Copilot for VS Code August release: side-by-side agent sessions and portable plugins
The August 2026 Copilot release for VS Code adds side-by-side chats for comparing agent runs, a /btw command for side conversations that share the primary chat's context, customizations installed per the Agent Plugins 1.0 standard, and model switching between Anthropic and Copilot subscriptions inside Claude sessions. An experimental /rubber-duck command asks a complementary model for second opinions.
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FAQWhat did GitHub Copilot announce on AUG 31, 2026?
The August 2026 Copilot release for VS Code adds side-by-side chats for comparing agent runs, a /btw command for side conversations that share the primary chat's context, customizations installed per the Agent Plugins 1.0 standard, and model switching between Anthropic and Copilot subscriptions inside Claude sessions. An experimental /rubber-duck command asks a complementary model for second opinions.
What is GitHub Copilot?
GitHub's pioneer coding assistant: completions, chat, and an agent mode that works through issues and opens pull requests. Now supports multiple frontier models.
Where is the official source for this announcement?
It was published by GitHub · Microsoft on AUG 31, 2026 via github.blog, the company's official channel. AgentMaps cites the primary source for every charted signal.