1. Go to GitHub Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens → Tokens (classic)

    Direct link: https://github.com/settings/tokens

  2. Click Generate new token → Generate new token (classic)

  3. Configure the token:

    • Note: onwatch-copilot (or any name you prefer)
    • Expiration: Choose based on your preference (no expiration recommended for background tracking)
    • Scopes: Check only the copilot scope

    copilot scope

  4. Click Generate token

  5. Copy the token immediately — you won't see it again. It starts with ghp_.

Step 2: Configure onWatch

Add the token to your .env file:

cd ~/.onwatch  # or wherever your .env is located

Edit .env and add:

COPILOT_TOKEN=ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Or set it as an environment variable:

export COPILOT_TOKEN=ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Step 3: Restart onWatch

onwatch stop
onwatch

Or in debug mode to verify:

onwatch --debug

You should see:

Starting Copilot agent (interval: 60s)
Copilot poll successful: 3 quotas tracked

Step 4: View Dashboard

Open http://localhost:9211 and click the Copilot tab.

You'll see:

  • Premium Requests: Your monthly limit (300 or 1500 depending on plan)
  • Chat: Usually unlimited
  • Completions: Usually unlimited

What Gets Tracked

QuotaDescription
premium_interactionsMonthly premium model requests (Claude, GPT-4, etc.)
chatStandard chat completions (typically unlimited)
completionsCode completions (typically unlimited)

The dashboard shows:

  • Current usage and remaining quota
  • Percentage used with color indicators
  • Reset date (monthly cycle)
  • Usage history and burn rate projections

Troubleshooting

"Copilot agent not starting"

Verify your token has the copilot scope:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer ghp_yourtoken" \
  https://api.github.com/copilot_internal/user

Should return JSON with quota_snapshots. If you get 401/403, regenerate the token with correct scope.

"No data showing"

  • Ensure you have an active Copilot subscription
  • Check that the token hasn't expired
  • Look at logs: tail -f ~/.onwatch/.onwatch.log

Token security

  • The token is stored locally in your .env file
  • Never commit .env to version control
  • onWatch never sends your token anywhere except GitHub's API
  • All data stays on your machine (SQLite database)

API Details

onWatch uses the same internal API that VS Code, JetBrains, Zed, and other editors use:

GET https://api.github.com/copilot_internal/user
Authorization: Bearer <token>

This endpoint returns real-time quota data including entitlement, remaining count, and reset dates. While undocumented, it's stable and used by all major Copilot integrations.

See Also