Copilot PHP API

Copilot PHP API

Summary

ext-php-copilot exposes GitHub Copilot to PHP 8.3 applications through two API layers:

• ExtPhpCopilot\Copilot: a Composer-friendly wrapper for application code.
• Copilot\Client and Copilot\Session: native extension classes for direct JSON-RPC access.

Prefer the wrapper for applications, plugins, workers, and CLI commands. Use the native API when you need direct control over JSON payloads, streaming event polling, or SDK-specific options.

Package Layout

Document	Description
COPILOT-WRAPPER.md	Wrapper API reference for ExtPhpCopilot\CopilotConfig and ExtPhpCopilot\Copilot.
COPILOT-NATIVE.md	Native extension reference for copilot_sdk_version(), Copilot\Client, and Copilot\Session.
COPILOT-OPTIONS.md	JSON option reference for clients, transports, telemetry, sessions, messages, and model changes.
COPILOT-EXAMPLES.md	Runnable examples, acceptance test flow, and common usage recipes.

API Selection

Use case	Recommended API
Generic PHP app integration	ExtPhpCopilot\Copilot
Token-based web application auth	ExtPhpCopilot\Copilot::fromEnvironment()
Local CLI development with existing login state	ExtPhpCopilot\Copilot::forCliUser()
Model listing, raw status, or SDK method calls	Copilot\Client
Streaming events or manual session control	Copilot\Session

Synopsis

Wrapper API

use ExtPhpCopilot\Copilot;

$copilot = Copilot::fromEnvironment(
    cwd: getcwd(),
    copilotHome: __DIR__ . '/../var/copilot'
);

try {
    $copilot->assertAuthenticated();
    $event = $copilot->ask('Explain this project in one paragraph.');
} finally {
    $copilot->close();
}

Native API

$client = new Copilot\Client(json_encode([
    'githubToken' => getenv('GITHUB_COPILOT_TOKEN'),
    'useLoggedInUser' => false,
    'copilotHome' => __DIR__ . '/../var/copilot',
], JSON_THROW_ON_ERROR));

$session = $client->createSession(json_encode([
    'permissionPolicy' => 'deny_all',
], JSON_THROW_ON_ERROR));

$eventJson = $session->sendAndWaitJson('Explain this project in one paragraph.');

$session->disconnect();
$client->stop();

Authentication

For server-side PHP applications, use explicit token auth and isolated Copilot CLI state.

Requirement	Recommendation
Token storage	Store GITHUB_COPILOT_TOKEN in the environment or a secret manager.
CLI user fallback	Keep useLoggedInUser disabled for web servers.
CLI state	Set an app-owned copilotHome outside the web root.
Tool permissions	Use permissionPolicy set to deny_all unless the app intentionally grants tools.

See Also

• COPILOT-WRAPPER.md
• COPILOT-NATIVE.md
• COPILOT-OPTIONS.md
• COPILOT-EXAMPLES.md

📦 Source: soderlind/ext-php-copilot · Edit on GitHub