GitHub Copilot Models Query

Query available GitHub Copilot AI models directly from the API to see what models you actually have access to (not just what OpenCode knows about).

Usage

Quick Query

Use the provided script to fetch your available models:

# From project root
.opencode/skills/github-copilot-models/scripts/fetch-models.sh

# With JSON output for parsing
.opencode/skills/github-copilot-models/scripts/fetch-models.sh --json

# Filter by category
.opencode/skills/github-copilot-models/scripts/fetch-models.sh --category powerful

# Show only picker-enabled models
.opencode/skills/github-copilot-models/scripts/fetch-models.sh --picker-only

Script Options

| --json | Raw JSON output | fetch-models.sh --json | | --picker-only | Only show featured models | fetch-models.sh --picker-only | | --category <cat> | Filter by category | fetch-models.sh --category versatile | | --family <name> | Filter by model family | fetch-models.sh --family claude | | --vendor <name> | Filter by vendor | fetch-models.sh --vendor Anthropic | | --vision | Only models with vision | fetch-models.sh --vision | | --help | Show all options | fetch-models.sh --help |

Manual API Query

# Get auth token from OpenCode config
AUTH_TOKEN=$(jq -r '.["github-copilot"].access' ~/.local/share/opencode/auth.json)

# Query GitHub Copilot API
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $AUTH_TOKEN" \
  "https://api.githubcopilot.com/models" | jq .

Authentication

The script automatically reads your OpenCode authentication from:

~/.local/share/opencode/auth.json

If authentication fails:

# Re-authenticate with GitHub Copilot
opencode auth add github-copilot

# Verify authentication
opencode auth list

Switching Models

After finding your desired model, specify it per-command or set a default:

# Per-command (recommended for testing)
opencode run --model gpt-5.2-codex "Refactor this code"

# Set project default in .opencode/opencode.json
{
  "defaultModel": "gpt-5.2-codex"
}

Validation: Test the model is active and responding correctly:

opencode run "Echo back: model working" && echo "✓ Model active"

Example Workflows

Find Best Model for Large Codebase Analysis

# Find models with 200K+ context
./scripts/fetch-models.sh --json | jq '.data[] | select(.capabilities.limits.max_context_window_tokens > 200000) | {id, context: .capabilities.limits.max_context_window_tokens}'

Find Models with Vision for Screenshot Analysis

# Show vision-capable models
./scripts/fetch-models.sh --vision

Compare All Claude Models

# Filter by vendor
./scripts/fetch-models.sh --vendor Anthropic

Get Model IDs for Scripting

# Extract just the IDs
./scripts/fetch-models.sh --json | jq -r '.data[].id'

Decision Framework

When to Query Models

Use this skill when you need to:

• Validate model availability before committing to a specific model in scripts or config
• Compare context limits when working with large codebases (need 100K+ tokens)
• Check for new models that may have been added since OpenCode's registry was last updated
• Troubleshoot model selection when a model isn't responding or seems unavailable
• Filter by capability (e.g., vision support for screenshot analysis)

Model Selection Criteria

When choosing a model after querying:

1. Context window: Match to your typical task size (code review vs full codebase analysis)
2. Policy state: Only "enabled" models are usable; ignore "disabled" or restricted models
3. Preview status: Preview models may have limited availability based on subscription
4. Capabilities: Check for required features (vision, function calling, streaming)
5. Category tags: Use powerful for complex tasks, versatile for general use, fast for quick iterations

Setting Defaults vs Per-Command

Per-command (recommended for testing):

• Use when trying new models
• Allows fallback if model fails
• Keeps project config stable

Project default (use after validation):

• Set in .opencode/opencode.json only after confirming model stability
• Avoids repeating --model flag on every command
• Risk: breaks workflow if model becomes unavailable

Anti-Patterns

NEVER hardcode model IDs without verifying availability first

• WHY: GitHub Copilot model availability varies by subscription and region; hardcoded IDs fail silently.
• BAD: "defaultModel": "gpt-5.2-codex" in config without checking if you have access.
• GOOD: run ./scripts/fetch-models.sh --json | jq '.data[].id' first, verify model in output, then configure.

NEVER rely on OpenCode's model registry alone

• WHY: OpenCode's registry may be stale; new models or removed models won't be reflected.
• BAD: trusting opencode models output without cross-checking API.
• GOOD: use this skill's fetch-models.sh script to query GitHub Copilot API directly for current availability.

NEVER ignore policy.state when selecting models

• WHY: models with "disabled" or "preview" state may reject requests even if listed.
• BAD: selecting first model in list without checking .policy.state field.
• GOOD: filter for "policy.state": "enabled" models only: jq '.data[] | select(.policy.state == "enabled")'.

NEVER assume context window size from model name

• WHY: model names don't reliably encode context limits; Claude 3.5 Sonnet has 200K, not 3.5K.
• BAD: guessing "this looks like a large model" from the name.
• GOOD: check .capabilities.limits.max_context_window_tokens explicitly in API response.

Troubleshooting

Common issues:

• "Provider not found" — Run opencode models github-copilot to target the correct provider.
• 401 / "Invalid token" — Re-authenticate with opencode auth add github-copilot.
• Models not showing in OpenCode — OpenCode's registry may be stale; use the script to query the API directly.
• Model unavailable at runtime — Check policy.state ("enabled" required) and the preview flag in the API response; preview models may have restricted availability depending on your subscription.