Using the GitHub Copilot SDK for Java

Java developers no longer have to rely on Java framework-specific approaches to drive AI from their enterprise apps. While it is true that Langchain4j empowered developers by disintermediating specific AI vendors, you still had a dependency on Langchain4j. And with Spring AI, well, of course you had a dependency on design choices made by Spring, if not on Spring itself. Now, GitHub Copilot SDK for Java is the first truly framework agnostic way to drive AI from Java. And with its BYOK support, GitHub Copilot SDK for Java is also AI vendor neutral. 💡 Even though it’s called GitHub Copilot SDK, you can use it with any direct model provider, such as OpenAI, Azure, Anthropic, or OpenAI-compatible endpoints, by passing a provider / ProviderConfig with your own baseUrl + apiKey (or bearer token). No Copilot subscription required. The GitHub Copilot SDK for Java is a client library that empowers your server-side Java code to create Copilot agent sessions, register tools, send prompts, and receive structured responses—all programmatically. It works in server environments, including Jakarta EE and Spring. If you’ve been building enterprise Java for any length of time, this SDK will feel like home: CompletableFuture , annotations, lambdas, virtual threads, it’s all here. This post shows you how to use the SDK, walks through a complete Jakarta EE 11 sample application, and leaves you with concrete next steps to try it yourself. I chose Jakarta EE 11 for my demo because I was the lead release coordinator for that release. I believe in open standards as the best way to empower developers. For more on Jakarta EE 11 see this InfoQ article . This sample app is an agent harness using Jakarta EE 11. But, of course, developers can build their own agent harness using the well-known Java frameworks and libraries of their choice. Clone the sample app and try it yourself > Where to get it The SDK is available as a Maven dependency: com.github cop