Steering agents in GitHub Copilot CLI

Guide Copilot during task execution to keep work on track with your intent.

Who can use this feature?

GitHub Copilot CLI is available with all Copilot plans. If you receive Copilot from an organization, the Copilot CLI policy must be enabled in the organization's settings.

In this article

Steer the conversation while Copilot is thinking

While Copilot is working on a task, you can enter a new prompt at any time. Any input you send while Copilot is thinking is treated as steering and is considered in the context of the current task.

There is no separate instruction queue. To provide additional instructions, enter another prompt while Copilot is running. Copilot processes each message in order as part of the active task.

Steering lets you:

  • Interrupt an agent that is heading in the wrong direction.
  • Provide inline feedback when rejecting a tool permission request.
  • Refine or clarify the task scope partway through execution.

Next steps

To learn how to use Copilot CLI to get an AI-powered review of your code changes, see Requesting a code review with GitHub Copilot CLI.