How to Configure GitHub Copilot Proxy Settings in VS Code

If your network uses a proxy server to connect to the internet, GitHub Copilot in VS Code may fail to authenticate or generate suggestions. The Copilot extension cannot bypass your corporate or home proxy automatically. This article explains how to configure proxy settings for GitHub Copilot in VS Code using environment variables, the settings.json file, and proxy authentication if required.

How GitHub Copilot Connects Through a Proxy

GitHub Copilot is a cloud-based AI code completion tool. The VS Code extension sends code context to GitHub servers and receives suggestions. When your network requires a proxy, the Copilot extension must be told how to reach those servers. VS Code itself can use proxy settings from environment variables or its own configuration. However, Copilot has a dedicated setting that overrides the general VS Code proxy. If you do not configure either, Copilot will fail with connection errors such as Unable to reach Copilot service or Authentication failed. The proxy can be an HTTP, HTTPS, or SOCKS proxy. You can configure it per machine or per user.

Prerequisites

Before you configure proxy settings, confirm the following:

• You have the proxy server address and port number. Example: http://proxy.example.com:8080
• If the proxy requires authentication, you have a valid username and password.
• VS Code version 1.82 or later is installed. Older versions may not support the Copilot proxy setting.
• GitHub Copilot extension is installed and signed in.

Method 1: Configure Proxy in VS Code settings.json for Copilot Only

This method sets the proxy only for the Copilot extension. Other extensions and VS Code features will use the default network settings.

1. Open VS Code settings.json
   Press Ctrl+Shift+P to open the Command Palette. Type Preferences: Open Settings (JSON) and press Enter. This opens the settings.json file for the current user.
2. Add the Copilot proxy setting
   Paste the following JSON object inside the curly braces. Replace http://proxy.example.com:8080 with your proxy URL. If you need authentication, include it as shown in the next step.
   "github.copilot.advanced": {
"proxy": "http://proxy.example.com:8080"
}
3. Add proxy authentication if required
   If your proxy requires a username and password, include them in the URL format: http://username:password@proxy.example.com:8080. Replace username and password with your credentials. Save the file with Ctrl+S.
4. Restart VS Code
   Close all VS Code windows and reopen. The Copilot extension will now use the configured proxy. Test by typing a comment like // function to calculate sum and waiting for suggestions.

Method 2: Configure Proxy Using Environment Variables

This method sets the proxy system-wide. All VS Code extensions and other applications that respect HTTP_PROXY and HTTPS_PROXY will use it. This is useful if you have multiple tools behind the same proxy.

On Windows 10 and Windows 11

1. Open System Properties
   Press Windows+R, type sysdm.cpl, and press Enter. Go to the Advanced tab and click Environment Variables.
2. Add HTTP_PROXY and HTTPS_PROXY
   Under User variables, click New. For Variable name enter HTTP_PROXY. For Variable value enter your proxy URL, for example http://proxy.example.com:8080. Click OK. Repeat for HTTPS_PROXY with the same value.
3. Add NO_PROXY for local addresses
   Create a third variable named NO_PROXY with value localhost,127.0.0.1. This prevents Copilot from trying to reach local addresses through the proxy.
4. Restart VS Code and your terminal
   Close all VS Code windows and any open command prompts. Reopen VS Code. Copilot will read the environment variables automatically.

On macOS and Linux

1. Edit your shell profile
   Open a terminal. Run nano ~/.zshrc or nano ~/.bashrc depending on your shell.
2. Add proxy exports
   Add these lines at the end of the file:
   export HTTP_PROXY="http://proxy.example.com:8080"
export HTTPS_PROXY="http://proxy.example.com:8080"
export NO_PROXY="localhost,127.0.0.1"
   Save with Ctrl+O, then exit with Ctrl+X.
3. Reload the profile
   Run source ~/.zshrc or source ~/.bashrc.
4. Launch VS Code from the terminal
   Type code in the terminal to start VS Code. Copilot will use the environment variables.

Method 3: Configure Proxy in VS Code General Settings

VS Code has a general proxy setting that applies to all extensions except those with their own override. Copilot respects this setting if you have not set the Copilot-specific proxy.

1. Open VS Code Settings UI
   Press Ctrl+, to open Settings. In the search bar, type proxy.
2. Set the proxy URL
   Look for the setting Http: Proxy. Enter your proxy URL, such as http://proxy.example.com:8080. If you need authentication, include it in the URL.
3. Set proxy strict SSL
   Below the proxy URL, find Http: Proxy Strict SSL. Set it to false if your proxy uses a self-signed certificate. Otherwise leave it true.
4. Save and restart VS Code
   Close and reopen VS Code. Copilot will now use the general proxy setting.

If Copilot Still Fails to Connect After Proxy Configuration

Copilot Returns Connection Timeout or DNS Errors

The proxy server address or port may be incorrect. Verify the proxy URL by testing it with a browser or curl. For example, open a terminal and run curl -x http://proxy.example.com:8080 https://api.github.com. If curl fails, the proxy is not reachable. Contact your network administrator for the correct proxy details.

Copilot Authentication Fails After Proxy Setup

If your proxy requires authentication, the credentials in the URL may be rejected. Special characters in the password must be URL-encoded. For example, replace @ with %40 and # with %23. Alternatively, use a password manager or environment variable that does not contain special characters. If you are using environment variables, the URL must be in the http://user:pass@proxy:port format.

Copilot Works in VS Code but Fails in Remote Tunnels or WSL

Remote development environments such as WSL, SSH, or Dev Containers have their own network stack. Configure proxy settings inside the remote machine using the same methods above. For WSL, set environment variables in the WSL Linux distribution. For SSH, set the proxy on the remote server. The VS Code proxy settings on your local machine do not apply to remote windows.

Proxy Setting Method Comparison: Environment Variables vs settings.json vs General Proxy

Item	Environment Variables	Copilot-specific settings.json	General VS Code proxy
Scope	System-wide, all applications	Copilot extension only	All VS Code extensions
Authentication in URL	Supported	Supported	Supported
Requires restart	Yes, VS Code and terminal	Yes, VS Code	Yes, VS Code
Best for	Multiple tools behind same proxy	Isolating Copilot proxy from other extensions	Simple proxy without per-extension needs

You now have three ways to configure GitHub Copilot proxy settings in VS Code. Start with the Copilot-specific setting in settings.json if you only want to affect Copilot. Use environment variables if your entire development environment needs the proxy. If Copilot still fails, check the proxy authentication and test the proxy with curl. For remote development, configure the proxy inside the remote environment separately.