Integrating Copilot coding agent with Jira

The GitHub Copilot integration in Jira allows you to invoke Copilot coding agent without leaving your Jira workspace. From within a Jira work item you can initiate coding agent sessions and open pull requests, using the context of the work item's title, description, labels, and comments.

Prerequisites

• You must have a GitHub account with access to Copilot through Copilot Pro, Copilot Pro+, Copilot Business, or Copilot Enterprise.
• You must have a Jira Cloud account with AI features enabled.
• Installation and authentication must be completed for both Jira and GitHub.

Installation

To install the GitHub Copilot for Jira app and authorize it for your GitHub organization or enterprise account, you need:

• Administrator permission for your Jira site.
• Owner or GitHub App manager permissions for your GitHub organization.

This integration relies on an Atlassian Forge application and a GitHub application. Both are required for the integration. Once successfully installed, authorized users of the Jira workspace with write access to a GitHub repository will be able to trigger the agent from Jira.

Installing the GitHub Copilot for Jira app for GitHub.com

1. Navigate to the GitHub Copilot for Jira installation page on the Atlassian Marketplace.
2. Click Get app.
3. Select the Atlassian instance you want to install the GitHub application in.
4. Click Install.
5. If you are not automatically redirected, go to the GitHub Copilot for Jira installation page on the GitHub Marketplace and click Install.
6. In the Install GitHub Copilot for Jira page, select the organization and repositories you would like to give the application access to.
   • You can add additional organizations after the app is installed, see Adding an organization to the GitHub Copilot for Jira app.
7. Click Install.

Installing the GitHub Copilot for Jira app for GHE.com

1. Navigate to the GitHub Copilot for Jira (GHEC with Data Residency) installation page on the Atlassian Marketplace.
2. To the right of the app name, click , and enter your SUBDOMAIN.ghe.com in the text box. Replace SUBDOMAIN with your enterprise's subdomain of GHE.com.
3. Click Save configuration.
4. Click Get app.
5. Select the Atlassian instance you want to install the GitHub application in.
6. Click Install.
7. If you are not automatically redirected, find the GitHub Copilot for Jira app in the list of apps available to your enterprise at SUBDOMAIN.ghe.com/apps/external-app/github-copilot-for-jira.
8. Click Install.
9. In the Install GitHub Copilot for Jira page, select the organization and repositories you would like to give the application access to.
   • You can add additional organizations after the app is installed, see Adding an organization to the GitHub Copilot for Jira app.
10. Click Install.

Adding an organization to the GitHub Copilot for Jira app

Once the GitHub Copilot for Jira app has been installed, a Jira administrator and GitHub organization owner can enable additional organizations to use the app. This allows any member of the organization to connect their GitHub account to the app and start using it in Jira.

To enable the GitHub Copilot for Jira app for an organization:

1. In Jira, go to the settings page for your space.
2. Go to the applications setting page for the GitHub Copilot app.
3. Optionally, click Connect More GitHub Organizations to add new organizations to the list.
4. Enable the Copilot app for one or more of the listed organizations.

Using the GitHub Copilot app in Jira

The Copilot app must be enabled for a GitHub organization you are a member of, before you can start using it.

The first time you use Copilot coding agent in Jira, you will need to connect it to your GitHub account.

Only users with write access to a repository can trigger Copilot coding agent to work in that repository.

1. In Jira, open or create a work item that contains clear requirements you want to delegate to Copilot coding agent.

2. To specify a repository you want Copilot to work in, mention it in the work item description or in a comment.

3. Assign GitHub Copilot to the work item, or mention @GitHub Copilot in a comment. For example:

   @GitHub Copilot create a new API endpoint for user authentication in octo-org/octorepo
   

4. If you have not previously connected the GitHub application in Jira to your GitHub account, follow the prompts to authorize the application for both GitHub and Atlassian.

5. Once Copilot coding agent has started working on the pull request, a comment will appear in the Jira work item. The user who initiated the agent session can view progress updates for the agent.

6. You can follow up with further instructions for Copilot in a work item:

   • Mention @GitHub Copilot in a comment.
   • Use the Continue in Chat button under the Agents heading to chat directly with Copilot.

Usage costs

Copilot coding agent uses GitHub Actions minutes and Copilot premium requests.

Within your monthly usage allowance for GitHub Actions and premium requests, you can ask Copilot coding agent to work on coding tasks without incurring any additional costs.

For more information, see GitHub Copilot premium requests.

Troubleshooting

GitHub Copilot is not responding

• Check GitHub's Status page for any active incidents.
• Verify that Copilot coding agent has access to the repository by testing if you can assign Copilot to an issue on GitHub. See Managing access to GitHub Copilot coding agent.
• Verify that the GitHub Copilot for Jira application has access to the repository. See Reviewing and modifying installed GitHub Apps.

Further reading

• About GitHub Copilot coding agent
• Managing access to GitHub Copilot coding agent