Claude Code isn't available where I live. What now?

What GitHub Copilot CLI is

GitHub Copilot started as an autocomplete feature inside VS Code. GitHub later built a standalone command-line version — the CLI — that works the same way Claude Code, Gemini CLI, and Codex CLI do: you open a terminal, type a command, and you're in an interactive session with an AI that can read and write files on your machine.

Under the hood it can call different models, including Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's GPT family. The difference is billing and availability: you pay GitHub instead of paying Anthropic or OpenAI directly, and GitHub distributes through the same channels as its other products — which means it's available in more places than the individual AI providers.

Joe uses it as a cross-model code review tool in Module 4. If you're using it as your primary CLI instead of Claude Code, the same commands and workflows still apply — you're just talking to a different front end.

Getting started with Copilot CLI

Three steps:

• 1.Sign up for GitHub Copilot. Go to github.com/features/copilot and pick a plan. The Individual plan is $10 per month. You'll need a GitHub account if you don't already have one.
• 2.Install the CLI. Follow GitHub's installation instructions. The steps vary slightly by operating system, but the process is similar to installing any other CLI tool — one command and you're done.
• 3.Authenticate with your GitHub account. The first time you run the tool it'll ask you to log in through a browser. Allow it.

From there, everything the course teaches — context files, skills, sub-agents, pipelines — works the same way. You're still in a CLI session with an AI model that can read and write files in the folder you launched it from.

What changes compared to the course videos

A few small translation notes if Copilot CLI is your main tool:

• ›The launch command is different. Joe types claude in the videos. With Copilot CLI you'll type whatever GitHub's current command is (check the docs — they've renamed it once or twice). Everything after that looks similar.
• ›Context files. Copilot CLI reads a file similar to CLAUDE.md. Check the current docs for the exact filename — the concept is identical: a markdown file with project context that loads at session start.
• ›Slash commands. Similar menu of slash commands but with different names and options. When in doubt, type /help and read what's available.
• ›Everything else. The Module 1 story — leaving the browser, writing files to disk, keeping context across sessions — is identical. The Module 4 story — managing the context window, calling another model for a second opinion, delegating to sub-agents — is identical too.