Architecture

Step 0 - Prerequisites

Step 1 - Install Ollama

Step 2 - Pull a Model

Step 3 - Test the Model

Step 4 - Confirm API Endpoint

Step 5 - Configure VS Code

Step 6 - Select Your Model

Step 7 - Remote Access (Optional)

Step 8 - Configure Nginx Reverse Proxy (Optional)

Step 9 - Testing

Overview

GitHub Copilot now supports Bring Your Own Key (BYOK), allowing developers to connect local or self-hosted AI models directly into VS Code.

This means you can run coding assistants locally using tools like Ollama without sending prompts to external providers.

Architecture

VS Code ↓ GitHub Copilot Chat (BYOK) ↓ Ollama API ↓ Local LLM

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Example:

VS Code → localhost:11434 → Qwen2.5-Coder

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Step 0 - Prerequisites

Ollama v0.18.3+

VS Code 1.113+

GitHub Copilot Chat extension 0.41.0+

Step 1 - Install Ollama

Linux

Official:

sudo curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh

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