Document GitHub Models retirement

[Eric Erhardt (eerhardt)]

Summary

• Mark GitHub Models as retired for all customers and the Aspire.Hosting.GitHub.Models integration as discontinued and removed after its final Aspire 13.5 release.
• Direct users to migrate to Microsoft Foundry while retaining the existing integration pages as historical reference.
• Remove the discontinued integration from the current AI compatibility matrix.

Related to microsoft/aspire#18953 and the product removal in microsoft/aspire#19848.

Third-party links and affiliations

Adds GitHub's official retirement notice and GitHub Models documentation. GitHub is a Microsoft subsidiary.

Validation

• pnpm --dir .\src\frontend run test:unit:twoslash-blocks
• git diff --check
• Verified the official GitHub retirement notice and GitHub Models documentation links.

[Copilot]

🟡 Changes recommended

The updated retirement notices claim the integration “was removed after” Aspire 13.5, but microsoft/aspire main still contains the package and describes removal as future work.

Once you've addressed the issues Copilot identified, you can request another Copilot review.

Pull request overview

Updates Aspire documentation to reflect the retirement of GitHub Models, keeping the GitHub Models integration docs as historical reference while removing the integration from current compatibility guidance.

Changes:

• Removed Aspire.Hosting.GitHub.Models from the AI compatibility matrix and related connection-string guidance.
• Updated GitHub Models integration pages with a retirement/discontinuation caution and migration direction to Foundry.

File summaries

File	Description
src/frontend/src/content/docs/integrations/cloud/azure/ai-compatibility-matrix.mdx	Removes GitHub Models from the current AI hosting/client compatibility reference and associated connection-string notes.
src/frontend/src/content/docs/integrations/ai/github-models/github-models-host.mdx	Replaces the deprecation notice with a retirement notice and migration guidance.
src/frontend/src/content/docs/integrations/ai/github-models/github-models-get-started.mdx	Replaces the deprecation notice with a retirement notice and migration guidance.
src/frontend/src/content/docs/integrations/ai/github-models/github-models-connect.mdx	Replaces the deprecation notice with a retirement notice and migration guidance.

Review details

• Files reviewed: 4/4 changed files
• Comments generated: 3
• Review effort level: Lite

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[aspire-repo-bot]

Frontend HTML artifact ready

The latest frontend build uploaded the frontend-dist artifact for PR #1606. Use the VS Code button below to open this PR with GitHub Artifacts Explorer and browse the built HTML locally.

This comment updates automatically when a new frontend build artifact is uploaded.

[Adam Ratzman (adamint)]

Two docs issues in the current onboarding flow.

[Mitch Denny (mitchdenny)]

Summary

Phase A source: microsoft/aspire has no release/13.6 branch, so I used main at 039a7c58f11a01521e49882e26d0d6593b87d9cf (13.6.0-preview.1) and cross-checked release/13.5 at b5f143315ffb6968ea939a9978797a5b20e4c688. Retirement status was checked against the linked GitHub changelog; published package versions were checked against NuGet's live flat-container index.

Claims: 39 extracted — 30 verified, 7 verified with nuance, 1 contradicted, 0 unverifiable, and 1 narrative. The blocking contradiction is annotated inline.

Phase B: Exercised all four changed routes plus the three linked Foundry destinations on the PR's local site at 6d38c593f55b7adf338172627deae5e1ebd283bf95; 0 critical issues and 1 warning.

Phase A — Claim verification

The retirement date and disabled GitHub Models capabilities match GitHub's July 30, 2026 changelog. The integration is obsolete and hidden from aspire add by default in Aspire source. Foundry local support and the migration links are present. The wording that the integration's final release shipped with Aspire 13.5 and will be removed later is consistent with the currently published packages and source's future-removal message; it does not claim removal has already occurred.

Verified and verified-with-nuance claims

Verified (30)

• A1/A8/A22: GitHub Models retirement date and linked notice — GitHub changelog says the service was retired for all customers on July 30, 2026.
• A2/A9/A23: Aspire.Hosting.GitHub.Models is discontinued — src/Aspire.Hosting.GitHub.Models/GitHubModelsDeprecation.cs and [Obsolete] API markers.
• A3/A10/A24: final shipped integration release is in Aspire 13.5 and removal is future work — NuGet has no 13.6 package; GitHubModelsDeprecation.cs says removal is in a future release.
• A4/A11/A25: Foundry get-started route exists — azure-ai-foundry-get-started.mdx.
• A5/A12/A26: https://docs.github.com/github-models is the retirement documentation target linked from GitHub's notice.
• A6/A27/A34: migration-page labels match the retitled github-models-get-started.mdx page.
• A13: playground, catalog, inference API, and BYOK are unavailable — GitHub changelog explicitly lists all four.
• A15: GitHub Models configuration uses resources, API-key parameters, and GITHUB_TOKEN fallback — GitHubModelsExtensions.cs.
• A16: Foundry hosting route and RunAsFoundryLocal() exist — azure-ai-foundry-host.mdx and Aspire.Hosting.Foundry/FoundryExtensions.cs.
• A18: Foundry connect route exists — azure-ai-foundry-connect.mdx.
• A20/A21: historical-reference and see-also targets exist.
• A29: NuGet package version 13.5.1 exists.
• A30: the package is hidden from aspire add by default — src/Aspire.Cli/NuGet/NuGetPackageCache.cs includes it in DeprecatedPackages and filters deprecated packages unless the feature override is enabled.
• A35: removed aspire add/LearnMore guidance leaves no dangling use.
• A36/A37/A38: compatibility row, setup section, and connection-string block were removed coherently without stale references.

Verified with nuance (7)

• A14: Foundry cloud/local support is evidenced by AddFoundry and RunAsFoundryLocal; “broad model catalog” is service wording rather than a code-verifiable property.
• A17: referencing a Foundry deployment uses Aspire's generic WithReference behavior rather than a Foundry-specific overload.
• A19: the linked pages reflect the 13.5 surface, but the latest published 13.5 patch is 13.5.3.
• A31/A32/A33: hard-coding 13.5.1 is appropriate for an intentionally historical pin and does not require %ASPIRE_VERSION%; only calling it “the final” version is incorrect.
• A39: after removing GitHub Models, the compatibility matrix still documents Model={ModelName} for Aspire.Azure.AI.Inference without naming a current hosting integration that produces Model. This is an information gap, not a contradiction.

Phase B — Doc-tester results

Documentation Test Report

Focus Area: GitHub Models retirement docs — cautions, migration coherence, historical-reference framing, package-version presentation, compatibility-matrix removal
Date: 2026-09-02
Tester: doc-tester agent (Phase B only)

Category	Passed	Failed	Warnings
Content Accuracy/Coherence	6	0	1
Code Examples (version pinning)	2	0	0
Links & Anchors	9	0	0
Rendering (desktop/mobile)	2	0	0

Critical issues: 0. Warnings: 1.

Critical Issues

None found.

Warnings

Warning 1: “Microsoft Foundry” vs “Azure AI Foundry” branding mismatch across the migration link chain

Location: The migration-page caution, “Migrate to Microsoft Foundry” section, and “See also,” with the same wording repeated in the host/connect cautions.

Issue: All three GitHub Models pages call the destination the Microsoft Foundry integration and link into /integrations/cloud/azure/azure-ai-foundry/. Following those links lands on pages titled “Get started with the Azure AI Foundry integrations,” “Set up Azure AI Foundry in the AppHost,” and “Connect to Azure AI Foundry.” The links resolve correctly, but the destination pages do not bridge the two names, so a reader could reasonably wonder whether they reached the intended product.

Suggestion: Use “Azure AI Foundry integration” in this retirement copy to match the destination pages, or add a visible rename note on the destination pages.

Passed Checks

• The “GitHub Models retired” caution renders correctly on all three pages with the retirement notice, package name, and Foundry link.
• The migration page reads coherently: overview → four-step migration list → historical reference → see also. No removed component or diagram remnants remain.
• Historical-reference framing is consistent across the migration, host, and connect pages.
• Both C# and TypeScript tabs clearly render the pinned 13.5.1 value and explain the historical pin.
• Removing GitHub Models from the compatibility matrix leaves grammatical prose, no stale TOC entry, and no orphaned GitHub Models section.
• All changed internal links and anchors resolve; the Foundry get-started, host, and connect destinations return successfully.
• Desktop and 390×844 mobile rendering show no wrapping, ordered-list, or layout regressions.
• No browser console errors or warnings appeared across the tested navigations.

Recommendations

1. Reconcile “Microsoft Foundry” and “Azure AI Foundry” naming across the migration copy and linked destination pages.
2. No other documentation gaps were identified within the PR's scope.
3. Out-of-scope observation: the unchanged sidebar still labels the retitled migration page “Get started.”

Knowledge Gaps

None — results were derived from the rendered local documentation rather than implementation-source knowledge.

[Mitch Denny (mitchdenny)]

The live NuGet feed lists 13.5.2 and 13.5.3, so 13.5.1 is not the final Aspire.Hosting.GitHub.Models package. Please either pin 13.5.3 throughout these historical examples or remove “the final” and explain why 13.5.1 is intentionally used. The fixed historical pin itself is appropriate and does not need a current-version placeholder.

[Mitch Denny (mitchdenny)]

Approving. When this PR is ready to merge, the historical examples should reference the latest released Aspire.Hosting.GitHub.Models package version available at that time. If additional 13.5.x servicing releases ship afterward, we may need a follow-up PR to keep the pinned version current.

[David Pine (IEvangelist)]

Documentation accuracy review

Phase A source: microsoft/aspire main at 737af0feee875e5d4f416be6fd65c0a6272bd954. The PR targets release/13.6, but that branch does not exist in microsoft/aspire, so main was the required fallback.

PR revision: microsoft/aspire.dev head 6d38c593f55b7adf338decdf131c3fea4b9ff00a, base release/13.6 at bd9f6900e8e20386784720f02d65da1ca1a05813.

Claims: 18 total - 6 verified, 6 verified with nuance, 2 unverifiable, 0 contradicted, and 4 narrative.

Phase B: Four changed routes exercised through playwright-cli; 1 critical issue and 0 warnings.

Verdict: Request changes. The linked NuGet history shows that the new historical examples incorrectly identify 13.5.1 as the final package version.

Phase A - Claim verification

The two unverifiable source claims are the final-release assertion and the exact/final 13.5.1 package coordinate. They are consolidated in the inline finding on github-models-host.mdx:29; Phase B supplies direct package-history evidence that the exact final-version claim is incorrect.

Verified and verified-with-nuance claim audit

• A-002 - verified with nuance: The GitHub Models integration is deprecated, its public resource and extension APIs are obsolete, and the CLI classifies the package as deprecated. The implementation still exists. Evidence: src/Aspire.Hosting.GitHub.Models/GitHubModelsDeprecation.cs:6-10, GitHubModelResource.cs:7-12, GitHubModelsExtensions.cs:24-31, and src/Aspire.Cli/NuGet/NuGetPackageCache.cs:23-35.
• A-004 - verified with nuance: Source says the integration "will be removed in a future release." The fallback source is already versioned 13.6-preview, so the broad "after Aspire 13.5" timing is supported, but no exact removal version is established. Evidence: src/Aspire.Hosting.GitHub.Models/GitHubModelsDeprecation.cs:6-10 and eng/Versions.props:3-8.
• A-005 - verified with nuance: Microsoft Foundry provides the replacement capabilities, but migration is not automatic or drop-in. Evidence: src/Aspire.Hosting.Foundry/FoundryExtensions.cs:32-84,111-140,160-204 and FoundryDeploymentResource.cs:9-30,94-112.
• A-008 - verified: Foundry has a broad typed cloud catalog, a local model catalog, and local execution. Evidence: src/Aspire.Hosting.Foundry/FoundryModel.Generated.cs:8-25,169-190,1920-1940, FoundryModel.Local.Generated.cs:5-13,57-58, and FoundryExtensions.cs:160-204.
• A-009 - verified: AddGitHubModel creates the model resource and secret key parameter and falls back to GITHUB_TOKEN. Evidence: src/Aspire.Hosting.GitHub.Models/GitHubModelsExtensions.cs:24-58.
• A-010 - verified: AddFoundry, AddDeployment, and RunAsFoundryLocal exist. Evidence: src/Aspire.Hosting.Foundry/FoundryExtensions.cs:32-84,111-140,160-204.
• A-011 - verified: Foundry deployments are referenceable connection-string resources. Evidence: src/Aspire.Hosting.Foundry/FoundryDeploymentResource.cs:9-12,94-112.
• A-012 - verified: Foundry exposes connection properties and the Azure AI Inference client consumes a named connection. Evidence: src/Aspire.Hosting.Foundry/FoundryResource.cs:52-72,83-91, FoundryDeploymentResource.cs:94-112, and src/Components/Aspire.Azure.AI.Inference/AspireAzureAIInferenceExtensions.cs:28-76.
• A-015 - verified with nuance: Normal aspire add discovery hides the deprecated package; the opt-in ShowDeprecatedPackages feature can reveal it. Evidence: src/Aspire.Cli/NuGet/NuGetPackageCache.cs:23-35,121-151 and tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/NuGet/NuGetPackageCacheTests.cs:44-132.
• A-016 - verified: All changed internal migration, Foundry hosting, Foundry connection, and historical-reference targets exist at the PR head.
• A-017 - verified with nuance: Removing GitHub Models from the current compatibility matrix matches its deprecated support status, although the implementation remains in source. Evidence: GitHubModelsDeprecation.cs:6-10, NuGetPackageCache.cs:23-35,121-151, and GitHubModelResource.cs:7-80.
• A-018 - verified with nuance: Azure AI Inference checks Deployment before Model, but also accepts legacy DeploymentId between them and rejects multiple keys. Evidence: src/Components/Aspire.Azure.AI.Inference/ChatCompletionsClientSettings.cs:81-140.

The four narrative claims cover GitHub's hosted-service retirement date and availability, the historical-reference framing, and the warning not to reuse retired service credentials. They are not implementation claims and do not affect the Phase A verdict.

Phase B - Doc-tester results

Documentation Test Report

Focus Area: PR #1606 - GitHub Models retirement notices, migration guidance, and AI compatibility matrix
Date: 2026-09-01
Tester: doc-tester agent

Summary

Category	Passed	Failed	Warnings
Content Accuracy	3	1	0
Code Examples	0	2 package-pin variants	0
CLI Commands	N/A	0	0
Links	8	0	0

Critical Issues

Issue 1: Historical examples do not pin the final package version

Location: http://localhost:4321/integrations/ai/github-models/github-models-host/#installation
Type: Example/package version
Severity: Critical

What the documentation says:

The following examples pin the final Aspire.Hosting.GitHub.Models 13.5.1 package for historical reference.

The C# file-based app, C# project file, and TypeScript aspire.config.json examples all pin 13.5.1.

What actually happens:

The linked NuGet package's Versions tab lists 13.5.3 and 13.5.2 above 13.5.1.

Evidence:
Using playwright-cli, I followed the page's Aspire.Hosting.GitHub.Models 13.5.1 link, opened the NuGet Versions tab, and observed this version history:

13.5.3
13.5.2
13.5.1

The package page is https://www.nuget.org/packages/Aspire.Hosting.GitHub.Models/13.5.1#versions-body-tab.

Recommended Action:

• Pin the actual final package version throughout the C# and TypeScript examples, or remove "the final" and explain why 13.5.1 is intentionally required.

Warnings

None.

Passed Checks

• All four affected routes loaded successfully from the pinned PR checkout with the expected page titles and no browser console errors.
• The "GitHub Models retired" caution renders prominently and consistently on the connect, migration, and hosting pages. It states that the service was retired for all customers on July 30, 2026, that Aspire.Hosting.GitHub.Models is discontinued, that its final release shipped with Aspire 13.5, and that migration should target Microsoft Foundry.
• The migration page clearly states that the playground, model catalog, inference API, and BYOK capabilities are unavailable and that existing apps cannot send inference requests to the retired service.
• The "Migrate to Microsoft Foundry" sequence is actionable without prior knowledge: it tells readers what GitHub Models package, resources, parameters, and GITHUB_TOKEN configuration to remove; where to create a Foundry resource and deployment; how to reference the deployment; and where to update client and environment-variable handling.
• The Microsoft Foundry links resolved. The hosting destination documents adding a Foundry resource and model deployment and includes the "Use Foundry Local for development" section with RunAsFoundryLocal(). The client destination documents connection properties, client registration, and direct environment-variable handling.
• The migration page labels the remaining GitHub Models hosting and connection articles as Aspire 13.5 historical reference and explicitly warns that their examples do not restore access to the retired service.
• The AI compatibility matrix renders without a GitHub Models row, recommended-pairing section, connection-string section, or table-of-contents entry; the remaining matrix and section hierarchy are coherent.
• The linked GitHub retirement notice resolved as "GitHub Models is now retired" and states, "As of July 30, 2026, GitHub Models is now retired" and that the service capabilities are unavailable to all customers. The linked GitHub Models documentation also resolved.
• No changed CLI instruction required execution. Runtime code examples retained on the hosting and connect pages are explicitly historical and were outside the changed-line test scope; only the changed C# and TypeScript package-pin presentation was exercised.

Recommendations

1. Priority fixes: Correct the historical package pin and "final" version claim before merge.
2. Documentation gaps: None found in the changed scope.
3. Product issues: None found.

Knowledge Gaps

None. The changed migration page and its linked Microsoft Foundry guides supplied the information needed to understand the retirement and migration path without relying on Aspire source code or unstated product knowledge.

[David Pine (IEvangelist)]

Package version mismatch: The linked NuGet Versions tab lists 13.5.3 and 13.5.2 after 13.5.1, so calling 13.5.1 the final package and pinning it in all historical examples is incorrect. The fallback source ref microsoft/aspire@main (737af0f) cannot support that finality claim either: it is versioned 13.6-preview and still includes the packable GitHub Models project (eng/Versions.props:3-8, src/Aspire.Hosting.GitHub.Models/Aspire.Hosting.GitHub.Models.csproj:3-9, eng/Build.props:47-54). Please pin the actual final version (the live feed currently shows 13.5.3) throughout, or remove "final" and explain why 13.5.1 is intentional.

[David Pine (IEvangelist)]

Since we have numbered steps for instructions below, we should leave the Steps import so that we can use that component.

Suggested change

	import githubIcon from '@assets/icons/github-icon.png';
	import { Steps } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';
	import githubIcon from '@assets/icons/github-icon.png';

[David Pine (IEvangelist)]

Suggested change

	1. Remove the `Aspire.Hosting.GitHub.Models` package from your AppHost and remove GitHub Models resources, API key parameters, and `GITHUB_TOKEN` configuration.
	1. Follow the [Microsoft Foundry hosting integration guide](/integrations/cloud/azure/azure-ai-foundry/azure-ai-foundry-host/) to add a Foundry resource and model deployment. For local development, you can configure the resource to run with Foundry Local.
	1. Reference the Foundry deployment from each consuming app that needs model access.
	1. Follow [Connect to Microsoft Foundry](/integrations/cloud/azure/azure-ai-foundry/azure-ai-foundry-connect/) to update client configuration and environment-variable handling. Don't reuse retired GitHub Models endpoints, tokens, or model identifiers.
	<Steps>
	1. Remove the `Aspire.Hosting.GitHub.Models` package from your AppHost and remove GitHub Models resources, API key parameters, and `GITHUB_TOKEN` configuration.
	2. Follow the [Microsoft Foundry hosting integration guide](/integrations/cloud/azure/azure-ai-foundry/azure-ai-foundry-host/) to add a Foundry resource and model deployment. For local development, you can configure the resource to run with Foundry Local.
	3. Reference the Foundry deployment from each consuming app that needs model access.
	4. Follow [Connect to Microsoft Foundry](/integrations/cloud/azure/azure-ai-foundry/azure-ai-foundry-connect/) to update client configuration and environment-variable handling. Don't reuse retired GitHub Models endpoints, tokens, or model identifiers.
	</Steps>