# GitHub Copilot GitHub Copilot is [[GitHub]]'s AI coding product family, originally launched as inline code completion in [[Visual Studio Code (VSCode)]] in 2021 and now a multi-surface platform spanning IDE, terminal, web, and SDK. It's positioned as the dominant enterprise AI coding assistant, bundled into GitHub Enterprise and Microsoft 365 Copilot tiers. ## Surfaces - **IDE integration**: inline completions, chat panel, and agent mode in [[Visual Studio Code (VSCode)]], JetBrains, Visual Studio, Xcode, and Neovim - **[[GitHub Copilot CLI]]**: terminal-native agentic coding agent; GA February 2026 - **[[GitHub Copilot App]]**: desktop application (macOS/Windows/Linux) for agent-driven development; now GA, worktree-isolated parallel agent sessions, MCP + custom skills. Since Universe 2026: Projects for multi-repo and non-code work (public preview), image generation, and computer use to drive desktop apps that have no API (public preview, macOS and Windows) - **[[GitHub Copilot SDK]]**: programmatic access to Copilot's agent runtime in Python, TypeScript, Go, .NET, and Java; public preview April 2026. On 28 October 2026 GitHub announced it becomes the Microsoft Copilot SDK, the interface to an agent runtime shared by Microsoft and GitHub products. Package names stay the same for now - **Copilot Automations**: prompt + triggers + allowed tools, run by Copilot in the cloud (e.g., reproduce a bug when an issue is opened). Since October 2026 they can be shared at the repository level, so they keep running when their author leaves, and the repo owner pays the AI credits - **Copilot Workspace**: task-centric web IDE for plan-build-review loops on GitHub-hosted repos - **Copilot in github.com**: PR summaries, code review comments, issue triage - **Copilot Coding Agent**: autonomous background agent that picks up issues and drafts PRs ## Modes - **Code completion**: original ghost-text suggestions - **Chat**: conversational Q&A about code, refactors, fixes - **Agent mode**: multi-step autonomous edits with tool use, file writes, and command execution - **Plan mode**: analyze request, ask clarifying questions, build a structured plan before writing code - **Autopilot mode**: fully autonomous execution without approval prompts ## Models Copilot is model-agnostic. In October 2026 the picker included [[Claude Opus 5.5]], [[Claude Sonnet 5.5]] and [[Claude Haiku 5.5]] from [[Anthropic]], [[GPT-6 Astra]], [[GPT-6.1 Sol]], [[GPT-6.1 Terra]] and [[GPT-6 Luna]] from [[OpenAI]], [[Gemini 4 Argon]] from Google, and Microsoft's own [[MAI-Code-1.1-Flash]]. Older models get retired in batches every few weeks, so this list goes stale fast. You can pick a model yourself, or pick [[GitHub Copilot Fusion]] (GA since 28 October 2026). Fusion chooses the models for each prompt and runs one of three workflows: a single model, a cascade (cheap draft, escalate if needed), or a critique (one model drafts, others review). It has three effort levels (Standard, High, Max) and replaced both auto model selection and the HydraFusion preview. With experimental features on, Fusion Standard can also route some requests to a model running on your own machine. ## Extensibility - [[Model Context Protocol (MCP)]]: built-in GitHub MCP server plus custom server support - **MCP registry governance**: an org can point Copilot at an [[Model Context Protocol Registry|MCP registry]] and restrict usage to the servers it lists. The registry is not just for discovery; it becomes an allowlist that enforces which MCP servers developers may use - Plugins installable directly from GitHub repositories - [[GitHub Copilot SDK]] for embedding agent capabilities in custom apps ## Sandboxing Since October 2026, local sandboxing is generally available in the CLI, the app and VS Code sessions on Agent Host. The commands an agent runs get OS-level limits on files, network and credentials, through [[Microsoft eXecution Container (MXC)]], at no extra cost. Cloud sandboxing (the whole session in a GitHub-hosted VM) is still in preview. Enterprises can make local sandboxing mandatory through [[GitHub Copilot Managed Settings]]. Details and caveats live in [[GitHub Copilot Sandboxing]]; the wider question of what agents should be allowed to do is in [[AI Agent Permissions]]. ## Plans and pricing Usage is billed in AI credits, per model, at each model's rate. On 28 October 2026 GitHub started bundling Copilot with GitHub Enterprise Cloud for every licensed user, for now only for customers who work with a GitHub or Microsoft account team (self-serve comes "in the coming weeks"). Users without an Enterprise license can get the same features through Copilot Standalone at $10 per user per month. Neither includes monthly credits: usage is metered against the enterprise budget from the first request. Code completion and next edit suggestions keep working when the budget is empty; chat, code review and cloud agents stop. ## Positioning Compared to [[Claude Code]], [[Gemini CLI]], and [[Kimi CLI]], Copilot's edge is distribution and enterprise integration; it ships pre-wired to GitHub Issues, PRs, Actions, and the rest of the Microsoft developer stack. The technical capabilities largely mirror peers; the moat is the surrounding ecosystem. ## References - Documentation: https://docs.github.com/en/copilot - VSCode integration: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/overview - Features overview: https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/get-started/features - Local sandboxing GA (2026-10-07): https://github.blog/changelog/2026-10-07-local-sandboxing-for-github-copilot-now-generally-available/ - Copilot Fusion GA (2026-10-28): https://github.blog/changelog/2026-10-28-route-and-orchestrate-models-with-github-copilot-fusion/ - GitHub Enterprise includes Copilot (2026-10-28): https://github.blog/changelog/2026-10-28-github-enterprise-now-includes-access-to-github-copilot - Copilot app, Universe releases (2026-10-28): https://github.blog/changelog/2026-10-28-github-copilot-app-universe-releases - Shared Copilot Automations (2026-10-28): https://github.blog/changelog/2026-10-28-build-shared-workflows-for-your-team-with-copilot-automations - GitHub Copilot SDK becomes Microsoft Copilot SDK (2026-10-28): https://github.blog/changelog/2026-10-28-github-copilot-sdk-is-becoming-microsoft-copilot-sdk ## Related - [[GitHub]] - [[GitHub Copilot CLI]] - [[GitHub Copilot App]] - [[GitHub Copilot SDK]] - [[GitHub Copilot plugin for Obsidian]] - [[Visual Studio Code (VSCode)]] - [[Claude Code]] - [[Claude Code via GitHub Copilot]] - [[Gemini CLI]] - [[Kimi CLI]] - [[AI Agents]] - [[AI Agent Harness]] - [[Model Context Protocol (MCP)]] - [[Model Context Protocol Registry]] - [[GitHub Copilot Vision]] - [[GitHub Copilot Sandboxing]] - [[Microsoft eXecution Container (MXC)]] - [[AI Agent Permissions]] - [[GitHub Copilot Managed Settings]] - [[GitHub Copilot MCP Registry]] - [[GitHub Enterprise Cloud with Data Residency (GHE.com)]] - [[Awesome GitHub Copilot]] - [[GitHub Copilot Canvases]] - [[GitHub Copilot Fusion]] - [[Model routing]] - [[MAI-Code-1.1-Flash]]