Visual Studio's Copilot update expands pull-request exploration and changes the BYOM path

The October release note connects Git-agent context, a new preview harness for custom models, and NuGet vulnerability fixes from the Error List.

GitHub's 22 October summary of the Visual Studio Copilot update brings three developer workflows together: exploring pull requests in chat, using a preferred model through a new preview agent, and asking the assistant to fix vulnerable NuGet packages from the Error List.

The announcement covers Visual Studio 2026 and points users to the Insiders channel for the latest capabilities. Several of the workflows depend on explicitly connecting the relevant model or MCP service, making setup part of the change.

Pull requests become chat context

The Git agent can now explore a pull request attached from the Git Repository window. In Copilot Chat, the agent can produce a summary with links back to the underlying files and comments.

The feature requires connecting the Git provider's MCP servers; GitHub and Azure DevOps are supported. This connects a discussion-oriented interface with the repository objects a developer already uses. The assistant's summary can become a navigation aid because its links lead to the actual change and review conversation.

For a developer joining a large review, that can shorten the path from “what changed?” to the relevant file or comment. It is also useful for understanding the state of a pull request without repeatedly switching between a browser and the development environment.

A breaking change for custom models

Bring Your Own Model remains in preview and supports Microsoft Foundry, OpenAI, Anthropic and Ollama. GitHub says the capability is enabled by default across Visual Studio's Community, Professional and Enterprise editions and can be used whether or not the developer is signed in to GitHub.

The important migration detail is the agent harness. BYOM now requires the new Agent (Preview), which is built on the GitHub Copilot SDK-powered harness. The previous Ask and Agent modes no longer support it. Users must also add previously configured Ollama models again after the update.

That makes this an environment migration rather than a simple model-name change. A developer moving an existing local-model setup needs to select the supported agent mode and restore the model configuration. A team documenting its development setup should record the harness as well as the provider, since both now determine how the model is reached.

Package fixes from the Error List

NuGet Audit warnings now expose a fixer action that opens Copilot Chat in agent mode and asks it to update vulnerable packages. This workflow requires a GitHub Copilot sign-in and the NuGet MCP server enabled from the chat tools menu.

The entry point is the existing development warning, so the task begins with a specific package problem rather than a broad request to modernise the project. The proposed change can then be checked against the application's dependency graph and normal build.

The three additions illustrate a direction for AI-assisted desktop development: repository context, model choice and package maintenance are becoming connected workflows inside the IDE. They also retain distinct setup requirements. Pull-request exploration uses provider MCP connections; BYOM uses the new preview agent; the NuGet fixer needs its own tool and sign-in.

GitHub says the update is available across Copilot plans, including Free, Student and the paid individual and enterprise tiers. Developers adopting it should follow the current Visual Studio release channel and configuration path that matches the capability they intend to use.

Sources

- [GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio — September update](https://github.blog/changelog/2026-10-22-github-copilot-in-visual-studio-september-update-2/) — GitHub