Overview

Integration of GitHub Copilot is a Jira plugin that empowers development teams by integrating GitHub Copilot directly into their Jira workflow. With a single click, developers can assign issues to GitHub Copilot, which analyzes the issue and automatically starts working on a solution. Once completed, Copilot provides a pull request and relevant context directly in the Jira issue.

Features

• Adds an "Assign to GitHub Copilot" button on the Jira issue page.
• Automatically sends the issue title and descriptionto GitHub Copilot.
• GitHub Copilot generates a solution and opens apull request.
• A comment is posted to the issue with:
  • A link to the generated pull request.
  • A summary of the solution provided by Copilot.

Configuration

1. Connect GitHub Repository

Go to your Jira space settings:

• Navigate to Space Settings > Apps > Integration of GitHub Copilot.
• Enter the target GitHub owner and repository where Copilot will create pull requests.

2a. Add GitHub Personal Access Token (PAT)

You need to provide a GitHub PAT to authorize interactions between Jira and GitHub Copilot.

• Create either
  • A GitHub Classic token: Go to GitHub Personal Access Tokens. Generate a new token with the following required scope:
    • repo (Full control of private repositories)
  • A GitHub fine-grained token: Go to GitHub fine-grained Access Tokens. Generate a new token with the following required permissions:
    • Actions Read-Write
    • Contents Read-Write
    • Issues Read-Write
    • Pull-Requests Read-Write
• Paste the generated token into the GitHub Token field in the GitHub Copilot Integration settings in Jira.

2b. Use GitHub App Authentication

To enable secure communication between Jira and GitHub without managing or storing personal access tokens, you can use GitHub App Authentication.

• Install the GitHub App in the same GitHub organizations or accounts that own the repositories configured in the plugin: https://github.com/apps/jira-integration-of-github-copilot/installations/new
  Requirements:
  1. Administrative access to the respective GitHub organization or account is required to install the application.
  2. The application must be installed in all organizations or accounts that contain repositories intended for use with the plugin.
  3. During installation, grant the application access to the relevant repositories.
• After installing the GitHub App, enable the authentication method within Jira. Open  Space Settings > Apps > Integration of GitHub Copilot. Select the tab "GitHub App Authentication." and enable the authentication method.

Once enabled, the plugin is configured to use GitHub App Authentication for repository access and issue assignment.

For further GitHub App configuration navigate to your GitHub App settings in your account / organization or alternatively open https://github.com/apps/jira-integration-of-github-copilot and click on "Configure".

GitHub App Permissions

For repositories to assign issues to GitHub Copilot the app is requesting the following permissions:

• Actions Read-Write
• Contents Read-Write
• Issues Read-Write
• Pull-Requests Read-Write

For assigning issues to GitHub Copilot the app additionally requests account/organizational permissions for Models Read.

Authentication Flow

When a user assigns an issue to GitHub Copilot for the first time, the user is prompted to authenticate with GitHub and grant the required permissions to the GitHub App. The secure authentication is stored by Atlassian for future use.
The assignment request to Copilot is executed on behalf of the user. Subsequent actions are performed without requiring the user to authenticate again, unless reauthentication becomes necessary due to token expiration.
After the assignment the plugin uses the GitHub App installation permissions to check on the status of the respective assignment to update the status in the Jira ticket.

This integration does not store any GitHub authentication tokens. The application relies exclusively on Atlassian identity management for authentication and authorization.

Users can review or revoke their authentication at any time by visiting  https://id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/apps.  Under "Atlassian third party account access", users can manage connected applications like this GitHub authentication.

GitHub Copilot License requirements

Each user must have an active GitHub Copilot license. Users without a valid Copilot license are not able to assign Jira issues to Copilot.

Usage

Once configured:

1. Open any issue in your Jira project.
2. Click the "Assign to GitHub Copilot" button.
3. The issue title and description are sent to Copilot.
4. GitHub Copilot analyzes the task and creates a pull request.
5. A comment is automatically posted in the Jira issue containing:
   • A link to the PR
   • A brief explanation of the changes or solution

Requirements

• GitHub repository (public or private) with Copilot coding agent

Security Considerations

• The GitHub PAT is stored securely within Jira and used only for authorized operations.

FAQ

• Copilot is not starting to work on an issue. What should I do?
  Please ensure that the fine-grained access token has the correct permissions. GitHub updated these permissions in October 2025, so you may need to review and adjust them. Additionally, if you’re working with a new or empty repository, create and assign at least one issue directly on GitHub.com first. After that initial setup, issue assignment via the GitHub integration should work as expected.
• Images in Copilot comments are not displaying.
  This issue is related to GitHub’s handling of fine-grained access tokens. As a temporary workaround, you can use a classic token instead. When using a classic token, images display correctly and are properly attached to your Jira issues.

Support

For help or to report issues with the plugin, please email us at support@smart-fusion.tech.