Microsoft published a free, 8-chapter hands-on course for GitHub Copilot CLI — the terminal-native interface that lets you review code, generate tests, debug issues, and build custom agents without leaving your shell. The course requires no prior AI experience and works with GitHub Copilot Free, meaning anyone with a GitHub account can start immediately.
The curriculum covers practical workflows that map to daily developer tasks: code review, test generation, and debugging. The more interesting chapters deal with building custom agents and skills — extending Copilot CLI beyond its default capabilities into project-specific tooling. Eight chapters is substantial enough to move past “ask it a question” usage into something resembling a real workflow.
Setup is minimal. You can clone the repo directly or open it in GitHub Codespaces for a zero-install start. The Codespaces option matters here — it removes the friction of local environment configuration, which has historically been the point where tutorial completion rates collapse.
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If you’re already using Copilot in VS Code or JetBrains but haven’t touched the CLI, the custom agents and skills chapters are the ones worth your time. Terminal-based agents can slot into CI pipelines and shell scripts where IDE extensions can’t reach.
The practical takeaway: if you have a GitHub account, you already have access to Copilot Free, which means you can run through this entire course at zero cost. The custom agents material is the differentiator — most Copilot tutorials stop at autocomplete and chat. This one goes further into building reusable, project-specific AI tooling from the command line.