Priya Nair
priya@acme.com
For GitHub Copilot
Share a GitHub Copilot app with just your team
You built an internal tool with Copilot’s agent in VS Code. TeamOnly puts it at a private link that only coworkers can open, with their work Google or Microsoft account or a code sent to their work email. Copilot runs the deploy for you.
deploy this on TeamOnlyRun npx teamonly deploy in the terminal? Allow / SkipLive at https://stock.acme.teamonly.appOnly @acme.com accounts can sign in.01Short answer
Copilot in VS Code reads AGENTS.md. TeamOnly writes it.
Run npx teamonly init in the project. It adds an AGENTS.md with the TeamOnly rules, and VS Code attaches a root AGENTS.md to agent requests by default.
Then ask Copilot for the tool and ask it to deploy. It runs npx teamonly deploy in VS Code’s terminal and you get a link like stock.acme.teamonly.app that nobody outside your company can open.
02Steps
From VS Code to a link your team signs in to
Add the rules
Open the app’s folder in VS Code and run
npx teamonly initin the terminal. In an empty folder it creates a starter app; in an existing one it adds the TeamOnly files and leaves your code alone.Ask for the tool
In the Chat view, with the agent selected: “A stock counter where anyone on the floor logs a count from their phone.” It builds a React front end and a small API, the one shape TeamOnly runs.
Deploy
Say “deploy this on TeamOnly”. Copilot runs
npx teamonly deployand asks you to allow the command first, unless you have set it to auto-approve.Sign in once
The first time, Copilot asks for your work email and the 6-digit code we send you. If your company is new to TeamOnly, it offers a free 14-day trial.
Share the link
Send it to the team. Change the app later and deploy again; the link stays the same.
npx teamonly initAdded the TeamOnly instructions for Claude Code, Cursor and other AI tools npx teamonly deployLive at https://stock.acme.teamonly.app03What Copilot reads
The rules Copilot follows in this project
init writes a marked block into AGENTS.md at the top of the project, and leaves the rest of the file alone if you already have one. The block describes the app shape, how to get the signed-in person, the database and files, and how to deploy.
VS Code’s docs say the chat.useAgentsMdFile setting, on by default, attaches a root AGENTS.md to chat requests. GitHub’s docs list AGENTS.md for Copilot Chat in VS Code, the Copilot cloud agent and Copilot CLI. That covers those.
Copilot in Visual Studio or JetBrains? GitHub’s docs say Copilot Chat there reads .github/copilot-instructions.md, not AGENTS.md. So npx teamonly init also writes a short .github/copilot-instructions.md that points Copilot at AGENTS.md.
04Running commands
Copilot runs the deploy, with your approval
In VS Code the agent can edit files, run terminal commands and call tools. With the default permissions it asks before a command that isn’t auto-approved. Allow npx teamonly deploy once, or add it to chat.tools.terminal.autoApprove.
The Copilot cloud agent is different. It works on GitHub in a GitHub Actions environment behind a firewall and opens a pull request. It doesn’t have your TeamOnly sign-in, so it can write the change but not deploy it. Merge or pull the change, then deploy from VS Code on your computer.
05MCP option
Add TeamOnly as a tool in VS Code
The teamonly package is also an MCP server, so Copilot can deploy, read logs and change who can open an app through tools instead of commands. Run this once in a terminal:
code --add-mcp '{"name":"teamonly","type":"stdio","command":"npx","args":["-y","teamonly","mcp"]}'Or run MCP: Add Server from the Command Palette, pick Command (stdio) and enter npx -y teamonly mcp. To keep it with the project, add it to .vscode/mcp.json, which uses servers:
{ "servers": { "teamonly": { "type": "stdio", "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "teamonly", "mcp"] } } }06What coworkers see
A sign-in page, then your app
Your coworkers don’t need Copilot, a GitHub account or anything installed.
They open the link and sign in with their work Google or Microsoft account, or a code sent to their work email. TeamOnly checks that before any of your code runs, and your app gets their name and email. Anyone outside your company stops at the sign-in page. People who only use apps are free. How company login works.
A door marked Staff only stands in front of the expenses app. Sam, signed in as sam@acme.com, is checked at the door and walks in. Next, randomperson@gmail.com and a bot are checked at the same door and turned away. They never reach the app, because the check happens at the door, before the app.
Does GitHub Copilot read AGENTS.md?
In VS Code, yes: a root AGENTS.md is attached to agent requests by default. GitHub’s docs also list it for the Copilot cloud agent and Copilot CLI. Copilot Chat in Visual Studio and JetBrains reads .github/copilot-instructions.md instead.
Do I need .github/copilot-instructions.md?
You don’t have to write one. npx teamonly init puts the rules in AGENTS.md, which Copilot in VS Code reads, and also adds a short .github/copilot-instructions.md pointing to it for Copilot in Visual Studio and JetBrains. If you already have that file, init adds its block and leaves the rest alone.
Can Copilot run npx teamonly deploy?
Yes, the agent in VS Code runs terminal commands. It asks you to allow a command unless your settings auto-approve it.
Can the Copilot cloud agent deploy?
No. It runs on GitHub, behind a firewall, without your TeamOnly sign-in, and the TeamOnly rules tell the AI never to work around sign-in. Let it open the pull request, then deploy from your computer.
Does my app have to be on GitHub?
No. Deploy sends the app from the folder on your computer. Keeping it on GitHub is still a good idea, and you need it there if you want the cloud agent to work on it.
What does it cost?
The first 14 days are free, no card. Then Builder is $19 a month for one builder and 3 apps, and Team is $249 a month for every builder and app. Coworkers who only use apps are free. Your Copilot plan stays as it is.
Sources
Facts about Copilot checked 26 October 2026 on GitHub’s and Microsoft’s docs: which Copilot features read which instruction files, custom instructions in VS Code, approvals and terminal commands, MCP configuration, cloud agent firewall. Copilot changes often; check its docs if something looks different.
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