--- title: GitHub Copilot SDK Deep Dive: CopilotClientMode | daily.dev description: A deep dive into the GitHub Copilot SDK's `CopilotClientMode`, explaining the difference between the default `CopilotCli` mode and `Empty` mode. The default... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/github-copilot-sdk-deep-dive-copilotclientmode-kgjsnmuxw twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: GitHub Copilot SDK Deep Dive: CopilotClientMode | daily.dev og:description: A deep dive into the GitHub Copilot SDK's `CopilotClientMode`, explaining the difference between the default `CopilotCli` mode and `Empty` mode. The default... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/github-copilot-sdk-deep-dive-copilotclientmode-kgjsnmuxw og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/kgjSnMUxW.png og:image:alt: GitHub Copilot SDK Deep Dive: CopilotClientMode og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # GitHub Copilot SDK Deep Dive: CopilotClientMode **[The Art of Simplicity](https://daily.dev/sources/bartwullems)** · 4 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A deep dive into the GitHub Copilot SDK's `CopilotClientMode`, explaining the difference between the default `CopilotCli` mode and `Empty` mode. The default mode activates the full Copilot CLI persona including local plugins, agent configs, and shared storage — ideal for personal developer tooling. `Empty` mode strips everything to a clean slate, requiring explicit opt-in for tools, system prompts, and per-tenant storage paths. This makes it the correct choice when building multi-tenant services where session isolation is critical. Practical code examples show how to configure per-tenant `BaseDirectory`, opt into sandboxed built-in tools, and define custom system prompts. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [GitHub Copilot CLI Tips & Tricks — Part 1: Understanding the Different Modes](https://daily.dev/posts/github-copilot-cli-tips-tricks-part-1-understanding-the-different-modes-tufmbd91r) · The Art of Simplicity · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Deploying and scaling the GitHub Copilot SDK](https://daily.dev/posts/deploying-and-scaling-the-github-copilot-sdk-syyz2ezac) · The Art of Simplicity · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [GitHub Copilot CLI for Beginners: Interactive v. non-interactive mode](https://daily.dev/posts/github-copilot-cli-for-beginners-interactive-v-non-interactive-mode-yvcwywrdt) · GitHub Blog · 2 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#github](https://daily.dev/tags/github), [#ai-agents](https://daily.dev/tags/ai-agents), [#multi-tenancy](https://daily.dev/tags/multi-tenancy) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/github-copilot-sdk-deep-dive-copilotclientmode-kgjsnmuxw) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"GitHub Copilot SDK Deep Dive: CopilotClientMode","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/github-copilot-sdk-deep-dive-copilotclientmode-kgjsnmuxw","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/github-copilot-sdk-deep-dive-copilotclientmode-kgjsnmuxw"},"datePublished":"2026-06-23T05:20:09.054Z","dateModified":"2026-06-23T05:20:30.866Z","description":"A deep dive into the GitHub Copilot SDK's `CopilotClientMode`, explaining the difference between the default `CopilotCli` mode and `Empty` mode. 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