GitHub launches Agents panel for Copilot task management across platforms
GitHub has unveiled a new user interface designed to streamline how developers interact with agent features, introducing an Agents panel that allows users to assign, monitor, and manage tasks for Copilot across the platform.
Agents panel interface
The Agents panel is now available in public preview for all paid Copilot subscribers, spanning the Pro, Pro+, Business, and Enterprise plans. With this addition, developers can delegate coding tasks to Copilot from any location within GitHub, including on GitHub.com, VS Code, GitHub Mobile, or through Model Context Protocol (MCP)-enabled tools.
This new feature addresses the need for a centralised interface to oversee tasks assigned to AI agents, supporting a more seamless human-AI collaborative workflow. According to GitHub, the launch corresponds with increased integration of AI agents into developer workflows over the past year. The company stated, "If the past year has underscored anything, it's that AI agents are becoming a bigger part of developers' day-to-day workflows."
Central hub for task management
The Agents panel acts as a control centre for managing agentic workflows within GitHub. Developers can assign new tasks to Copilot, check the real-time status of ongoing tasks, and access relevant pull requests for review, all through the panel's overlay without navigating away from their current work. The panel can be expanded to a full-screen view or accessed directly via a dedicated URL for users who wish to manage multiple assignments simultaneously.
GitHub has highlighted that users can start a new Copilot task from the Agents panel by opening it on any GitHub page, providing a natural language prompt, and selecting the applicable repository. Copilot manages the remainder of the process, including planning, drafting code changes, running tests, and preparing pull requests.
Sample tasks that users might assign include "Add integration tests for LoginController", "Refactor WidgetGenerator for better code reuse", or "Add a dark mode/light mode switcher". Tasks can also reference specific issues or pull requests, such as "Fix #1050, and make sure you update the screenshots in the README".
Expanded cross-platform support
The Copilot coding agent can be accessed not just through the new Agents panel but also via GitHub Issues, Visual Studio Code using the GitHub Pull Requests extension, JetBrains IDEs, Visual Studio, and through compatible MCP-enabled applications. GitHub explained, "You can also start Copilot coding agent tasks from: GitHub Issues: Assign an issue to Copilot on github.com or GitHub Mobile. Visual Studio Code: Delegate tasks to Copilot and track running tasks with the GitHub Pull Requests extension. Other IDEs: Ask Copilot to open a pull request in Copilot Chat in JetBrains IDEs and Visual Studio. MCP‐enabled tools: Trigger tasks from compatible apps that integrate via the Model Context Protocol."
Technical background
Copilot coding agent operates in the cloud and is capable of processing multiple tasks in parallel, continuing work even if the user's local machine is offline. The background environment is secured and powered by GitHub Actions, capable of running builds, tests, and code quality checks. Both task tracking and review functions are available within GitHub or integrated development environments.
Regarding access, GitHub noted, "Thanks to the Model Context Protocol (MCP), Copilot has read access to your repository data on GitHub (powered by the GitHub MCP Server). It can also view web pages for testing and validation (powered by the Playwright MCP Server), and connect to your own MCP servers, as well."
Recent enhancements
Since the initial launch, GitHub reports several upgrades to the Copilot coding agent. These include expanded availability for all paid subscribers, a reduction in session resource usage by twenty-fold, an integrated browser for validating code changes, and expanded configurability features. The agent can now be initiated from any standard GitHub interface, as well as from JetBrains and Visual Studio IDEs, and is configurable through remote MCP servers, custom instructions, and firewall settings.
On recent advances, the company stated: "We've made several improvements to Copilot coding agent since its initial launch: Broader availability: Copilot coding agent (public preview) is now open to all paid Copilot subscribers (Pro, Pro+, Business, Enterprise) 20x more usage: Each agent session now uses just one premium request Smarter agents: Built‐in browser for validating changes, plus new configurability via remote MCP servers, custom instructions, and firewall settings Cross‐surface support: Available across GitHub.com, VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Visual Studio, and GitHub Mobile."
Copilot usage growth
"This announcement comes amid strong Copilot momentum, with over 20 million users (including 90% of the Fortune 100), millions of code reviews each month, and AI projects more than doubling on GitHub in the past year."
GitHub advises that paid subscribers looking to enable the Copilot coding agent may require administrator authorisation, particularly on Business or Enterprise accounts.
