Copilot BYOK Switcher

Your own provider models inside the GitHub Copilot CLI /model picker

Copilot BYOK Switcher adds your own provider models to the GitHub Copilot CLI /model picker, in the same session as the GitHub models. Pick an Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Qwen, GLM, Kimi or other provider model and the session talks straight to that provider with your key, while GitHub authentication and every other Copilot feature keep working. The picker is filled by live discovery from each configured provider. This is an independent, unofficial project and is not affiliated with GitHub.

Install

Install the CLI from the npm registry:

npm install -g copilot-byok-switcher

Quick start

# 1. Store a key for each provider you own (prompted, never echoed)
copilot-byok keys set openai
copilot-byok keys set anthropic

# 2. See what is active
copilot-byok --list-providers

# 3. Start Copilot
copilot-byok

Open /model inside the session and pick one of your models. Arguments after -- go to Copilot unchanged:

copilot-byok -- -p "fix the failing test" --allow-all-tools

Features

• Your provider models appear in the Copilot CLI /model picker next to GitHub's, in the same session.
• Use as many providers per session as you configure.
• GitHub models stay available while BYOK is active, and models can be switched with /model without restarting.
• Live discovery: each configured provider is asked what it serves at startup, with a remembered list as the fallback when a request fails.
• Zero AI credits for BYOK turns; you pay your provider directly.
• Credentials come from environment variables or an opt-in local key store, and never reach the Copilot process in router mode.
• No TLS interception: the router binds to loopback and exits with the session.
• Windows, macOS and Linux are supported with Node.js only, with no build step.

Requirements

• Node.js 22.13 or newer.
• GitHub Copilot CLI 1.0.79 or newer, available as copilot on PATH (set COPILOT_BIN to override).
• A GitHub Copilot account, on any plan including free.

Configuration

Everything has a working default. The most useful settings are listed below; the full reference, the custom providers.json format, the command list and single-provider mode are in the configuration guide.

Setting	Purpose	Default
COPILOT_BIN	Path to the real Copilot CLI when it is not on PATH under that name	copilot from PATH
COPILOT_BYOK_CONFIG	Provider configuration file (same as --config)	Built-in catalog
COPILOT_BYOK_KEYSTORE	Where stored keys live	Platform config directory
COPILOT_BYOK_PROGRESS=off	Turns off the startup progress line	Progress line on
COPILOT_BYOK_DEBUG=1	Streams router events live instead of only to the log	Log only
COPILOT_BYOK_PROVIDER_TIMEOUT_MS	Idle timeout on a provider request	10 minutes

All 28 built-in providers, the environment variable for each key, and the model-discovery behavior are documented in the providers guide.

Privacy and security

No TLS is intercepted, no certificate authority is installed, the router listens on loopback only and exits with the session, provider keys never reach Copilot or GitHub, and your GitHub token passes through the router unlogged because it has to. Provider keys come from environment variables or the opt-in key store; keys in the store are plain text on disk protected by file permissions, so environment variables remain the safer default. SECURITY.md covers the full model, including what the undocumented COPILOT_API_URL dependency means for you.

Troubleshooting

No BYOK models appear in /model

No provider is active. Run copilot-byok --list-providers to see which provider is unlocked by which environment variable or stored key.

Unknown BYOK model

The provider catalog changed since the session started. Restart copilot-byok.

A provider returns 401 or 403

The key for that provider is wrong or expired. This is not a GitHub authentication failure.

Everything is a GitHub model again

COPILOT_API_URL may no longer work on your CLI version. Run copilot-byok --native for a stock session and check the router notes in how it works.

Startup pauses before the picker opens

Discovery queries each configured provider in parallel; the progress line names the provider being waited on. Start with --no-discovery to work from remembered lists. More failure modes are in troubleshooting.

Development

Requirements: Node.js 22.13 or newer, npm, and the committed package-lock.json.

git clone https://github.com/TheStreamCode/copilot-byok-switcher.git
cd copilot-byok-switcher
npm ci
npm run check
npm run test:coverage
npm pack --dry-run
npm audit --omit=dev --audit-level=high

There is no build step: plain ESM JavaScript runs directly. Tests use the built-in node:test runner. See AGENTS.md for repository conventions and CONTRIBUTING.md before opening a pull request.

Support

See SUPPORT.md. Usage questions belong in GitHub Discussions, reproducible defects in GitHub Issues, and security problems in SECURITY.md through GitHub Security Advisories.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md. Run npm run check before opening a pull request; CI runs the tests on Node.js 22 and 24 across Linux, macOS and Windows.

License

MIT — see LICENSE. Copyright (c) 2026 Michael Gasperini (Mikesoft).

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Maintained by Michael Gasperini (Mikesoft). If this project is useful to you, consider sponsoring its maintenance.