Copilot CLI settings.json settings

URLs or domains allowed without prompting; supports exact URLs, domain patterns, and wildcard subdomains.

string[]; default []

Allow the agent to ask clarifying questions; false for fully autonomous operation.

boolean; default true

Default Auto routing tier when the model is auto. "fast" falls back to "balance" with a warning. Also a managed key (bare string locks; {"overridable": "TIER"} sets an overridable default).

"efficiency" | "balance" | "intelligence"; default unset

Automatically download CLI updates and update first-party plugins at session start.

boolean; default true

Update channel.

"stable" | "prerelease"; default "stable"

Animated banner display frequency.

"always" | "once" | "never"; default "once"

Enable BASH_ENV support for bash shells.

boolean; default false

Play an audible beep when attention is required.

boolean; default true

Play an audible beep when a scheduled /every or /after run finishes.

boolean; default true

Deprecated alias for theme.

"default" | "github" | "dim" | "high-contrast" | "colorblind"; default "github"

Maximum number of recent commands retained for input history and reverse search.

integer 1 to 1000; default 50

Collapse large pastes (more than 10 lines) into compact tokens.

boolean; default true

Custom messages, one shown at random on startup. Repo-overridable (repository replaces).

string[]; default []

Enable Copilot Connectors when available.

boolean; default true

Automatically switch to auto mode and retry on eligible rate limit errors; not for global rate limits or BYOK providers.

boolean; default false

Automatically copy mouse-selected text to the system clipboard.

boolean; default true (macOS), false (other)

Only use local custom agents, excluding remote organization or enterprise agents.

boolean; default false

URLs or domains always denied; denial beats allow rules. Repo-overridable as a union.

string[]; default []

Disable all repository-level and user-level hooks (policy hooks still run).

boolean; default false

MCP server names that are configured but not started. Repo-overridable as a union.

string[]; default []

Skill names that are discovered but not loaded. Repo-overridable as a union.

string[]; default []

Per-category control of embeddings-based dynamic instruction retrieval; set skills to false to disable it for skills.

{ skills?: boolean }; default unset

Input composer editing mode; toggled by /vim.

"normal" | "vim"; default "normal"

Reasoning effort level for extended thinking. Repo-overridable (trusted folders only).

"low", "medium", "high", "xhigh"; default "medium"

Enable built-in MCP servers that are disabled by default.

string[]; default []

Declarative plugin auto-install keyed by plugin spec. Repo-overridable (merged) and a managed key locked per entry.

Record<string, boolean>; default {}

Enable experimental features.

boolean; default false

Additional plugin marketplaces keyed by name with a required source; autoUpdate: true opts a marketplace into session-start auto-update (honored only in user or managed settings).

Record<string, {...}>; source: "directory", "git", or "github"; default {}

Controls status line items; managed by /statusline.

object with boolean sub-keys showModelEffort, showDirectory, showBranch, showContextWindow, showQuota, showAgent, showAiUsed, showCodeChanges, showUsername, showSandbox, showYolo, showCustom

Inline hook definitions keyed by event name, same schema as .github/hooks/*.json. Repo-overridable (merged).

object

Automatically connect to an IDE workspace on startup.

boolean; default true

Open file edit diffs in the connected IDE for approval.

boolean; default true

Skill directories (and descendants) excluded from discovery; supports ~-relative paths.

string[]; default []

Add a Co-authored-by trailer to git commits made by the agent. Repo-overridable.

boolean; default true

Render images inline using the Kitty graphics protocol (Ghostty, kitty, or WezTerm).

boolean; default true

Keep-alive mode applied at startup; also set with /keep-alive.

"on" | "off" | "busy"; default "off"

Logging verbosity.

"none" | "error" | "warning" | "info" | "debug" | "all" | "default"; default "default"

Conflict resolution strategy for /pr fix conflicts; a picker is shown if unset. Repo-overridable.

"rebase" | "merge"

AI model to use, or "auto"; managed by /model. Repo-overridable (trusted folders) and a managed key.

string; default varies

Enable mouse support.

boolean; default true

"disable" suppresses all allow-all flags and /permissions allow-all; "allow-auto-only" still permits assisted approval. Unrecognized values are enforced as "disable"; an MDM "disable" always wins.

"disable" | "allow-auto-only"

Pin the current section's user prompt below the top bar while scrolling the timeline.

boolean; default true

Flags passed to PowerShell on startup (Windows only).

string[]; default ["-NoProfile", "-NoLogo"]

SPN for Kerberos/Negotiate proxy authentication, overriding the derived HTTP/<proxy-host>.

string; default unset

Proxy URL for HTTP(S) requests; overridden by HTTP_PROXY or HTTPS_PROXY.

string; default unset

Controls session syncing and remote access; "off" keeps session data local and disables remote control.

"on" | "off"; default "on"

Show six-digit hex color codes written as inline code as color swatches.

boolean; default true

Render Markdown in terminal output.

boolean; default true

Export sessions remotely when session sync is available; false opts out by default.

boolean; default true

Exclude gitignored files from the @ file mention picker. Repo-overridable tighten-only.

boolean; default true

Allow sandboxed commands to request a bypass via a permission prompt, which can also disable sandboxing for the rest of the session.

boolean; default true

Restrict shell commands, MCP/LSP servers, and built-in file and web tools to a sandbox with limited filesystem and network access.

boolean; default false

Inject Git credentials into the sandbox. Renamed from sandbox.gitAuth (old key ignored).

boolean; default true

Inject GitHub CLI (gh) credentials into the sandbox. Renamed from sandbox.ghAuth (old key ignored).

boolean; default true

Mask environment variables in sandboxed processes via an envVars object with injectHosts per entry; the local proxy supplies real values only in HTTPS headers to those hosts.

object; default unset

Control local network access for sandboxed commands; required for Windows proxying and host rules.

boolean; default false

Route sandboxed network traffic through an HTTP(S) proxy with fields url (required), username, password.

object; default unset

Hosts a sandboxed command may reach: exact hostnames, IPs, or *.example.com; a non-empty list blocks unmatched hosts. No CIDR, URLs, or ports.

string[]; default []

Hosts a sandboxed command is denied, matched like allowedHosts; always takes precedence and also denies subdomains.

string[]; default []

Paths sandboxed commands are denied access to; missing paths are created as directories before launch.

string[]; default []

macOS only. Grant sandboxed commands access to the system keychain; configurable only in settings.json.

boolean; default false

Enable screen reader optimizations.

boolean; default false

Show the scrollbar in scrollable views.

boolean; default true

Let a lone $ plus Enter open an interactive shell in the session's working directory. User- or managed-scoped only; a managed value always overrides.

boolean; default true

Show dim HH:mm timestamps next to user messages.

boolean; default true

Show a random command tip when the CLI starts.

boolean; default true

Enable the current-session sidebar; false disables it entirely.

boolean; default true

Allow the sessions sidebar to be displayed.

Default on

Include resumable previous sessions in the sidebar; takes effect on next start.

Default on

Show the collapse and new-session buttons at the top of the sidebar.

Default on

Show a close session button when hovering the right side of a session.

Default off

Move focus between the main tab and the sidebar based on mouse position.

Default off

Show the use sidebar hint in the sidebar's accent color while it is open.

Default on

When on, the open session gets the main highlight; when off, the keyboard or mouse selection does.

Default on

Additional directories to search for custom skills.

string[]; default []

Custom status line: type must be "command"; command receives session JSON on stdin; optional padding and refreshInterval (seconds).

object; refreshInterval 1 to 2147483

Remain in autopilot mode after each task completes.

boolean; default true

Allow auth tokens to be stored in plain text in config.json when no system keychain is available.

boolean; default false

Enable streaming responses.

boolean; default true

Hide preview model names, quota details, prompt timestamps, and the update notice for demos or screen sharing.

boolean; default false

Per-agent model configuration keyed by agent name, with optional model, modelPolicy, effortLevel, and contextTier; "inherit" uses the parent session's value.

object; default {}

Allow Copilot to proactively consult the rubber duck agent without being asked.

boolean; default false

Names of subagents that are turned off; managed via the /subagents picker.

string[]; default []

Maximum concurrent subagents; honored only for usage-based billing users.

number; default plan-based; capped at 32

Maximum subagent nesting depth; honored only for usage-based billing users.

number; default 6; capped at 256

Show the home tab bar.

boolean; default true

Tab identifiers to hide (case-insensitive).

string[]: "copilot", "agents", "issues", "pull-requests", "gists"; default []

Order in which tabs are displayed; unlisted tabs follow in default order.

string[]; default []

Show a live Copilot session on the Windows taskbar; startup-only, Windows only.

boolean; default true

Prefer terminal-owned OSC 777 notifications (Ghostty, WezTerm) when desktop notifications are enabled.

boolean; default false

Emit OSC 9;4 terminal progress indicators while the agent works.

boolean; default true

Color palette for terminal output; managed by /settings and /theme.

"default" | "github" | "dim" | "high-contrast" | "colorblind"; default "github"

Controls tool search (deferred tool loading); false opts out.

boolean; default model- and feature-dependent

"concise" groups tool activity into expandable work summaries; "default" shows the full transcript.

"default" | "concise"; default "default"

Show the current intent in the terminal tab or window title.

boolean; default true

Starting point for worktrees created by /worktree, /new worktree, /move, and --worktree.

"head" | "defaultBranch"; default "head"

Where worktrees are created; supports {repoPath}, {repo}, {branch}, {branchSlug}. Unset uses <repo>.worktrees/.

string; default unset

Repository setting that pins the default context tier (trusted folders only); repository takes precedence.

"default" | "long_context"

Managed allowlist of MCP servers matched by serverUrl, serverCommand, or serverName. Unset allows all non-default servers; an empty array denies all.

Managed denylist of MCP servers that must never load; deny always wins over the allowlist.

Managed key that pins sign-in to listed GitHub organizations (case-insensitive logins); fails closed. An empty array turns the pin off.

array of organization logins

Managed key requiring a fresh server-managed settings fetch on startup even when a cached policy exists.

Managed permissions: disableBypassPermissionsMode, deny/ask/allow rule arrays (Shell, Bash, PowerShell, Read, Edit, Write, Domain), and the limitTo domain boundary. Deny wins, then ask, then allow.

Managed key registering an executable that supplies the lowest-priority managed-settings layer (path, args, timeoutMs, refreshIntervalMs). Accepted but not yet invoked by the runtime.

Managed key controlling whether sessions can be controlled from other devices; requireSSO needs githubDotComOrganizations.

mode: "enabled", "disabled", "requireSSO"

Managed sandbox policy floor users cannot relax, including enabled, failIfUnavailable, allowBypass, addCurrentWorkingDirectory, sandboxMcpServers, sandboxLspServers, auth.*, allowDevToolAccess, learningMode (Windows, native MDM only), and userPolicy.* rules.

Managed allowlist of known plugin marketplaces; an empty array blocks every marketplace, including built-ins.

JSON array of marketplace specs

Managed baseline OpenTelemetry export configuration.

Fields: enabled, endpoint, protocol, headers, resourceAttributes, captureContent, lockCaptureContent, serviceName

MCP local server field (required): command to start the server.

string

MCP local server field (required): command arguments array; --registry can point npx at a private npm registry.

array

MCP server field (required): tools to enable.

["*"] for all, or a list of tool names

MCP local server field: environment variables, supporting $VAR, ${VAR}, and ${VAR:-default} expansion.

object

MCP local server field: working directory for the server.

string

MCP server field: timeout in milliseconds for tool discovery and tool calls (connection budget floored at 60000 ms).

Default 30000

MCP server transport field. "streamable-http" is accepted as an alias for "http".

Local: "local" or "stdio" (default "local"); remote (required): "http" or "sse"

MCP server field: "never" keeps this server's tools always visible even when tool search is active.

"auto" (default) or "never"

MCP local server field: true skips loading and persisting the tool snapshot for this server.

boolean

MCP server field: milliseconds before warning that a server is slow to connect; does not change the timeout.

Positive integer up to 2147483647; default 10000

MCP remote server field (required): server URL.

string

MCP remote server field: HTTP headers, supporting variable expansion.

object

MCP remote server field: static OAuth client ID (skips dynamic registration).

string

MCP remote server field: non-empty array of OAuth scopes to request; requires oauthClientId.

string[]

MCP remote server field: whether the OAuth client is public; false for confidential clients with a stored secret.

boolean; default true

MCP remote server field: OAuth grant type; client_credentials is fully headless for CI.

"authorization_code" (default) or "client_credentials"

MCP server field: enable OIDC token injection via GITHUB_COPILOT_OIDC_MCP_TOKEN env references (local) or a Bearer Authorization header (remote).

boolean

MCP server field controlling how tool output is processed.

none, markdown, hidden_characters (default)

LSP server field (required unless bash/powershell in plugins): command used to start the server.

string

LSP server field: arguments to pass to the command.

string[]

LSP server field (required): map of file extensions to language IDs.

object, for example { ".rs": "rust" }

LSP server field: environment variables, supporting ${VAR} and ${VAR:-default}.

object

LSP server field: server root directory relative to the Git root; useful for monorepos.

Default "."

LSP server field: custom options sent to the server during startup.

LSP server field: timeout for server requests in milliseconds.

Default 90 seconds

LSP server field: timeout for the server's startup handshake in milliseconds.

Default 60 seconds

Set to true in .github/lsp.json to disable a server for everyone, overriding lower-priority sources.

true

Required unique skill identifier; letters, numbers, hyphens, underscores, dots, colons, spaces. Colons allow namespaced names.

string, max 64 characters

Required: what the skill does and when to use it.

string, max 1024 characters

Skill frontmatter: freeform hint describing expected arguments, shown in the skill picker.

string

Skill frontmatter: tools automatically allowed while the skill is active; "*" for all.

string or string[]

Skill frontmatter: whether users can invoke the skill with /SKILL-NAME.

boolean; default true

Skill frontmatter: prevent the agent from automatically invoking the skill.

boolean; default false

Required custom agent description shown in the agent list and task tool.

string

Agent frontmatter: include repository instruction files when the agent runs as a subagent.

boolean; default false

Agent frontmatter: allow auto-delegation by the main agent.

boolean; default true

Agent frontmatter: MCP servers to connect, using the mcp-config.json schema.

object

AI model for the agent; inherits the outer agent's model when unset.

string

Agent frontmatter: authored models in priority order; first accessible one is used. Overrides model.

string[]

Agent frontmatter: "preferred" allows subagents overrides; "required" locks dispatch to authored models.

"preferred" (default) or "required"

Display name, also usable with --agent; does not control deduplication.

string; defaults to the agent ID

Agent frontmatter: default reasoning effort; inherits when unset.

for example "low", "medium", "high"

Tools available to the agent; including * anywhere grants all tools.

string[]; default ["*"]

Session events that launch a sidekick agent; bare event strings or objects with event and optional limit.

Events: user.message, session.context_changed

"restart" cancels and restarts on each trigger; "persistent" keeps one long-lived run.

"restart" (default) or "persistent"

Maximum inbox sends allowed per trigger.

number; default 1