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How to Check Your GitHub Copilot Usage and Premium Quota
GitHub Copilot enforces a monthly premium-request quota that resets on your billing date. Here's how to see your remaining quota, track your burn rate, and stop guessing whether you're about to run out.
Last updated April 2026 · By Soren Starck
Understanding Copilot Usage Limits
GitHub Copilot has two layers of limits depending on your plan. The Free plan caps you at 50 chat requests and 2,000 code completions per month. Pro and Business plans give you unlimited base completions but cap your premium requests - anything using Claude Sonnet, GPT-4.1, o1, or Gemini Pro.
The catch: premium models use a multiplier. A single Claude Sonnet request might count as 1x. A complex agent task with multiple model calls can burn 5x or 10x in one shot. Without monitoring, your quota evaporates with no warning.
Method 1: Check Usage on GitHub.com
The manual approach uses GitHub's built-in usage page:
- Sign in to github.com
- Click your avatar → Settings
- In the sidebar, choose Copilot
- Open Usage to see premium requests, completions, and chat counts
Limitations: the page only refreshes when you reload it, premium-request counts can lag by hours, and there's no notification when you're close to your monthly cap. You either remember to check, or Copilot just silently degrades when you run out.
Method 2: Monitor in Real-Time with SessionWatcher
SessionWatcher for Copilot is a native macOS menu bar app built for this exact problem. Instead of opening github.com every hour, you just glance at your menu bar.
SessionWatcher tracks:
- Premium request quota - exactly how many you've used and how many remain
- Burn rate - premium requests per day, projected to month-end
- Model breakdown - which premium models you're burning quota on
- Billing-cycle reset - countdown until your quota refreshes
- macOS notifications - alerts at 80% and 95% so you never get blindsided
SessionWatcherGitHub doesn't warn you.
SessionWatcher does.
Native macOS menu bar app. Track Claude and Codex usage, costs, and rate limits in real-time.
“Fast, simple, and does exactly what it should. Definitely worth it.”
@nicojerome on GitHub
macOS 14+. $2.99 one-time purchase.
How the Premium Request Multiplier Works
GitHub multiplies premium requests based on the model and task complexity. Approximate multipliers:
| Model | Multiplier | 100 requests cost |
|---|---|---|
| Base model (free) | 0x | 0 from quota |
| GPT-4.1 | 1x | 100 |
| Claude Sonnet 4 | 1x | 100 |
| Claude Opus / o1 | 5x – 10x | 500 – 1000 |
| Agent tasks (multi-step) | 2x – 10x | 200 – 1000 |
Pro plans include 300 premium requests per month. A heavy Opus user can chew through that in an afternoon and not realize until Copilot starts refusing premium models.
SessionWatcher vs. Manual Monitoring
| Feature | SessionWatcher | github.com Usage page |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time premium quota | Yes | Delayed |
| Burn-rate projection | Yes | No |
| Quota warnings | macOS notifications | None |
| Setup required | 10 seconds | Login + remember to check |
| Workflow interruption | None (menu bar) | Switch to browser |
| Cost | $2.99 one-time | Free |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check my GitHub Copilot usage?
GitHub shows it at github.com → Settings → Copilot → Usage, but the data lags and there's no warning system. SessionWatcher for Copilot shows live premium quota in your macOS menu bar.
What counts as a premium Copilot request?
Any request using a premium model (Claude Sonnet, GPT-4.1, o1, Gemini 2.5 Pro). Multipliers range from 1x for standard premium models to 10x for the heaviest agent flows.
Why did Copilot stop suggesting code today?
You likely ran out of premium requests for the month. Copilot doesn't throw an error - it just falls back to the base model and silently feels worse. SessionWatcher warns you before that happens.
Is there a Copilot monitor app for macOS?
Yes - SessionWatcher for Copilot. Native macOS menu bar app, $2.99 one-time, 10-second setup.