Research, plan, and iterate on code changes with Copilot cloud agent

Perform deep research on a repository, create an implementation plan, and make iterative code changes on a branch, then create a pull request when you're ready.

Who can use this feature?

Copilot cloud agent is available with the GitHub Copilot Pro, GitHub Copilot Pro+, GitHub Copilot Business and GitHub Copilot Enterprise plans. The agent is available in all repositories stored on GitHub, except repositories owned by managed user accounts and where it has been explicitly disabled.
Sign up for Copilot

In this article

Copilot cloud agent (formerly Copilot coding agent) lets you:

  • Research a repository by asking Copilot questions.
  • Plan and refine an approach before Copilot makes changes.
  • Iterate on code changes, review a diff, and create a pull request when you're ready.

Sessions do not create pull requests automatically. To create one immediately, include that in your prompt—for example, "Create a pull request to ...".

Note

These capabilities are only available with Copilot cloud agent on GitHub.com. Cloud agent integrations (such as Azure Boards, JIRA, Linear, Slack, or Teams) only support creating a pull request directly.

Perform deep research

Ask Copilot cloud agent questions about a repository to understand how it works, find where to make a change, or confirm assumptions before planning.

  1. Start a task from the agents tab, panel, dashboard, or Copilot Chat. See Kick off a task with Copilot agents on GitHub.

  2. Ask a question about the repository.

    For example: Investigate performance issues in this app and suggest improvements.

    Tip

    You can also open Copilot Chat and attach the relevant repository as context. Copilot prompts you to approve a deep research session.

  3. Optionally, send follow-up prompts while Copilot is working to steer the session.

  4. Review the response and ask follow-up questions.

Create a plan

Ask Copilot cloud agent to propose a plan before making changes.

  1. Describe the plan you want.

    For example: Create a plan to implement the most impactful performance improvements for this app.

  2. Review the plan and iterate with Copilot until it matches your intent.

Iterate on code changes

After research and planning, make changes on a branch, review the diff, and decide whether to iterate more or create a pull request.

  1. Describe the changes you want in your prompt.

    For example, reference the plan from earlier: Implement the plan we agreed upon.

  2. Wait for Copilot to finish the session.

  3. Click Diff to review the changes.

  4. Optionally, open the branch (copilot/BRANCH-NAME) to inspect the changes in context.

  5. To request refinements, continue the conversation. For example: Rename this to match our existing conventions.

  6. When the session is complete and you're satisfied, click Create pull request.

Provide visual context

Cloud agent processes images—such as screenshots, sketches, or designs—as part of your task description. Drag and drop an image into an issue body or a Copilot Chat prompt, then describe what Copilot should do with it.

Further reading