How to Write an Email with GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot, the AI assistant developed by GitHub and OpenAI, is not limited to code generation. With its integrated chat feature in VS Code, it can help you write professional, clear, and impactful emails in seconds. Whether you need to write a prospecting email, a customer follow-up, internal communication, or a follow-up message, Copilot Chat guides you in structuring and phrasing your messages. In this tutorial, you will learn step by step how to use GitHub Copilot to write effective emails, adapt the tone to your audience, and save valuable time in your daily communication. No more blank page syndrome in front of your inbox.

Prerequisites

1.Have Visual Studio Code installed on your computer
2.Have an active GitHub Copilot subscription (individual, business, or enterprise)
3.Have installed the GitHub Copilot Chat extension from the VS Code marketplace
4.Be logged into your GitHub account in VS Code

Steps

Open the GitHub Copilot Chat in VS Code

Launch Visual Studio Code and open the Copilot Chat panel by clicking the Copilot icon in the sidebar or using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+I (Mac). A conversation window opens, ready to receive your instructions. This is the interface where you will formulate your email writing requests.

Tip: You can also use the shortcut Ctrl+I to open Copilot inline directly in a text file if you prefer to work in a document.

Formulate your request with a precise prompt

Clearly describe the email you want to write by specifying the context, recipient, purpose of the message, and desired tone. The more detailed your prompt, the more relevant and usable the result will be. Include the key information that the email must contain to avoid back-and-forth.

Write a professional email in French to my client Pierre Dupont to propose a meeting next week to discuss the renewal of his annual contract. The tone should be courteous and professional. Include an opening and closing salutation.

Tip: Always specify the desired language in your prompt, as Copilot may respond in English by default.

Refine the result with additional instructions

Analyze the first version generated by Copilot. If the tone, length, or certain elements do not meet your expectations, ask for adjustments in the same conversation. Copilot retains the context of the exchange and can iterate on its proposal without starting from scratch.

Shorten this email to a maximum of 5 lines. Make the tone a bit warmer and add a mention of our last successful collaboration on project X.

Tip: Use specific instructions rather than vague ones. Prefer 'make the tone warmer' to 'improve this email'.

Generate variations to choose the best version

Ask Copilot to produce two or three alternative versions of your email with different approaches. This allows you to compare formulations, structures, and tones to select the most suitable version for your situation or combine the best elements from each proposal.

Propose 3 alternative versions of this email: one very formal, one concise and direct, and one friendlier. Number each version.

Tip: You can ask Copilot to combine the best elements of multiple versions into a single final email.

Copy, review, and send your email

Once satisfied with the result, select the text generated by Copilot and copy it into your email client (Gmail, Outlook, etc.). Carefully review the email before sending to verify proper nouns, dates, numbers, and any factual elements that the AI might have invented or misinterpreted. Adjust the final details manually if necessary.

Tip: Never blindly trust AI for factual data: systematically check names, dates, amounts, and references mentioned in the generated email.

Common mistakes to avoid

✗Writing a too vague prompt like 'write an email' without specifying the recipient, context, or desired tone, resulting in a generic and unusable output
✗Sending the email generated by Copilot without proofreading it, risking incorrect information, hallucinations, or an inappropriate tone
✗Forgetting to specify the language in the prompt, causing Copilot to write in English when you need a French email
✗Not iterating on the result and settling for the first version when a few adjustments would yield a perfect email
✗Including confidential or sensitive information in the prompt without checking your organization's privacy policy regarding Copilot usage

FAQ

Can GitHub Copilot write emails in languages other than French?

Yes, GitHub Copilot is multilingual and can write emails in English, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, and many other languages. Simply specify the desired language in your prompt. You can even ask it to translate an existing email from one language to another while maintaining a professional tone.

Are emails written via Copilot confidential?

With a GitHub Copilot Business or Enterprise subscription, your prompts are not used to train AI models. However, with an individual subscription, check your privacy settings in your GitHub settings. In any case, avoid including highly sensitive data such as passwords or credit card numbers in your prompts.

Can Copilot adapt the tone of an email according to the professional context?

Absolutely. Copilot excels at adapting tone. You can ask for a formal tone for an email to an executive, a friendly tone for a colleague, or a sales tone for a prospect. Simply specify the desired register in your prompt, and it will adjust the vocabulary, politeness formulas, and structure accordingly.

Can I use Copilot to reply to a received email?

Yes, paste the content of the received email into the Copilot chat and ask it to draft a suitable reply. Specify the intent of your response (acceptance, refusal, request for clarification), and Copilot will generate a coherent reply that reuses the context of the original exchange.

How to use this prompt

Copy the prompt with the button above.
Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or your favorite AI assistant.
Replace the bracketed variables with your details, then refine the result.

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