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question: why is COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN still required when using an external provider? #29379

@MauroDruwel

Description

@MauroDruwel

Context

Related to #29378 — I'm trying to use the Copilot engine with my own external model provider (BYOK).

Problem

When setting up the workflow, I get an error because COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN is required — there's a shell script that checks for it. But if I'm pointing to my own model with my own API key, why does it need a GitHub Copilot token at all?

My current workaround is just filling in some dummy value (e.g. github_pat_yeet) to get past the check, which obviously feels wrong. I'm also not sure if this broken token is actually what's causing my external provider auth to fail down the line — it's hard to tell.

Questions

  • Is COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN actually used for anything when an external provider is configured, or is it just a leftover check?
  • If it's not needed in BYOK mode, can the validation be skipped when a provider base URL is set?
  • If it IS still needed for something, what exactly — and what's the minimum valid value?

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