Add article showing how to send a reminder to inactive Copilot users …

…(#54236) Co-authored-by: Copilot <[email protected]> Co-authored-by: Sunbrye Ly <[email protected]>
github · Feb 6, 2025 · 560d192 · 560d192
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diff --git a/...rolling-out-github-copilot-at-scale/driving-copilot-adoption-in-your-company.md b/...rolling-out-github-copilot-at-scale/driving-copilot-adoption-in-your-company.md
@@ -85,6 +85,6 @@ If your organization has specific {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_sho
 Once you have implemented your {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} enablement process, you should regularly review and optimize it to ensure it continues to meet your organization's needs. Some ways you can do this are:
 
 * Monitoring usage data to identify trends and patterns. See [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/rolling-out-github-copilot-at-scale/analyzing-usage-over-time-with-the-copilot-metrics-api).
-* Following up with users who haven't been using their assigned license. You can use the API to see the latest activity date for each assigned seat. See [AUTOTITLE](/rest/copilot/copilot-user-management#list-all-copilot-seat-assignments-for-an-organization).
-* Gathering feedback from teams to understand what is working well and what could be improved
-* Reviewing {% data variables.product.prodname_discussions %} and other communication channels to identify common issues and questions
+* Following up with users who haven't been using their assigned license. You can use the API to see the latest activity date for each assigned seat. See [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/rolling-out-github-copilot-at-scale/reminding-inactive-users).
+* Gathering feedback from teams to understand what is working well and what could be improved.
+* Reviewing {% data variables.product.prodname_discussions %} and other communication channels to identify common issues and questions.
diff --git a/content/copilot/rolling-out-github-copilot-at-scale/index.md b/content/copilot/rolling-out-github-copilot-at-scale/index.md
@@ -9,4 +9,5 @@ topics:
 children:
   - /driving-copilot-adoption-in-your-company
   - /analyzing-usage-over-time-with-the-copilot-metrics-api
+  - /reminding-inactive-users
 ---
diff --git a/content/copilot/rolling-out-github-copilot-at-scale/reminding-inactive-users.md b/content/copilot/rolling-out-github-copilot-at-scale/reminding-inactive-users.md
@@ -0,0 +1,148 @@
+---
+title: Reminding inactive users to use their GitHub Copilot license
+shortTitle: Remind inactive users
+intro: 'Use the {% data variables.product.github %} API to identify inactive users and help them get started.'
+versions:
+  feature: copilot
+permissions: Organization owners and billing managers
+product: '{% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_for_business %} or {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_enterprise %}'
+topics:
+  - Copilot
+allowTitleToDifferFromFilename: true
+layout: inline
+---
+
+When you're rolling out {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %} in a business, it's important to keep track of which users are using their {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} license, so you can respond effectively by reassigning unused licenses or helping people to get started with {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %}.
+
+You can use the [List all Copilot seat assignments for an organization](/rest/copilot/copilot-user-management#list-all-copilot-seat-assignments-for-an-organization) API endpoint to find the last activity date for each user who is assigned a license in an organization. Then, you can respond automatically by filtering for users who haven't used their license for a certain amount of time and sending a reminder to those users.
+
+## Writing the reminder message
+
+Your reminder to inactive users should help users to get past common adoption blockers for {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %}. We recommend identifying specific blockers for your company by running surveys or interviewing developers.
+
+For example, the message could include information and links to help users:
+
+* Install {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} in their environment.
+* Set up {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} to work with your company's proxy or firewall.
+* Get the most out of {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} in their day-to-day work.
+
+You should also clearly communicate any further action you will take if the license continues to go unused, such as revoking the user's license.
+
+### Example reminder
+
+In the next section, we'll use this message in an automation that creates an issue assigned to each inactive user.
+
+> We noticed you haven't used your assigned license for {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %} in 30 days. Here are some resources that might help you get started:
+>
+> * If you haven't yet set up {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} in your environment, see [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/setting-up-github-copilot/setting-up-github-copilot-for-yourself) or [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/troubleshooting-github-copilot/troubleshooting-common-issues-with-github-copilot).
+> * For best practices and advice on getting started, see [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/using-github-copilot/best-practices-for-using-github-copilot) or [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/using-github-copilot/prompt-engineering-for-github-copilot).
+> * For examples related to specific tasks, see [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/example-prompts-for-github-copilot-chat).
+>
+> If you no longer need access to {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %}, please let us know in this issue. If your license remains inactive for a further 30 days, we'll revoke it to free up access for another user.
+
+#### Example reminder in Markdown
+
+<!-- markdownlint-disable search-replace -->
+
+``` markdown copy
+We noticed you haven't used your assigned license for {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %} in 30 days. Here are some resources that might help you get started:
+
+* If you haven't yet set up Copilot in your environment, see [Setting up GitHub Copilot for yourself](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/setting-up-github-copilot/setting-up-github-copilot-for-yourself) or [Troubleshooting common issues with GitHub Copilot](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/troubleshooting-github-copilot/troubleshooting-common-issues-with-github-copilot).
+* For best practices and advice on getting started, see [Best practices for using GitHub Copilot](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/using-github-copilot/best-practices-for-using-github-copilot) or [Prompt engineering for GitHub Copilot](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/using-github-copilot/prompt-engineering-for-github-copilot).
+* For examples related to specific tasks, see [Copilot Chat Cookbook](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/example-prompts-for-github-copilot-chat).
+
+If you no longer need access to {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %}, please let us know in this issue. If your license remains inactive for a further 30 days, we'll revoke it to free up access for another user.
+```
+
+<!-- markdownlint-enable search-replace -->
+
+## Automating the reminder with {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %}
+
+The following example workflow uses the API to identify users in an organization who haven't used their license for 30 days, then creates an issue assigned to each user. This is a simple example that you can adapt to meet your needs.
+
+To use this workflow:
+
+1. Create a label in the repository where reminder issues will be created. Call the label `copilot-reminder`. We'll use this label to check whether a reminder issue is already open for each inactive user.
+
+   To create a label, see [AUTOTITLE](/issues/using-labels-and-milestones-to-track-work/managing-labels#creating-a-label).
+1. Save your reminder message, such as the one provided in [Example reminder in Markdown](#example-reminder-in-markdown), as an {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %} variable in your repository or organization. Call the variable `COPILOT_REMINDER_MESSAGE`.
+
+   To create a variable, see [AUTOTITLE](/actions/writing-workflows/choosing-what-your-workflow-does/store-information-in-variables#creating-configuration-variables-for-a-repository).
+1. Create a {% data variables.product.pat_generic %} with permission to call the [List all Copilot seat assignments for an organization](/rest/copilot/copilot-user-management#list-all-copilot-seat-assignments-for-an-organization) API endpoint. For example, create a fine-grained token with the following details:
+   * **Resource owner**: The organization where you're looking for inactive users.
+   * **Organization permissions**: {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_for_business %} (read-only).
+
+   To create a token, see [AUTOTITLE](/authentication/keeping-your-account-and-data-secure/managing-your-personal-access-tokens#creating-a-fine-grained-personal-access-token).
+1. Save the access token as a {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %} secret in your repository or organization. Call the secret `COPILOT_LICENSE_READ`.
+
+   To create a secret, see [AUTOTITLE](/actions/security-for-github-actions/security-guides/using-secrets-in-github-actions#creating-secrets-for-a-repository).
+1. Using the example below, create the workflow in the repository where you want the reminder issues to be created.
+
+   If you're new to {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %}, see [AUTOTITLE](/actions/writing-workflows/quickstart).
+1. In the workflow, replace the `ORG/REPO` placeholders in the `gh` commands with the name of the repository where you want the reminder issues to be created. For example: `octo-org/octo-repo`.
+
+### Example workflow
+
+>[!NOTE] This example assumes you assign licenses through an organization. If you use a dedicated enterprise account for {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_business_short %}, you will need to use different API endpoints. See [AUTOTITLE](/admin/copilot-business-only/setting-up-a-dedicated-enterprise-for-copilot-business-personal-accounts#automate-license-management).
+
+<!-- markdownlint-disable GHD021 -->
+
+``` yaml annotate
+# Name your workflow
+name: Remind inactive users about Copilot license
+
+# Run the workflow every day at 8am UTC
+on:
+  schedule:
+    - cron: '0 8 * * *'
+
+jobs:
+  context-log:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Check Copilot Last Activity
+        id: check-last-activity
+        run: |
+          # Call the user management API
+          RESPONSE=$(gh api \
+            -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
+            -H "X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \
+            -H "Authorization: Bearer {% raw %}${{ secrets.COPILOT_LICENSE_READ }}{% endraw %}" \
+            /orgs/$ORGANIZATION_VAR/copilot/billing/seats)
+          echo "Raw Response from gh api:"
+          echo "$RESPONSE"
+
+          # Parse and check each user's `last_activity_at`
+          echo "$RESPONSE" | jq -c '.seats[]' | while read -r seat; do
+            LOGIN=$(echo "$seat" | jq -r '.assignee.login')
+            LAST_ACTIVITY=$(echo "$seat" | jq -r '.last_activity_at')
+
+            # Replace ORG/REPO with the repository name
+            EXISTING_ISSUES=$(gh issue list --repo ORG/REPO --assignee $LOGIN --label 'copilot-reminder' --json id)
+
+            # Convert dates to seconds since epoch for comparison
+            LAST_ACTIVITY_DATE=$(date -d "$LAST_ACTIVITY" +%s)
+            THIRTY_DAYS_AGO=$(date -d "30 days ago" +%s)
+
+            # Create issues for inactive users who don't have an existing open issue
+            if [ "$LAST_ACTIVITY_DATE" -lt "$THIRTY_DAYS_AGO" ] && [ "$EXISTING_ISSUES" = "[]" ]; then
+              echo "User $LOGIN has not been active in the last 30 days. Last activity: $LAST_ACTIVITY"
+
+              # Replace ORG/REPO with the repository name
+              NEW_ISSUE_URL="$(gh issue create --title "Reminder about your GitHub Copilot license" --body "{% raw %}${{ vars.COPILOT_REMINDER_MESSAGE }}{% endraw %}" --repo ORG/REPO --assignee $LOGIN --label 'copilot-reminder')"
+            else
+              echo "User $LOGIN is active or already has an assigned reminder issue. Last activity: $LAST_ACTIVITY"
+            fi
+          done
+
+        # Set the GITHUB_TOKEN, required for the `gh issue` commands
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: {% raw %}${{ github.token }}{% endraw %}
+```
+
+<!-- markdownlint-enable GHD021 -->
+
+## Further reading
+
+* [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/rolling-out-github-copilot-at-scale/driving-copilot-adoption-in-your-company)
+* [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/rolling-out-github-copilot-at-scale/analyzing-usage-over-time-with-the-copilot-metrics-api)