What Is GitHub Copilot Agent? A Look At Your New Coding Assistant
Have you ever wished for a coding assistant that could actually take on tasks, work through them, and even prepare things for your review? Well, that's almost what the GitHub Copilot agent brings to the table. This newer feature from GitHub is changing how people approach their daily development work, allowing for a different kind of collaboration with artificial intelligence. It's really quite something, allowing you to delegate specific chores and free up your own time for bigger, more complex thinking.
This isn't just about getting code suggestions as you type; it's about a more active, almost independent helper. Think of it as a specialized member of your team, ready to tackle issues and even create pull requests. It’s a pretty big step forward for AI in software creation, making some parts of the job a lot smoother for you, in a way.
Today, we're going to get into what this coding agent is all about. We will look at how it works, what it can do for you, and who can make use of this rather interesting development. We'll also see how it stands apart from the more familiar, traditional Copilot experience, giving you a fuller picture of this new addition to your coding toolkit.
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Table of Contents
- What is the GitHub Copilot Agent?
- How the Copilot Agent Gets Things Done
- Copilot Agent Versus Traditional Copilot
- Who Can Use This Feature?
- Current Status and Future Glimpses
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Getting Started with the Copilot Agent
What is the GitHub Copilot Agent?
The GitHub Copilot agent, sometimes called "agent mode" or the "coding agent," is a rather new feature that significantly changes how developers interact with AI assistance. It's a step beyond the usual code completion and chat features you might be familiar with. This agent is designed to take on more substantial tasks, almost like a junior developer working on your behalf, so.
Basically, you can give it an issue from your GitHub repository, and it will try to resolve it. This means it can explore your project's code, figure out what needs to happen, write the necessary programming instructions, run tests to make sure everything works, and then, rather importantly, create a pull request for you to look over. It’s quite a comprehensive helper, really, for certain kinds of work.
This capability means less time spent by you on repetitive or smaller, well-defined coding tasks. It allows you to focus your attention on the bigger picture items, the more creative parts of software creation. The idea is to make your development process more efficient, freeing you up, you know, for more involved problem-solving.
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How the Copilot Agent Gets Things Done
The Copilot coding agent has a few key ways it operates, making it quite a useful tool for certain kinds of development work. It's not just about writing code; it's about managing a task from start to finish, or at least to a reviewable state, which is pretty neat.
Working with GitHub Issues
One of the main things this agent can do is work directly with GitHub issues. You can actually assign an issue to Copilot, or ask Copilot to create a pull request based on an issue description. This means that instead of you manually picking up an issue, understanding it, and starting the coding process, the agent can begin that work for you, which is a big time-saver, in a way.
Once an issue is assigned, the agent gets to work. It explores the repository, which means it looks at your existing code and project structure to understand the context. Then, it proceeds to write the code needed to address the issue. It doesn't stop there; it also runs tests to ensure the new code functions as expected and doesn't introduce problems. Finally, it prepares a pull request, ready for your review, so you can check its work before it becomes part of your main project.
Running in the Background
A really cool aspect of the Copilot agent is its ability to run in the background. It actually runs inside GitHub Actions, which is a system for automating tasks within your development workflow. This means the agent can be working on an issue while you're busy with other things, without needing your constant attention, you see.
This background operation is particularly helpful for tasks that might take a little while to complete, or those that involve multiple steps like writing code, compiling, and testing. It lets you delegate open issues and let your coding agent write, run, and test code, all without interrupting your flow. It’s almost like having an extra pair of hands that can work independently, which is quite useful.
Making Autonomous Edits
The agent mode is quite good at making changes across several files in your project on its own. It's particularly helpful for tasks that need more than just code changes. Sometimes, a task needs the agent to use other tools or even run commands in the terminal. The agent can handle these things too, which is a pretty big deal, honestly.
This capability allows developers to take on bigger tasks with simple instructions, meaning they don't have to get involved as much. For example, if you need to refactor a feature that touches many parts of your codebase, the agent can work through those changes, making it a more efficient process. It can also iterate on code in Visual Studio by making code edits, running commands, and reading error or build context, so it’s pretty versatile.
Copilot Agent Versus Traditional Copilot
It's important to understand that the GitHub Copilot agent is different from the traditional GitHub Copilot you might already know. They both use AI to help with coding, but they do it in rather distinct ways, you know, for different purposes.
Traditional Copilot is really good at giving you quick suggestions. As you type, it offers code completions, fills in lines, or even suggests entire functions based on your comments or the context of your code. It's very interactive and works in real-time, helping you write code faster. It's like having a very smart autocomplete feature that understands programming languages deeply. It also provides chat interactions, allowing you to ask questions and get code snippets on the fly, which is pretty handy.
The Copilot agent, on the other hand, is built for bigger, more independent work. While traditional Copilot helps you write code line by line, the agent can take on a whole task, like resolving a GitHub issue, and work through it in the background. It's about delegating a problem and letting the AI try to solve it from start to finish, rather than just helping you with the immediate code you're typing. This means it can explore your project, write new code, run tests, and even create a pull request for your review, which is a much larger scope of operation, honestly.
So, you could say traditional Copilot is for immediate, in-the-moment coding assistance, while the agent is for more autonomous, task-oriented problem-solving. One is about speed and suggestion; the other is about delegation and background work. They both aim to make your coding life easier, but they do it in different, yet complementary, ways. It’s almost like having a quick helper for small questions versus a dedicated assistant for bigger projects.
Who Can Use This Feature?
The GitHub Copilot coding agent is not something available with every Copilot plan. It's a more advanced capability, and as such, it comes with specific subscription tiers. This is a pretty important detail for anyone looking to try it out, you see.
Currently, the Copilot coding agent is available to users with the GitHub Copilot Pro, GitHub Copilot Pro+, GitHub Copilot Business, and GitHub Copilot Enterprise plans. If you're on the free Copilot plan, which gives you a monthly limit of completions and chat interactions, this agent mode isn't included. It's a premium feature that offers more extensive automation and capabilities, so it makes sense that it's part of the higher-tier offerings.
Using the agent consumes what are called "Copilot premium requests" from a user’s entitlements. These are included in their Copilot subscription. Additionally, it uses GitHub Actions minutes, which also have an included allowance for every customer. So, while it's a powerful tool, it does draw on these resources, which is something to keep in mind if you're planning to use it extensively, in a way.
The availability of this feature with these specific plans means it's geared towards individuals or organizations that are already invested in more comprehensive AI assistance for their development workflows. It’s a tool for those who want to push the boundaries of what AI can do in their daily coding tasks, pretty much.
Current Status and Future Glimpses
The GitHub Copilot agent mode is a relatively new addition, and like many new technologies, it's still growing and getting better. It was introduced with a good deal of excitement, signaling a shift in how AI assists developers, so.
At the time of writing, there are apparently three main agents available, which suggests that GitHub is working on different specialized versions for various tasks. There was an announcement about the general availability of Copilot Edits, and a first look at something called the "SWE agent," which likely points to a more comprehensive software engineering agent. There's also mention of a "Copilot code review agent," which sounds like it could help with checking code quality and suggesting improvements, which is pretty interesting.
While the agent mode offers some truly impressive capabilities, it's also worth noting that, as with any new technology, there are areas for growth. Some observations suggest that it might still be catching up to competitors in certain key areas. This is quite normal for a new tool, and it often means that improvements and new features are on the way. The development team is always working on making these tools more capable and efficient.
The introduction of agent mode with MCP support for all VS Code users, in celebration of MSFT’s 50th anniversary, shows a commitment to making these advanced features more accessible. The new GitHub Copilot Pro+ plan, with premium requests and models from Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI, also points to a future where Copilot offers even more sophisticated assistance. This includes next edit suggestions for code completions, which will likely make the agent even smarter and more helpful over time. It's clear that this is an area of active development, and we can expect to see more exciting things from it in the future, you know.
Frequently Asked Questions
People often have questions about how this new AI helper works. Here are some common inquiries about the GitHub Copilot agent.
What is the difference between GitHub Copilot and GitHub Copilot Agent?
Basically, GitHub Copilot usually helps you write code as you type, giving you suggestions and completing lines or functions right away. It's for immediate help with coding. The GitHub Copilot Agent, however, is a more independent helper. You can assign it a whole task, like fixing a bug or adding a feature, and it will work on it in the background, writing code, running tests, and even preparing a pull request for you to review. It's for delegating bigger jobs, in a way.
How does GitHub Copilot Agent help with coding tasks?
The Copilot Agent helps by taking on specific coding tasks that you assign to it. It can read GitHub issues, understand what needs to be done, explore your project's code, write the necessary new code, run tests to make sure it works, and then create a pull request for your approval. This means it can handle parts of the development process autonomously, saving you time and effort on routine or well-defined problems. It runs inside GitHub Actions, so it can work while you're focused on other things, which is pretty convenient.
Which GitHub Copilot plans include the Agent feature?
The Copilot Agent feature is available with the more advanced GitHub Copilot plans. You can use it if you have a GitHub Copilot Pro, GitHub Copilot Pro+, GitHub Copilot Business, or GitHub Copilot Enterprise subscription. It's not part of the free Copilot plan, as it consumes premium requests and GitHub Actions minutes, which are resources included with the paid tiers. So, if you're thinking about using this agent, you'll need one of those specific plans.
Getting Started with the Copilot Agent
If you have one of the eligible GitHub Copilot plans and are interested in seeing how the agent can help you, getting started is pretty straightforward. You'll likely be working within Visual Studio Code, which is where much of this functionality is integrated, you know.
To begin, you can learn how to use GitHub Copilot agents by looking at the official documentation. You'll find out how Copilot can work on GitHub issues and raise pull requests for you to review. There are also articles under "concepts for Copilot coding agent" that provide a good overview. You can preview how the GitHub Copilot coding agent deals with your issues, giving you a chance to see it in action before fully relying on it. You can also assign GitHub issues to Copilot directly or ask it to create a pull request, which is a key part of its operation.
Remember that this agent is optimized for making autonomous edits across multiple files in your project. It is particularly useful for complex tasks that require not only code edits but also the invocation of tools and terminal commands. This means it’s a good fit for those larger chunks of work that might otherwise take a lot of your focused time. It enables developers to tackle bigger tasks with simple prompts, reducing the need for manual intervention, which is quite a benefit. To learn more about AI in coding on our site, and to see how this technology fits into broader trends, you might find our page on AI development tools interesting, too.
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