Installation

Learn how to install and configure the plugin in your Kirby project.

Step 1: Install the Plugin

Although it is a commercial plugin, you can download and test it in your local environment before purchasing.

Composer

The recommended way to install the plugin:

composer require johannschopplich/kirby-copilot

ZIP File Download

Download the latest version v2.9.0 or head over to the releases page to see all versions. Extract the ZIP file to your site/plugins folder.

Step 2: AI Provider Configuration

Configure the AI provider by setting the API key and AI model in the global Kirby configuration. Each provider has its own configuration option. To get started with Google, create a new Google Gemini API key and add it to the configuration along with the AI model such as Gemini 2.5 Flash:

config.php
return [
    'johannschopplich.copilot' => [
        'provider' => 'google',
        'providers' => [
            'google' => [
                'model' => 'gemini-2.5-flash',
                'apiKey' => 'YOUR_API_KEY'
            ]
        ]
    ]
];
We recommend to create a unique API key for each project. This way, you can easily revoke access to the API key if needed.

Step 3: Usage

There is not only one, but three ways to use the Kirby Copilot plugin in the Panel:

  • Panel View Button: Useful to generate multiple fields with a single prompt. Access the prompt dialog from anywhere in the Panel.
  • Writer & Textarea Toolbar Button: Use the Copilot button in the toolbar of writer and textarea fields to generate content based on the selected text or the entire content of the field.
  • Copilot Section: Add a dedicated section to your blueprint to generate content for a specific field.

Panel View Button

Kirby 5 introduces new extensions that allow custom view buttons in most Panel views (e.g., site, page, or file). The Copilot plugin provides a prompt button that can be added alongside the default Panel header buttons:

Copilot Panel view button

To add the copilot button to a particular view, set the buttons option in the corresponding blueprint. The following example shows how to reference the default buttons and add the copilot button to the site, pages, and files views:

buttons:
  - copilot # Re-order the button as needed
  - preview
  - languages

This allows you to reference the default buttons and decide where to place the copilot button. When clicking it, the prompt dialog will open, allowing you to write instructions for the AI model and select the fields for which you want to generate content:

Kirby Copilot fields selection in prompt dialog

Kirby 4 does not support custom view buttons, but the copilot button has been backported 🎉. It is always prepended to all other Panel header buttons.

Writer & Textarea Toolbar Button

Kirby Copilot provides a dedicated button for the Kirby writer and textarea fields. Open the prompt dialog with the keyboard shortcuts Cmd + . (macOS) or Ctrl + . (Windows/Linux) or by clicking the Copilot button in the toolbar. The selected text (if any) will be appended to the user prompt before sending it to the AI model.

Follow the toolbar buttons guide for more information.

To enable the button, add the copilot button to the toolbar configuration:

pages/default.yml
fields:
  # For writer fields
  text01:
    label: Text
    type: writer
    marks:
      - copilot

  # For textarea fields
  text02:
    label: Text
    type: textarea
    buttons:
      - copilot

Section Blueprint

For dedicated, field-specific AI generation, add a Copilot section to your blueprints:

pages/default.yml
sections:
  copilot:
    type: copilot
    field: blocks
Learn about section features like persistent prompts, immutable configurations, and auto-file context in the Copilot Section documentation.

Step 4: Buy a License

You can test the plugin locally. However, you need to purchase a license to use the plugin in production environments.

Visit the product page on Lemon Squeezy and purchase a license. Then, open any Panel page that contains the Copilot view button or section. You will see a license activation notice. Click the Activate link to open the activation form:

Kirby Copilot activation

Enter the email you used for the purchase and the order number and hit the submit button. Done! Thanks for supporting our work. Once you activate your license, the license activation buttons will disappear.

Your license key will be stored automatically in /site/config/.kirby-tools-licenses. This file is created on first activation. Make sure to add it to your .gitignore to keep your license key private.