Windows Copilot Agent Setup

[primeinc]

configure the proper copilot agent workflow by creating the proper file - you control which OS the Copilot Agent runs on by choosing the runner in the GitHub Actions workflow the agent uses. Change the job's runs-on to a Windows runner (GitHub-hosted: windows-latest / windows-2022) or point it at a self-hosted Windows runner by using its labels (self-hosted + your custom label). If the agent is generating workflows automatically, add or override the workflow with one that forces a Windows runner.

What to do (two common approaches)

1. Use GitHub-hosted Windows runner

• Edit/create the Actions workflow the agent uses and set runs-on: windows-latest.
• Example workflow (create at .github/workflows/copilot-agent-windows.yml):

name: Copilot Agent — Windows runner example
on:
  workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
  copilot-agent-task:
    runs-on: windows-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Run agent task (placeholder)
        shell: pwsh
        run: |
          Write-Host "Running Copilot Agent job on Windows"
          # put the commands the agent expects to run here

2. Use a self-hosted Windows runner (recommended when you need specific software, Windows containers, or hardware)

• Install/register a self-hosted runner on a Windows machine (Repo Settings → Actions → Runners → Add runner) and give it a custom label (for example: copilot-windows).
• Target that label in your workflow:

name: Copilot Agent — Self-hosted Windows runner
on:
  workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
  copilot-agent-task:
    runs-on: [self-hosted, windows, x64, copilot-windows]
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Run agent task (placeholder)
        shell: pwsh
        run: |
          Write-Host "Running on self-hosted Windows runner"
          # commands here

Notes, gotchas and debugging tips

• If Copilot Agents re-generate workflows, create a named workflow file with the exact job you want so it takes precedence; otherwise auto-generated flows might continue to specify ubuntu/ubuntu-latest.

• Windows differences: many CLI tools and Docker workflows behave differently on Windows. If the agent expects Linux containers or POSIX shell, you may need to adjust commands (use pwsh or cmd).

• Windows GitHub-hosted image is windows-latest (Windows Server 2022). If you need older/newer OS check the Actions docs for exact image names.

• If your job still runs on Linux: open the run's Details → Job → Runner to see which labels matched; logs show the runner selected and any label mismatch.

• If the Copilot Agent feature itself has a UI/agent config that chooses runners, look for a runner/label option there and set it to your Windows label — but the workflow-level runs-on is the definitive control.

• add a workflow file to this repo that forces a Windows runner