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REFERENCE

Troubleshooting

The eight most common stuck-points and how to get past them.

If you're hitting something not on this list, open an issue at github.com/JW-Sthlm/ai-operator-intro/issues.

1. winget not found

You're on Windows but typing winget says "not recognized".

Fix: Open the Microsoft Store. Search for "App Installer". Install it. It includes winget. Then restart PowerShell and try again.

If you can't install App Installer (locked-down corporate laptop), use GitHub Codespaces instead. Free tier includes 60 hours a month. Open a codespace from any repo and run copilot there. Everything in the course works the same way.

2. copilot command not found after install

You ran the install, it succeeded, but copilot doesn't work.

Fix: Close ALL PowerShell and terminal windows. Reopen a fresh one. The PATH only refreshes for new windows.

Still missing? Try reinstalling:

winget install GitHub.Copilot

Last resort: restart your computer. Sometimes Windows needs the reboot.

3. /login fails or times out

You ran copilot, typed /login, browser opened, but something broke.

Possible causes:

  1. Your Copilot subscription isn't active.
  2. A corporate proxy is blocking the device-code flow.
  3. Your browser blocked the pop-up.

Fix:

  • Verify your subscription at github.com/settings/copilot. If you don't see "Copilot Free is active" or one of the paid plans, activate Free there.
  • Try the login on a personal network (home wifi, mobile hotspot). Corporate proxies sometimes block the device-code flow.
  • Check your browser allowed the pop-up. Some browsers silently block them.

gh auth login shows not_found error

The browser shows /login/device/failure?reason=not_found.

Cause: You pasted a stale device code. Every new gh auth login invalidates all previous codes. Only the most recent one works.

Fix: Don't re-run gh auth login. Look at your terminal. The most recent code shown there is still valid. Go to github.com/login/device and paste that code.

5. MCP servers not showing in /mcp

You installed an MCP server (filesystem, M365, GitHub, whatever) but /mcp doesn't list it.

Fix: Did you run /restart after the install? MCP servers register when Copilot CLI starts. New ones don't appear until you restart.

/restart

Still missing? Ask Copilot directly. It can diagnose:

My MCP servers aren't showing up. Can you help me diagnose and fix this?

If you want to look manually: check that ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json exists and is valid JSON. A typo there breaks everything.

6. M365 MCP install says "needs admin approval"

You tried to install the M365 MCP server. It failed with an admin-consent error.

Cause: Your Microsoft 365 tenant (your company's M365) blocks third-party app consent by default. This is normal corporate hygiene.

Fix options:

  1. Ask IT to approve the app. They can grant tenant-wide consent for the M365 MCP server. Send them the GitHub Marketplace link.
  2. Skip M365 for now. The course works fine without it. Use filesystem MCP and GitHub MCP instead. Every pattern in the course transfers.

7. Copilot gives wrong or irrelevant answers

The output doesn't match what you asked for.

Tips that fix most cases:

  • Be more specific. "In the customer notes about Acme Retail's CFO concerns" beats "look at my notes".
  • Tell it what's wrong. "That's not what I meant. The CFO isn't worried about cost, she's worried about timeline." Copilot adjusts.
  • Reset context. If the conversation has been long, type /compact to summarize it. Or just close Copilot and restart.
  • Switch model. Different models behave differently. Try /model and pick another one if the current one is off.

8. "Rate limit exceeded"

You hit your monthly Copilot request limit.

Fix: Wait until next month. Or upgrade to Copilot Pro at github.com/settings/copilot. Free includes a generous monthly allowance but heavy use can run through it.

Still stuck?

  1. Ask Copilot first. Type I'm having trouble with [describe the problem]. It can often help you diagnose.
  2. Search GitHub issues. github.com/JW-Sthlm/ai-operator-intro/issues. Someone may have hit the same thing.
  3. Open a new issue. Include your OS, what you typed, and the exact error. Screenshots help.
  4. Check the official docs. docs.github.com/copilot for everything that's not in this guide.