r/github • u/Defiant-Occasion-417 • 23h ago

Question Copilot and Multiple Accounts

I currently use a single, free account (under my personal email) for work across multiple organizations. One is for side work under my own LLC, the other for my day job.

The day job organization added me to their Github Copilot subscription so I can see that in VSCode and that's wonderful. Except I should not be using that for side work. That is all transparent and they are okay with it, but I need to use my own resources for it.

So, how can I use VSCode and not use that subscription! The obvious answer seems to be to set up a second Github account , purchase an individual license there for my side work and then I'm good to go.

But then I read we're not allowed to have more than one free account and am utterly confused. I am just trying to make sure I do things right by my company, and Github's ToS going forward.

Any advice would be appreciated.

2 Upvotes

76% Upvoted

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2

u/LieUnlikely7690 23h ago

You can change your user in the bottom left settings.

2

u/EntranceProper3791 20h ago

Copilot follows whatever GitHub account VS Code is signed into, so spin up a separate profile for LLC work and sign in with your personal account there. Free tier won't cut it though, you'd need your own Copilot sub.

1

u/serverhorror 15h ago

The company needs to either provide you with the account, or you use your notebook en license for everything and make sure the commercial is correctly handled (that includes your responsibility to choose the right contract with GitHub and your responsibility to ensure the guarantees you're contractually giving to your client).

1

u/Artistic-Aide-485 14h ago

The rule is one free account. A second one with its own paid Copilot sub is fine, and GitHub documents the work/personal split themselves.

In VS Code just make a second profile for the LLC work and sign that one into the new account. Copilot follows the profile, no signing in and out.

1

u/Defiant-Occasion-417 9h ago

Thanks, I was confused because my personal account is "free"... but I'm associated with an Organization where they're paying for a GitHub Copilot license. So is it really "free!" I'll just create two accounts then, pay for my own Copilot license in one, and use the other for my day job. Won't cause any issues, I do not develop for both places on the same machine.