🖥️ GitHub Copilot App is Generally Available

GitHub has announced that the GitHub Copilot app is now generally available on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Previously available as a technical preview for paid Copilot subscribers, the app is now open to all paid Copilot plans without restrictions.

What is the GitHub Copilot app

The GitHub Copilot app is a native desktop application purpose-built for agent-driven development. Unlike IDE extensions that augment a text editor, this app is a standalone environment where you direct AI agents across your full development lifecycle: from triaging an issue through to merging the resulting pull request, without switching between a terminal, browser, and IDE.

The app is built on GitHub Copilot CLI and connects natively to GitHub, so repositories, branches, issues, and CI pipelines work out of the box with no extra configuration.

Key capabilities

Parallel agent sessions

Each session in the app runs in its own isolated workspace with a dedicated git worktree and branch. You can run multiple sessions simultaneously, making progress on several tasks without conflicts. Sessions also support cloud sandboxes (currently in public preview), which are fully isolated environments hosted by GitHub.

Session modes

For each session you choose how much autonomy to give the agent:

• Interactive: You and the agent collaborate step by step. The agent suggests changes and waits for your input before proceeding.
• Plan: The agent creates a written plan first. You review and approve the plan before execution begins.
• Autopilot: The agent works fully autonomously, writing code, running tests, and iterating until the task is done.

You can switch modes at any point during a session and also choose the underlying model and reasoning effort per session.

GitHub integration

The My work sidebar view gives you a unified inbox for your issues and pull requests. From there you can:

• Start a session directly from an issue, with the issue context pre-loaded.
• Review a pull request inside a session, leave inline comments, and ask the agent to address feedback.
• Check CI status and merge pull requests without leaving the app.
• Search across your repositories.

Automations

Automations let you save recurring agent tasks and trigger them on a schedule or on demand. Example use cases:

• Daily issue triage runs.
• Scheduled checks on open pull requests for stale reviews.
• Recurring dependency update assessments.

The app supports both local automations (running from your machine) and cloud automations (running in a GitHub-hosted environment).

Quick chats

Quick chats are lightweight conversation sessions without a dedicated branch or workspace. They are useful for brainstorming, asking questions about a repository, or exploring an idea before committing to a full session.

Customisation and extensibility

• MCP servers: Your repository’s MCP servers sync automatically. You can also add custom MCP servers via local or HTTP configuration.
• Agent skills: Custom repository and Copilot skills sync across sessions automatically.
• Global instructions: Configure shared instructions that apply across all sessions.
• Canvas extensions: Open custom agent-driven artefacts and interactive interfaces built for collaborative work between people and agents.

Supported platforms and prerequisites

The GitHub Copilot app runs on:

• macOS
• Windows
• Linux

Requirements before installing:

• Git installed on your machine.
• An active paid Copilot plan (Pro, Pro+, Business, Enterprise, or Max).
• For Copilot Business and Enterprise: your administrator must enable the Copilot CLI policy. See Managing policies for GitHub Copilot in your organisation.

Getting started

Install the app

Download the app from the official download page at gh.io/app.

Sign in and onboard

1. Open the GitHub Copilot app.
2. Click Sign in to GitHub and follow the authentication prompts. GitHub Enterprise Server users should choose Use GitHub Enterprise and enter their server address.
3. During onboarding, select repositories based on your recent GitHub activity, or choose a sample project. You can also skip this and add repositories later.
4. Choose a theme and complete onboarding.

Connect a repository

If you skipped repository setup during onboarding, or want to add more:

1. Click + next to “Sessions” in the sidebar.
2. Under Add project from, choose:
   • Local folder or repository: select a folder already on your machine.
   • GitHub repository: browse and clone a repository from GitHub.
   • Repository URL: clone from any Git URL.

Start your first session

1. Click My work in the sidebar.
2. Find an issue and click it to view its details.
3. Click New session. The app creates a session with the issue context loaded.
4. Select a session mode, model, and reasoning effort from the dropdowns.
5. Describe the task and let the agent begin.

You can also start a quick chat by clicking + next to “Quick chats” in the sidebar for a no-branch exploration session.

Plan availability

The GitHub Copilot app requires an active paid Copilot subscription. Key plan differences:

The free Copilot plan does not include access to the GitHub Copilot app.

For Business and Enterprise plans, pricing is based on per-seat licensing. Cloud agent usage incurs additional GitHub Actions charges.

References

• GitHub Copilot app generally available
• GitHub Copilot app feature overview
• Getting started with the GitHub Copilot app
• About the GitHub Copilot app
• Working with agent sessions
• Managing issues and pull requests
• Using automations
• About cloud and local sandboxes

Recap

The GitHub Copilot app moves agent-driven development out of IDE extensions and into a purpose-built desktop environment. Parallel isolated sessions, native GitHub integration, flexible session modes, and automations make it a practical tool for developers who want to delegate more of the mechanical work of shipping code. For teams on Business or Enterprise plans, the first step is enabling the Copilot CLI policy so users can download and start using the app.