How to Install GitHub Copilot CLI on Arch Linux

GitHub Copilot CLI brings the Copilot coding agent into an Arch Linux terminal, where it can read files, propose edits, run commands, and work through tasks without an IDE extension. To install GitHub Copilot CLI on Arch Linux with package-manager ownership, use the community AUR package github-copilot-cli, which builds the upstream @github/copilot npm release and installs the copilot command through pacman.

If you searched for GitHub CLI on Arch Linux, that is a different package: Arch’s official github-cli package installs the gh command for pull requests, issues, releases, and GitHub repository tasks. GitHub Copilot CLI installs the standalone Copilot agent command, copilot. The two tools can coexist, and Copilot CLI can also reuse GitHub CLI authentication when available.

Update Arch Linux Before Installing GitHub Copilot CLI

Synchronize package databases and apply pending upgrades before building AUR software. Arch Linux is a rolling release, so a full upgrade first reduces dependency and ABI conflicts:

sudo pacman -Syu

Commands that change system packages use sudo. If your user is not in the sudoers file, run the commands as root or follow the guide on how to add and manage sudo users on Arch Linux.

Install GitHub Copilot CLI on Arch Linux via the AUR

GitHub Copilot CLI is not packaged in Arch’s official repositories. The github-copilot-cli AUR recipe currently targets x86_64, depends on nodejs, glib2, glibc, gcc-libs, and libsecret, and provides the copilot binary. It also conflicts with the older github-copilot and github-copilot-cli-legacy packages.

Install the standard AUR build prerequisites first. The --needed flag skips packages already present on your system:

sudo pacman -S --needed base-devel git

The AUR package is community-maintained, not an official GitHub package. Review the PKGBUILD and source URLs when your AUR helper prompts before you build it. The Arch Wiki AUR overview explains how the Arch User Repository works if you are new to AUR builds.

Install GitHub Copilot CLI with yay

If yay is not installed, follow the guide to install yay on Arch Linux before continuing.

yay -S github-copilot-cli

yay downloads the AUR build files, shows the PKGBUILD for review, pulls build dependencies such as npm and jq when needed, downloads the @github/copilot package from the npm registry, validates the recorded b2sum checksums, and installs the finished package through pacman. The current package installs about 330 MiB of Copilot CLI files.

Install GitHub Copilot CLI with paru

If paru is not installed, see the guide to install paru on Arch Linux before continuing.

paru -S github-copilot-cli

Both helpers build the same AUR package and install the same copilot command. GitHub also documents direct npm, Homebrew, install-script, and release-archive methods in the official Copilot CLI installation documentation, but the AUR path keeps the Arch install visible to pacman.

If you intentionally choose GitHub’s npm package @github/copilot instead, npm owns the package. Use npm update and removal commands for that install path rather than mixing it with the AUR package.

Authenticate GitHub Copilot CLI on Arch Linux

Copilot CLI is generally available for GitHub accounts with active Copilot access. Organization-managed accounts also need the Copilot CLI policy enabled by the organization or enterprise administrator.

Start the OAuth device flow from the terminal:

copilot login

The command opens or prints a GitHub authorization flow. After approval, Copilot stores the token in the system credential store when available, or in a plaintext fallback under ~/.copilot/ when no credential store can be used.

For headless automation, use a fine-grained personal access token with the Copilot Requests permission. Copilot CLI checks COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN first, then GH_TOKEN, then GITHUB_TOKEN. Classic ghp_ tokens are not supported.

Verify GitHub Copilot CLI on Arch Linux

Confirm the installed CLI version. The exact point release changes as the AUR package tracks upstream npm releases:

copilot --version

Relevant output includes:

GitHub Copilot CLI 1.0.x.
Run 'copilot update' to check for updates.

Check that the package-managed command resolves from /usr/bin:

command -v copilot

/usr/bin/copilot

Confirm pacman owns the installed package:

pacman -Q github-copilot-cli

github-copilot-cli 1.0.x-1

Run GitHub Copilot CLI on Arch Linux

After authentication, start an interactive Copilot session from the project directory you want the agent to inspect:

copilot

Copilot waits for a task description and asks for approval before applying file edits or running tools unless you grant broader permissions. To open an interactive session with an initial task already loaded, use -i:

copilot -i "describe your task here"

For non-interactive automation, pass a prompt with -p:

copilot -p "describe your task here"

The --allow-all flag enables all tools, file paths, and URLs without per-step approval. Use it only in a trusted working tree where you are comfortable with autonomous file changes and shell commands. Run copilot help to see the current model, permission, resume, and path options.

Update GitHub Copilot CLI on Arch Linux

Update the AUR package during a normal full system and AUR upgrade:

yay -Syu

To rebuild only the Copilot CLI package without upgrading other AUR packages, reinstall the package through the same helper:

yay -S github-copilot-cli

Replace yay with paru in both commands if you installed the package with paru.

The Copilot CLI binary also advertises copilot update and automatic update checks. For an AUR install, keep updates package-managed through yay or paru so pacman remains the source of truth. Use --no-auto-update or COPILOT_AUTO_UPDATE=false in managed environments where upstream self-updates must be blocked.

Remove GitHub Copilot CLI from Arch Linux

Remove the AUR package and review any dependency cleanup prompt before confirming:

yay -Rns github-copilot-cli

The -Rns flags remove the package, unneeded dependencies, and pacman backup files. Dependencies such as nodejs remain installed when another package still needs them or when they were installed independently.

Confirm the package is gone:

pacman -Q github-copilot-cli

error: package 'github-copilot-cli' was not found

Clear the shell’s command cache and confirm the binary no longer resolves:

hash -r
command -v copilot

The second command should print no path after the package is removed.

The next command deletes Copilot CLI’s plaintext fallback configuration and local session state for your user. Keep it if you plan to reinstall and reuse the same local credentials. Revoke tokens from GitHub account settings when you need server-side access removal.

rm -rf ~/.copilot

Troubleshoot GitHub Copilot CLI on Arch Linux

Fix No Authentication Information Found

If Copilot has no OAuth token, compatible environment token, or reusable GitHub CLI login, non-interactive runs can stop with this error:

Error: No authentication information found.

Copilot can be authenticated with GitHub using an OAuth Token or a Fine-Grained Personal Access Token.

Run the OAuth login flow, or export a fine-grained token with the Copilot Requests permission:

copilot login

If a token variable is set but Copilot still fails, check that it is a fine-grained token and not a classic ghp_ token. Clear stale token variables when you want Copilot to fall back to OAuth or GitHub CLI authentication.

Fix Subscription or Policy Errors

If copilot login completes but Copilot returns an access-denied, subscription, or policy error, the account lacks active Copilot access or an organization policy blocks Copilot CLI.

Confirm the subscription at github.com/settings/copilot. For organization-managed accounts, ask the organization or enterprise administrator to enable the Copilot CLI policy, then repeat the login flow:

copilot login

Fix AUR Build Download or Checksum Failures

If yay -S github-copilot-cli exits with a network timeout or checksum error while fetching copilot-*.tgz, the npm registry response was unreachable or incomplete. The PKGBUILD validates the downloaded npm tarball with b2sum, so a failed checksum stops the build before installation.

Check registry reachability from the same Arch system:

curl -Is https://registry.npmjs.org/@github/copilot | head -n 1

HTTP/2 200

A 200 response means the registry is reachable. If the command times out or returns a transient server error, wait and rerun the AUR build:

yay -S github-copilot-cli

Fix Keychain or Plaintext Credential Prompts

On headless or minimal Arch installs, Copilot CLI may not find a running secret-service credential store. The AUR package depends on libsecret, but a usable keychain also depends on the active desktop or session environment.

If Copilot asks whether to store the token in plaintext, decide whether that is acceptable for the machine. For shared or automated systems, prefer a fine-grained token supplied through COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN, GH_TOKEN, or GITHUB_TOKEN instead of storing a long-lived local fallback token.

Conclusion

GitHub Copilot CLI is ready on Arch Linux when the AUR package owns /usr/bin/copilot, authentication succeeds, and updates stay under yay or paru. Pair it with Git on Arch Linux for repository work, use Node.js on Arch Linux when you maintain JavaScript tooling outside the Copilot package, or switch to the Ubuntu Copilot CLI guide for Ubuntu systems.