[Bug] Copilot stuck at “Retrieving GitHub Device Code” in IntelliJ (regression in 1.5.53-243)
When trying to sign in to GitHub Copilot in IntelliJ, the dialog gets stuck on “Retrieving GitHub Device Code” and never shows the code or opens the browser. This does not happen in VS Code on the same machine/network. Downgrading the plugin to 1.5.50-243 fixes it immediately → likely a regression in 1.5.53-243.
Environment
- OS: Windows [10/11]
- IntelliJ: [Ultimate/Community] 2024.3.x (build 243.*) and 2025.2
- JetBrains Runtime (JBR): [e.g., 21.x]
-
GitHub Copilot plugin (JetBrains):
- ✅ 1.5.50-243 → works
- ❌ 1.5.53-243 → stuck on login
- Copilot plan: [Individual / Business / Enterprise]
Steps to Reproduce (with 1.5.53-243)
- Open IntelliJ → Tools ▸ GitHub Copilot ▸ Log in to GitHub
- The popup shows “Retrieving GitHub Device Code” and stays there indefinitely
- No device code appears; browser doesn’t open; login never completes
Expected Result
Display the device code and open the browser for authorization, completing the sign-in.
Actual Result
The dialog remains stuck at “Retrieving GitHub Device Code.”
What I’ve Verified
-
External connectivity OK (outside the IDE):
PS> curl -I https://api.github.com → 200 OK PS> curl -I https://github.com/login/device → 302 Found PS> curl -I https://api.githubcopilot.com → 404 (expected at /) PS> curl -I https://copilot-proxy.githubusercontent.com→ 404 (expected at /) - VS Code: Copilot login works on the same host/network
- IntelliJ configured with manual proxy/PAC and corporate root CA imported (when applicable)
- Tested with JBR 21 (latest available)
- Cleared Copilot state (
%LOCALAPPDATA%\github-copilot\hosts.json/apps.json), logged out/in - “Regular” GitHub login under Settings ▸ Version Control ▸ GitHub works
Logs (IntelliJ idea.log)
Around the login attempt with 1.5.53-243 I see timeouts while fetching the device code (e.g., TimeoutException / connect timed out). In proxy environments I sometimes see 407 Proxy Authentication Required or PKIX path building failed if the CA isn’t imported into JBR.
I can attach sanitized log excerpts if needed.
Workaround
- Uninstall 1.5.53-243 and manually install 1.5.50-243 (same “243” line).
- After downgrading, Copilot login works immediately in IntelliJ.
Hypothesis
A change in device-flow initialization or proxy/SSL handling in 1.5.53-243. Since VS Code works and downgrading fixes it, this looks like a version-specific regression in the JetBrains Copilot plugin.
Request
- Please confirm if there’s a known issue in 1.5.53-243 affecting the device-code login flow
- Advise if there’s a fixed build or a temporary flag/VM option we can use
- I’m happy to provide full logs (redacted), exact version numbers, and a brief repro video if helpful
Thanks!
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Please note that Github Copilot is a 3rd party plugin, its issues should be reported at https://github.com/microsoft/copilot-intellij-feedback/issues
As of today this workaround doesn't help any longer.
Ppgl, thank you for the update. I’m sorry to hear that the workaround is no longer effective. Could you please also share this in this GitHub issue?
Thank you, this workaround worked for me!
After uninstalling the latest plugin version and installing
1.5.50-243, I initially encountered the following error:Sign in failed. Reason: Agent service not initialized, request id:39, error code: -32002
To resolve this, I deleted the
%LOCALAPPDATA%\github-copilotfolder, reinstalled the plugin, and then sign-in succeeded.For reference, I’m using the same environment described above and operating behind a proxy.
I have the same problem of stuck in “retrieving device code” using IntelliJ build 243 and GitHub Copilot version 1.5.58-243. I have successfully downgraded the plugin to github-copilot-intellij-1.5.52-243.zip. Now I can use GitHub Copilot again.
I hope Microsoft/Jetbrains makes the plugin available for IntelliJ build 252 soon. I had to downgrade both IntelliJ (252→243) and the plugin (1.5.58→1.5.52) to make the plugin work. I am considering using Cursor IDE over IntelliJ as the LLM/AI support is supposed to be better in Cursor. And maybe still use IntelliJ to get a better Java support.
Hi Anderson Mares and other guys, I'm from dev team for product “GitHub Copilot plugin for JetBrains IDEs”. I came across this issue today. is this issue still persists for you? If it still happens, would you create an issue here: https://github.com/microsoft/copilot-intellij-feedback/issues/new?template=bug_report.yml and share the idea.log. Thanks!
One common issue is for Windows ARM platform, we lack some support there, and uses the node JS executable from your machine to execute the copilot-language-server ( a node js process) to provide copilot features for the plugin, and sometimes, it fails due to some compatibility issues.
Still happening on version 1.5.62-243. Very frustrating
The login to GitHub failed. Reason: Error: EPERM: operation not permitted, open 'C:\Users\sanj\AppData\Local\github-copilot\apps.json', request id: 34, error code: 1001
Same here… Stuck at “Retrieving Github Device Code”.
Build #WS-253.28294.253, built on November 28, 2025
Runtime version: 21.0.8+9-b1163.69 aarch64 (JCEF 137.0.17)
Same issue here. I tried all the usual troubleshooting steps (reinstalling the plugin, deleting caches, removing Copilot config files, etc.).
GitHub Copilot 1.5.63-243 → login gets stuck showing:
After that, I reinstalled the latest version (1.5.63-243) and was still logged in from the previous session.
However, once I manually logged out and tried to log in again, the issue returned with the same message above.
No browser window opens and no device code is shown.
After downgrading again to 1.5.60-243, the login flow works correctly once more.