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Use Copilot agent mode in Visual Studio (Preview)

With GitHub Copilot's agent mode in Visual Studio, you can use natural language to specify a high-level task. AI will then autonomously reason through the request, plan the work needed, and apply the changes to your codebase. Agent mode combines code editing and tool invocation to accomplish the task you specified. As it processes your request, it monitors the outcome of edits and tools, and iterates to resolve any issues that arise.

The key difference from Copilot Chat is that agent mode can:

  • Run commands and builds to interpret the environment or execute a task (for example, database migrations, dotnet restore, etc.).
  • Iterate on errors, failed builds, or unit test results until it either requires additional input or considers the task complete.

Prerequisites

Get started with agent mode

To get started with Copilot agent mode in Visual Studio, enable the feature in Tools > Options > GitHub > Copilot > Copilot Chat > Enable agent mode in the chat pane.

Use agent mode

In agent mode, Copilot operates autonomously and determines the relevant context for your prompt.

Follow these steps to get started:

  1. Ensure agent mode is enabled by selecting Enable agent mode in the chat pane in Tools > Options > GitHub > Copilot > Copilot Chat.

    Screenshot that shows the enable agent mode setting in Options.

  2. Open the Copilot Chat window, select Ask to expand the mode dropdown, and then select Agent.

    Screenshot that shows Copilot agent mode selector.

  3. Enter your prompt for making edits in the chat input field and select Send or press Enter to submit it. You can specify a high-level requirement, and you don't have to specify which files to work on. In agent mode, Copilot determines the relevant context and the files to edit autonomously.

  4. Agent mode might invoke multiple tools to accomplish different tasks. Optionally, select the Tools icon to configure which additional tools can be used for responding to your request.

    Screenshot that shows additional tools used by agent mode.

  5. Confirm tool invocations and terminal commands. Before running a terminal command or a non-builtin tool, Copilot requests confirmation to continue. This is because tools might run locally on your machine and perform actions that modify files or data.

    Screenshot that shows agent command approval.

  6. Copilot detects issues and problems in code edits and terminal commands, and then iterates and performs additional actions to resolve them. For example, agent mode might run unit tests as a result of a code edit. If the tests fail, it uses the test outcome to resolve the issue. Copilot agent mode iterates multiple times to resolve issues and problems.

  7. As Copilot processes your request, notice that Copilot streams the suggested code edits directly in the editor. Review the suggested edits and either keep or discard the suggested edits as a whole in Total Changes in the chat window, or individually by clicking on a file and reviewing the code diffs presented in the editor.

    Screenshot that shows the list of suggested edits.

  8. If you want to review individual code changes made by the agent, you can either review the specific change made at each step, or review the cumulative changes from the last time changes were kept or undone.

    Screenshot that shows accessing individual edit diffs with Copilot agent.

    Screenshot that shows accessing cumulative edit diffs with Copilot agent.

  9. Continue to iterate on the code changes to refine the edits or implement additional features.

Agent mode tools

Agent mode can use the following tools:

You can view and manage the tools that can be used for responding to a request. Select the Tools icon in the chat window to view and manage the tools that are available in agent mode.

Screenshot that shows Copilot agent tool selector.

Based on the outcome of a tool, Copilot might invoke other tools to accomplish the overall request. For example, if a code edit results in syntax errors in the file, Copilot might explore another approach and suggest different code changes.

Additional tools added by running MCP servers are not automatically enabled, they are unchecked by default and must be checked to be activated.

Manage tool approvals

When a tool is invoked, Copilot requests confirmation to run the tool. This is because tools might run locally on your machine and perform actions that modify files or data.

Screenshot that shows tool confirmation request.

In the chat window, after a tool invocation, use the Allow dropdown options to automatically confirm the specific tool for the current session, solution, or all future invocations.

You can reset tool confirmation selections in Tools > Options > GitHub > Copilot > Tools.

Screenshot that shows tool confirmation options.

Accept or discard edits

Copilot lists the files that were edited in the list of Total Changes in the Chat window.

Screenshot that shows the Total Changes list.

Click on each file to review changes individually, where you can Keep or Undo edits made to each chunk of code.

Alternatively, in the Total Changes list, select Keep or Undo for all edits made since the last time you clicked Keep or Undo.

Revert edits

As you're sending requests to make edits to your code, you might want to roll back some of these changes, for example, when you want to use another implementation strategy or if Copilot starts walking down the wrong path when generating edits. To do so, select Restore next to the checkpoint prior to the prompt that included changes you didn't want.

Screenshot that shows reverting edits.

Currently, Visual Studio Copilot Agent doesn't support stepwise undo/redo.

Interrupt an agent mode request

To interrupt an ongoing request, you can cancel it. This stops all running tools and terminal commands.

To stop a build, select Build in the top toolbar, and then select Cancel or use the Ctrl + Break keyboard shortcut.

Frequently asked questions

I don't see Ask and Agent mode in the GitHub Copilot Chat window.

Take the following troubleshooting steps in the order specified:

  • Make sure you're using Visual Studio 17.14 or later: check the version at Help > About Visual Studio. If you're not using version 17.14 or later, launch the Visual Studio Installer and update your build.
  • Make sure you've selected the Enable agent mode in the chat pane setting in Tools > Options > GitHub > Copilot Chat.
  • Try restarting Visual Studio.

When should I use Ask mode vs. Agent mode?

  • Ask mode is excellent when you want 100% confidence that no code edits are made unless you explicitly select Apply or copy and paste the code yourself.
  • Agent mode can handle the same conceptual questions, generate code examples without applying them, along with its agent capabilities of editing code.
  • If you are looking to use MCP capabilities, you must have agent mode selected.

What happened to Copilot Edits in Visual Studio?

  • We perceive agent mode to be an evolution of Edits, with greater ability to iterate on errors, use tools, and automatically apply code changes.
  • For the initial releases of Visual Studio 2022 version 17.14, Edits mode is still available if you uncheck the Enable agent mode in the chat pane setting in Tools > Options > GitHub > Copilot > Copilot Chat.

As an administrator, how do I control use of agent mode for Visual Studio users?

Agent mode in Visual Studio is governed by the Editor preview features flag in the GitHub Copilot dashboard for administrators. If the administrator turns off this setting, users under that subscription won’t be able to use agent mode in Visual Studio.

For more information, see managing policies and features for copilot in your enterprise.

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