GitHub Copilot
Instructions Copilot follows, Agent sessions you review, and cloud agent PRs you approve inside your org's policies.
Start: What GitHub Copilot is and where things liveAbout GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot is GitHub's AI coding assistant. In your editor it suggests code as you type and offers chat with three built-in agents: Ask, Plan and Agent. On GitHub you can assign an issue to the Copilot cloud agent, which works on its own branch and opens a pull request. Copilot code review comments on pull requests. Business and Enterprise plans add org policies.
Best for: Developers and teams on GitHub who want help in the editor and agent pull requests they review before merging.
Good for
- Following repo instructions in .github/copilot-instructions.md
- Making edits in VS Code that you review with Keep or Undo
- Turning a clear, well-scoped issue into a pull request
- Sharing reusable prompts across a team with prompt files
Where people slip
- Picking Always Allow for a command you haven't read
- Treating content exclusion as a security boundary. It only controls context
- Counting Copilot code review as a full review. It doesn't catch everything
- Giving the cloud agent security, auth or vague tasks that belong with people
What is the Copilot cloud agent?
It used to be called the Copilot coding agent. Assign it an issue and it works in the cloud, pushes to a copilot/ branch and opens a pull request. It can't approve or merge its own work, and workflows need approval to run.
What is the difference between Ask, Plan and Agent in VS Code?
Ask helps you understand code without changing it. Plan builds a plan for a complex change. Agent builds and fixes, editing files and running commands under the permissions you set.
How do I give Copilot project instructions?
Add .github/copilot-instructions.md for the whole repo, or NAME.instructions.md files in .github/instructions with applyTo for certain paths. Check the References list on a reply to confirm the file was used.
Does GitHub train on my code?
GitHub does not use Copilot Business or Enterprise customer data to train AI models. Individual plans have a setting for this. A personal account on company code drops your org's policies and exclusions.
Checked against GitHub Copilot's own docs on 2026-11-06.
Basics
Know what Copilot is, sign in with the right account, and make one small change you've reviewed.
New to GitHub Copilot? Start here. Already use it? Skip to the next milestone.
0 of 2 lessons completeFoundations
Set up instructions, pick the right chat agent, and know which account and data may go in.
0 of 2 lessons completeAgent sessions you can review
Run Agent in VS Code with the right permissions, review its edits, and reuse prompts and instructions.
0 of 2 lessons complete