GitHub Copilot in VS Code adds cloud sessions that follow you across clients, an Agent Host and experimental computer use

GitHub's VS Code update, announced at Universe, focuses on where agents run and how developers stay involved.

• Cloud sessions across clients: start a cloud agent session from the Agents window in VS Code and continue the same session in the GitHub Copilot app, GitHub Mobile, github.com or Copilot CLI. Sessions started in a Slack or Microsoft Teams DM can also be continued there.
• Agent Host: isolates Copilot sessions from individual VS Code windows, so work continues after a window or folder is closed. Agents can also run on a separate machine over Remote SSH or dev tunnels, and be controlled from GitHub Mobile by running code agent host --github-environment in a project folder. The machine and its Agent Host must stay running.
• Open Agent Host Protocol (AHP): lets developers build their own clients; client libraries exist for TypeScript, Rust, Go, Kotlin and Swift.
• Default harness: the Copilot harness, built on the Microsoft Copilot SDK, is now the default for new sessions in the editor and the Agents window.
• Computer use (experimental): Copilot can read and interact with desktop apps on macOS and Windows after the chat.agentHost.computerUse.enabled setting is turned on and /computer on is run. Each application needs approval, and organizations can disable it by policy.
• Compare model results (preview): run models and harnesses in parallel in the Agents window and review results side by side, with a Judge model that can recommend a solution or synthesize ideas from the attempts.
• Customization Marketplace and Copilot connectors (preview): browse skills, MCP servers and plugins in one place, and connect services such as Slack, Notion and Microsoft Learn without installing an MCP server. Business and Enterprise administrators must allow Editor preview features. Administrators also get stronger policies to require or block named plugins and restrict marketplaces.
• Copilot CLI install: Copilot CLI can now be installed through the VS Code installer on Windows and when adding VS Code to the path on macOS.