March 11th, 2025

GitHub Copilot Chat now available in public preview for Eclipse

Hang Wang
Program Manager

Today, GitHub Copilot Chat is available in public preview for Eclipse!  This release follows the initial public preview of GitHub Copilot in Eclipse, which only supported code completions, and is available for all Eclipse users with access to GitHub Copilot.  

Image GitHub Copilot Chat for Eclipse Public Preview

If you already have GitHub Copilot installed in your Eclipse IDE, you can find update information in the Eclipse Marketplace.

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After installing or updating GitHub Copilot for Eclipse, click on  in the bottom right corner of the Eclipse IDE, and select Open Chat. This will open the Copilot Chat dialog box. If it’s your first time using Copilot Chat, you may need to sign in with your GitHub Account. 

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Key Features of GitHub Copilot Chat in for Eclipse

Chat View 

Chat directly with GitHub Copilot to get coding assistance in real time. Ask for help with tasks, request explanations, or receive AI-powered code suggestions. The intuitive chat interface makes it easy to interact and get relevant responses based on your queries. You can find more information in the official documentation.  

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Model Selector

Apart from the default model of GPT-4o, GitHub Copilot allows you to change the model during a chat. To view all supported models, see the official documentation.

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Slash Commands 

Speed up your development process with slash commands. Use quick commands like /explain to get instant explanations for code snippets. These commands allow developers to efficiently gather insights without breaking their coding flow. 

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Reference Code 

To help Copilot provide the most relevant answers, you can attach files to your chat prompt. Simply click the attach icon and select the files you want to reference. 

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Get Started with GitHub Copilot for Eclipse 

To access GitHub Copilot for Eclipse, you’ll need a Copilot license . Simply sign in with your GitHub account and start using AI-powered assistance in your Eclipse IDE. 

Additionally, GitHub Copilot offers a free tier, which includes 2,000 code completions and 50 chat messages per month. If you don’t have a GitHub account  yet, you can create one and start exploring Copilot’s capabilities today. 

You can read more in the official documentation.

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Author

Hang Wang
Program Manager

I'm Hang Wang, a Product Manager at Microsoft specializing in developer experience. I began my journey at Microsoft as a Software Engineer, gaining deep insights into developers' needs and challenges. Now, I focus on AI-driven tools that enhance developer productivity.

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