Fixing "copilot is not recognized" on Windows

When I tried to set up copilot-cli on Windows, the command failed with:

'copilot' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

This post explains why it happens and how to fix it quickly.

Root Cause

I originally ran:

npm run @github/copilot

That command is not an install command. npm run only executes scripts defined in package.json, so it does not install @github/copilot globally.

Correct Installation

Install the CLI globally:

npm install -g @github/copilot

Verify installation:

copilot --version

If copilot Is Still Not Found

If the package is installed but the shell still cannot find copilot, your npm global bin path is likely missing from PATH.

1) Check npm global prefix

npm config get prefix

Common output examples:

• C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming\npm
• C:\Program Files\nodejs

2) Check whether PATH already contains npm-related entries

$env:Path -split ';' | Where-Object { $_ -like '*npm*' }

3) Add npm global bin to user PATH (if needed)

$npmPrefix = npm config get prefix
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "$env:Path;$npmPrefix", "User")

Restart PowerShell and run:

copilot --version

Fast Alternative: Use npx

If you want to avoid PATH issues, run the CLI with npx:

npx @github/copilot --version
npx @github/copilot <command>

This is often the fastest way to get started.

Recommended Workflow

For stability and convenience on Windows:

1. Install globally with npm install -g @github/copilot
2. Verify with copilot --version
3. If unresolved, use npx @github/copilot ... while fixing PATH

That sequence resolves most setup problems in a few minutes.

Builtin MCP

It is not stored in any configuration file. github-mcp-server is a built-in MCP server for Copilot CLI, and its definition is embedded directly in the CLI package (@github/copilot).

The official docs (CLI command reference → Built-in MCP servers) list the built-in servers as github-mcp-server, playwright, fetch, and time. They can be used immediately without extra setup.

Check it

copilot mcp list                    # built-in, user, workspace, and plugin servers are grouped by source
copilot mcp get github-mcp-server   # view the configuration and tool list

In an interactive session, you can also use /mcp show github-mcp-server or /env.

Adjust it via command-line flags

copilot mcp disable github-mcp-server also persists the disabled state.

If you want full control over its configuration, add another remote GitHub MCP server under a different name in mcp-config.json, then disable the built-in one with --disable-builtin-mcps.

If the new MCP tools do not appear

Try one of the following:

1. In the resumed session, run /mcp reload, then use /mcp show github-mcp-server to see whether the tool count increases.
2. Skip resuming the old session and start a fresh one: npx copilot --enable-all-github-mcp-tools. If the tool list is complete in the new session, it confirms the issue is specific to the resumed session.