title	Indexing repositories for GitHub Copilot
shortTitle	Repository indexing
intro	{% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} improves responses by indexing your repositories.
versions	feature copilot
redirect_from	/copilot/managing-copilot/managing-github-copilot-in-your-organization/customizing-copilot-for-your-organization/indexing-repositories-for-copilot-chat /copilot/managing-copilot/managing-github-copilot-in-your-organization/enhancing-copilot-for-your-organization/indexing-repositories-for-copilot-chat /copilot/managing-copilot/managing-github-copilot-in-your-organization/managing-github-copilot-features-in-your-organization/indexing-repositories-for-copilot-chat /copilot/customizing-copilot/indexing-repositories-for-copilot-chat /copilot/using-github-copilot/indexing-repositories-for-copilot-chat /copilot/using-github-copilot/copilot-chat/indexing-repositories-for-copilot-chat /copilot/concepts/indexing-repositories-for-copilot-chat /copilot/concepts/repository-indexes
contentType	concepts
category	Manage Copilot for a team

Benefit of indexing repositories

{% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %}'s ability to answer natural language questions and complete tasks in a repository context is optimized when the semantic code search index for the repository is up to date.

{% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} will not use your indexed repository for model training.

Semantic code search in {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %}

When you start a conversation with {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} that has a repository context, the repository is automatically indexed to improve context-enriched answers to your questions about the code's structure and logic in {% data variables.product.github %} and {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %}. For example, you can ask “How does this repo manage HTTP requests and responses?” and {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} will reference relevant sections of your code to deliver an informed answer.

For more information on how to ask questions, see AUTOTITLE.

Semantic code search in {% data variables.copilot.copilot_cloud_agent %}

{% data variables.copilot.copilot_cloud_agent %} uses semantic code search to find relevant code based on meaning, rather than relying solely on exact text matches with tools like grep. When the agent doesn't know the precise names or patterns to search for, semantic code search helps it locate the right code faster. No configuration is required—the agent automatically uses semantic code search when appropriate.

For more information about {% data variables.copilot.copilot_cloud_agent %}, see AUTOTITLE.

About index creation and use

Indexing runs in the background and initial indexing can take up to 60 seconds for a large repository. Once a repository has been indexed for the first time, re-indexing is much quicker and the index will typically be automatically updated to include the latest changes within seconds of you starting a new conversation.

Once an index has been created for a repository, it can be used by:

• {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} in {% data variables.product.github %} and {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %}
• {% data variables.copilot.copilot_cloud_agent %}

[!TIP] There is no limit to how many repositories you can index.

Excluding content from {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} answers

Enterprise or organization owners with a {% data variables.copilot.copilot_enterprise_short %} or {% data variables.copilot.copilot_business_short %} plan can define content exclusions to control the behavior of {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %} for the {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} seats they manage. For more information, see AUTOTITLE.

If a semantic code search index is created for a repository that is included in a content exclusion policy, data is filtered according to the policy before being passed to {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %}.