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GitHub Copilot CLI reaches general availability with agentic development capabilities
GitHub CopilotGitHub Dependabot · releasefeatureapisdkplatform · github.blog ↗

General Availability

GitHub Copilot CLI—the terminal-native coding agent—is now generally available to all GitHub Copilot subscribers. The tool has evolved significantly since entering public preview in September 2025, growing from a simple terminal assistant into a full agentic development environment that plans, builds, reviews, and remembers across sessions.

Agentic Development Capabilities

Copilot CLI operates as an autonomous coding agent with multiple modes of operation:

  • Plan Mode: Press Shift + Tab to have Copilot analyze requests, ask clarifying questions, and build structured implementation plans before writing code
  • Autopilot Mode: Let Copilot work fully autonomously, executing tools, running commands, and iterating without requiring approval
  • Specialized Agents: The tool automatically delegates to appropriate agents—including Explore (codebase analysis), Task (builds/tests), Code Review, and Plan (implementation planning)
  • Background Delegation: Prefix prompts with & to delegate work to cloud-based agents while keeping your terminal free for other tasks

Model Selection and Extensibility

Users can choose from leading AI models including Claude Opus 4.6, Claude Sonnet 4.6, GPT-5.3-Codex, and Gemini 3 Pro. Faster models like Claude Haiku 4.5 are available for quick tasks. The tool supports switching models mid-session and configuring reasoning effort for extended thinking.

Copilot CLI is extensible through:

  • Plugins: Install community and custom plugins directly from GitHub repositories
  • Agent Skills: Markdown-based skill files that teach Copilot specialized workflows
  • Custom Agents: Create specialized agents through interactive wizards or by writing .agent.md files
  • MCP Servers: Built-in GitHub MCP server with support for custom servers

Session Management and Developer Experience

  • Infinite Sessions: Auto-compaction at 95% context window allows sessions to run indefinitely
  • Repository Memory: Copilot remembers codebase conventions across sessions
  • Cross-session Memory: Query past work and pull requests across previous sessions
  • Review Tools: /diff for syntax-highlighted change review, /review for quick code sanity checks, and Esc–Esc to rewind changes

The terminal experience includes alt-screen mode with mouse support, customizable themes, full UNIX keybindings, and accessibility features like screen reader support.