How to Run Shell Commands Directly Inside GitHub Copilot CLI【!】 - Nao

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How to Run Shell Commands Directly Inside GitHub Copilot CLI【!】

2026-03-28

Development Tools

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Shell Execution

Overview#

When you’re in the middle of a Copilot CLI session and think “I just want to check git status real quick” — do you actually quit the CLI and open another terminal?

You don’t have to. Just prefix any command with ! and it runs directly in your local shell.

Usage#

Add ! before the command you want to run:

/copilot> !git status

/copilot> !ls -la

/copilot> !npm test

The command bypasses Copilot entirely and runs on your local shell.

When to Use It#

Scenario	Example
Check Git status	`!git status`
List files	`!ls` / `!dir`
Run tests	`!npm test`
Build the project	`!npm run build`
Check environment	`!echo $PATH`

How It Differs from a Regular Prompt#

Method	What happens
Regular prompt	Copilot interprets and executes (approval required)
`!` prefix	Runs directly in your shell, bypassing Copilot

Perfect for “I don’t need AI for this, I just need to check something real quick.” Also doesn’t consume any premium requests.

How to Run Shell Commands Directly Inside GitHub Copilot CLI【!】

https://naonao-na.com/en/posts/github-copilot-cli-shell-execute/

Author

[object Object]

Published at

2026-03-28

License

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

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