GitHub has detailed updates to GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio Code spanning versions 1.136 through 1.140, released throughout September 2026. The update introduces features designed to shift developer interactions from basic chat assistance toward autonomous agent workflows, including automated task scheduling and automated pull request resolution.
Automated Workflows and Agent PR Management
The release introduces several preview capabilities inside the Agents window. Developers can schedule automations to run coding tasks on hourly, daily, or weekly schedules, or execute them on demand using custom prompts or built-in templates. Additionally, an agent merge preview feature allows agents to address code review feedback, resolve merge conflicts, handle failed checks, and rerun failed workflows directly within an active session.
Developers can also generate pull requests directly from Copilot, Claude, or Codex agent sessions, editing titles, descriptions, draft statuses, and merge settings before submission. An optional application badge on system taskbars alerts users when sessions require input or when pull request checks complete.
Model Routing and Container Support
Among the experimental features is a research preview for HydraFusion, accessible via the model picker to select suitable models and workflows automatically for incoming coding tasks. For environment configuration, developers can initiate Dev Container sessions directly from the Agents window across local, SSH, Tunnel, and WSL hosts to ensure agents run with explicit project dependencies.
Workspace and Chat Enhancements
Session management now organizes related chats in a hierarchical view, allowing navigation back to source conversations. To manage completed work, a preview auto-cleanup option and "Mark as Done" suggestions hide finished sessions after pull requests merge.
Context features have also been expanded. Users can attach local project folders to general Copilot chats after starting a conversation, resume Codex sessions initiated in the ChatGPT desktop app directly inside VS Code, and attach GitHub issues or pull requests to active sessions using explicit context buttons or pasted URLs.
AI-generated editorial illustration; not a documentary photograph.
Source: GitHub Copilot in VS Code, September 2026 releases
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