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GitHub Copilot desktop app integration

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The GitHub Copilot desktop app is GitHub's standalone Copilot client. It runs agentic coding sessions in a chat interface, connects to your repositories, and supports plugins, skills, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers.

The Apify plugin for GitHub Copilot connects Copilot to Apify's library of Actors and bundles:

  • The Apify MCP server for searching Apify Store, running Actors, and retrieving datasets.
  • An apify routing agent that picks the right tool or skill based on your prompt.
  • Five built-in skills for common workflows.

This guide covers installation in the GitHub Copilot desktop app.

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This integration uses a third-party service. If you find outdated content, please submit an issue on GitHub.

Prerequisites

Install the plugin

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Select the Plugins tab.

  3. Search for Apify. The apify plugin appears in the results, under the Awesome Copilot marketplace.

  4. Select Install.

    GitHub Copilot desktop app Plugins settings with the apify plugin in the search results

  5. The plugin appears under Installed with its toggle enabled.

Connect the Apify MCP server

The plugin connects to the Apify MCP server (https://mcp.apify.com/) using HTTP transport. Read-only tools like searching Apify Store and fetching Actor details work without signing in. To run Actors and access your account data, you need to authenticate.

  1. Open Settings, select the MCP servers tab, and find apify-mcp-server with the HTTP transport. Select Sign in.

    GitHub Copilot desktop app MCP servers settings with the apify-mcp-server Sign in button

  2. Complete the Apify OAuth flow in your browser and choose the account to connect. The browser confirms the authorization and prompts you to return to the desktop app.

Session persistence

The connection stays authenticated for future sessions. You can revoke access at any time in Apify Console > Settings > Integrations.

Select the apify agent

Open the agent picker in the chat composer and select the apify agent.

GitHub Copilot desktop app agent picker with the apify agent available

Run your first prompt

With the apify agent selected, describe what you want in plain language.

Use Apify to find a good Actor for scraping Google Maps places. Show me the best option, its input requirements, pricing model, and what kind of dataset output it returns. Do not run the Actor yet.

The agent searches Apify Store, fetches the top Actor's details, and summarizes its inputs, pricing, and output - without running the Actor.

To check what's available, ask the agent to list what it can do with the Apify plugin. It replies with the tools it can call and the skill behind each workflow.

Bundled skills

SkillDescription
apify-ultimate-scraperExtraction using existing Actors for multi-step scraping and lead-generation workflows.
apify-actor-developmentFull Actor lifecycle - template selection, development, local testing, and deployment with apify push.
apify-actorizationConverts existing JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, or CLI projects into Apify Actors.
apify-generate-output-schemaGenerates dataset and key-value store schemas for existing Actors.
apify-sdk-integrationIntegrates Actor execution into applications using the apify-client package.

Example prompts that route to specific skills:

To run apify-ultimate-scraper:

Find 10 highly rated coffee shops in Seattle with name, address, rating, phone, and website.

To run apify-actor-development:

Create an Apify Actor that accepts a startUrl and maxPages input, crawls the site, and stores each page title and URL.

To run apify-sdk-integration:

Add Apify to this project. The Node.js API route should run an Actor and return dataset items as JSON.

Authentication paths

The apify agent picks the right transport for each task. Each transport authenticates differently:

  • For MCP tools (search, run, retrieve data), authenticate with OAuth through the browser, as described in Connect the Apify MCP server. You don't need to set up a token.
  • For the Apify CLI (building Actors, actorization, CLI fallback), run apify login once, or set APIFY_TOKEN in headless environments. Get your token from Apify Console > Settings > Integrations.
  • For SDK integration with apify-client, set the APIFY_TOKEN environment variable in your application's environment.

Troubleshooting

If the apify plugin doesn't appear when you search for Apify:

  1. Quit the desktop app, reopen it, and search again.

  2. If the plugin still doesn't appear, add its marketplace manually. Open Settings > Plugins, select Install > Add marketplace, and enter the repository URL:

    https://github.com/apify/apify-github-copilot-plugin

    The apify plugin then appears in the Plugins list. Select Install and continue with Connect the Apify MCP server.

The Apify MCP server won't sign in

Open Settings > MCP servers, confirm apify-mcp-server uses the HTTP transport, and select Sign in to restart the OAuth flow. Read-only tools work without signing in, so run a search prompt first to confirm the server is connected.

The apify agent isn't available

Confirm the plugin is installed and enabled under Settings > Plugins, then reopen the agent picker in the chat composer. The apify agent appears once the plugin is active.

Limitations

  • Long-running Actors may time out during a single tool call. Reduce the scope or split the work across multiple prompts.
  • Each Actor run counts toward your Apify plan usage, on top of any usage your AI client bills separately. See Billing for details.
  • Skills that edit files in your project (Actor development, actorization, SDK integration) make local changes - review them before deploying or committing.

Resources