Run GitHub Copilot CLI in MXterm: install, first session and a split pane for tests

The short version

1. Install GitHub Copilot CLI from GitHub's instructions.

2. Open your project folder in MXterm and open a terminal pane.

3. Run copilot in the pane, then split the pane for a shell.

Install GitHub Copilot CLI

GitHub's documentation says "GitHub Copilot CLI is a powerful terminal-native AI coding assistant that brings agentic capabilities directly to your command line" (docs.github.com/en/copilot/get-started/cli-quickstart, read 31 October 2026).

The quickstart lists three install commands: npm for all platforms (npm install -g @github/copilot, which needs Node.js 22 or later), WinGet for Windows and Homebrew for macOS and Linux (brew install --cask copilot-cli). GitHub's install page also lists an install script for macOS and Linux (docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/copilot-cli/set-up-copilot-cli/install-copilot-cli, read 31 October 2026).

That page lists "An active GitHub Copilot subscription" as a prerequisite and says you cannot use Copilot CLI if your organization or enterprise has disabled it. Check the page for what applies to you, and check it on the day you install: commands change. MXterm does not install agents.

Step 1: open a pane and run copilot

Open MXterm on your project folder and open a terminal pane; it is a real shell. GitHub's quickstart says to navigate to the project directory where you want to use Copilot CLI, then start an interactive session with copilot (docs.github.com, read 31 October 2026).

Because the pane is a real shell, Copilot CLI runs in it as it would in any terminal.

Step 2: sign in and give it a task

GitHub's quickstart says: "In the CLI interface, enter /login and follow the on-screen prompts to authenticate with your GitHub account." It adds "You'll only have to do this the first time you use the CLI," and says the CLI asks you to confirm that you trust the files in the current directory (docs.github.com, read 31 October 2026).

After that, type your task in the CLI. MXterm does not sign you in.

Step 3: a shell beside it

Use the split buttons in the pane header (Split Right and Split Down) to put a plain shell next to Copilot CLI for your tests. Split panes run real shells.

Run your test command in the shell pane, and keep Copilot CLI in the pane beside it.

Next to other agents

Copilot CLI can run in a pane beside Claude Code or Codex in the same workspace, and each agent can work on its own branch in its own worktree. That reduces collisions; it does not stop two agents editing the same file.

See Claude Code in MXterm, the guide to running Claude Code and Codex side by side in split panes and isolating agents with git worktrees. To keep agents in one room, see the Control Room. Our list of AI coding agents in 2026 gives the vendors' own descriptions of each one.

When a plain terminal is enough

For a Copilot CLI task, a plain terminal is enough once it is installed and you are signed in.

MXterm helps when agents or tasks run in parallel and you want them in one window. To try it, use the download page.