# Run with GitHub Copilot

## Overview

You can run Ask Akto with GitHub Copilot as the underlying AI model using the **Bring Your Own Model** configuration. This lets you power your on-prem Ask Akto assistant with GitHub Copilot instead of Anthropic Claude.

{% hint style="info" %}
You can use this integration only with **on-premises deployments**.
{% endhint %}

## Before You Begin

Make sure you have:

* A running self-hosted Akto deployment
* Your GitHub Copilot access with a valid API key
* Admin access to your Akto dashboard
* The following variable added to your **Akto API Security Dashboard env file**, and the service restarted to apply it:

  ```bash
  AKTO_MCP_SERVER_URL=<your-mcp-server-url>
  ```

## Configuration

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Generate Your GitHub Copilot API Key**

You need a GitHub **fine-grained personal access token** to authenticate with GitHub Copilot. Here's how to generate one:

1. Go to [github.com](https://github.com) and click your **profile picture** → **Settings**
2. Scroll to the bottom of the left sidebar and click **Developer settings**
3. Go to **Personal access tokens** → **Fine-grained tokens**
4. Click **Generate new token**
5. Give your token a recognizable name (e.g., `akto-copilot`) and set an expiration that suits your policy
6. Under **Permissions** → **Account permissions**, add the following three permissions, all set to **Read-only**:
   * **Copilot Chat**
   * **Copilot Editor Context**
   * **Copilot Requests**
7. Click **Generate token** at the bottom
8. **Copy your token immediately** — GitHub will only show it once

You'll use this token as your API key in the next step.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Configure GitHub Copilot as Your Model**

Add your token to Akto so it can call GitHub Copilot:

1. In your Akto dashboard, go to **Settings → Integrations → Agents**
2. Click **Add Model**
3. Select **GitHub Copilot** as the provider
4. Enter a **Name**, paste your token into the **API Key** field, and pick a supported **Model**
5. Click **Save**

{% hint style="warning" %}
Only models that your GitHub Copilot subscription has access to will work. While configuring, make sure to pick a model that's actually available to you — otherwise the integration will fail.
{% endhint %}

For more details on each field and the full list of supported models, see the [Agent Configuration](/integrations/agent-configuration.md) guide.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Update Your Environment File**

Open your `docker-agentic-testing-dashboard.env` file and update it with the following values:

```bash
# Leave this empty — you're using GitHub Copilot as your model provider
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=""

NODE_ENV=production
PORT=5500
AGENTIC_MODE=true

MCP_SERVER_URL=<YOUR_AKTO_MCP_SERVER_URL>

# Required when you're using GitHub Copilot
DASHBOARD_URL=<YOUR_AKTO_DASHBOARD_URL>
AKTO_API_KEY=<YOUR_AKTO_API_KEY>
```

**What you need to set (GitHub Copilot specific)**

| Variable            | What to set                                                                                                                     |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` | Leave it empty — you're using GitHub Copilot instead.                                                                           |
| `AGENTIC_MODE`      | Must be set to `true`.                                                                                                          |
| `MCP_SERVER_URL`    | Your Akto MCP server URL.                                                                                                       |
| `DASHBOARD_URL`     | Your Akto Agentic AI Security Dashboard's base URL.                                                                             |
| `AKTO_API_KEY`      | Your Akto API key for authenticating with the Akto dashboard. Generate it from Settings → Integrations → Automation → Akto API. |

{% hint style="warning" %}
Make sure you add **all** of the environment variables listed above — including the empty ones like `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=""`. Missing any of them might cause the service to misbehave or fail to start.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Restart Your Services**

Restart your services to apply the updated environment file:

```bash
docker compose down && docker compose up -d
```

To confirm everything is running, follow the [Verify Connectivity](/ask-akto/self-hosted-deployment.md#verify-connectivity) steps from the base deployment guide.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Support

If you need help with the deployment:

* **Discord Community**: Join our community at [discord.gg/Wpc6xVME4s](https://discord.gg/Wpc6xVME4s)
* **Email Support**: Contact us at <support@akto.io>

Our team is available 24/7 to assist you with setup, troubleshooting, and best practices.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://ai-security-docs.akto.io/ask-akto/github-copilot-integration.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.