GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio September 2026 Update Introduces Git Agent and BYOM Changes

The September 2026 update for GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio introduces new features including a Git agent for pull requests, updates to Bring Your Own Model (BYOM), and NuGet vulnerability fixing directly from the Error List.

According to the GitHub Blog announcement published on October 22, 2026, users can access these updates across all GitHub Copilot plans, including Free, Student, Pro, Pro+, Max, Business, and Enterprise editions.

Key New Features

• Explore Pull Requests with the Git Agent: Users can now open GitHub Copilot Chat, select the Git agent, and attach a pull request from the Git Repository window to receive a summary with navigable links. This requires connecting Git provider Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, with GitHub and Azure DevOps currently supported.
• Bring Your Own Model (BYOM) Updates: Available in preview, BYOM allows teams to use preferred models through GitHub Copilot or custom deployments. It is enabled by default in Community, Professional, and Enterprise editions. A notable breaking change requires updating to the new Agent (Preview) powered by the GitHub Copilot SDK harness, as previous Ask and Agent modes no longer support BYOM. Supported providers include Microsoft Foundry, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Ollama.
• Fix NuGet Vulnerabilities: NuGet Audit warnings within the Error List now feature a direct fixer action that opens Copilot Chat in agent mode to resolve vulnerable packages using the NuGet MCP server.

Practical Implications and Verification

Developers can experience these features by downloading Visual Studio 2026 and checking the Insiders channel for the latest releases. To verify official announcements, users should consult the Visual Studio blog, official release notes, and documentation regarding MCP server configurations.