Desktop harness · Microsoft

Copilot Chat

GitHub Copilot Chat inside VS Code.

ProductCopilot ChatMicrosoftDesktop · 55/114 current cells reviewed

Catalog twins:MarkdownJSON

Surface
Desktop
Execution
local
Target type
release
Default environment
local default
Tracks
Current, Preview
Latest current evidence
2026-08-28

Description and scope

About this harness

This profile represents one exact product surface—not every product from Microsoft.

Copilot Chat appears here as a Desktop column so a capability page can show this harness next to others.

Support cells for this surface are published only when a dated note cites reviewable public evidence; every other cell remains unknown.

Current-track snapshot

Support at a glance

55 of 114 atomic capabilities have a reviewed current status.

Research coverage48%
25 unique public sources on the current track
Supported
46
Public evidence supports the current claim.
Partial
9
Supported with a documented condition or limit.
Unsupported
0
A current source explicitly says no.
Unknown
59
No sufficiently scoped public evidence is published yet.
Unknown is not “unsupported.” It means this exact product-and-capability cell has not passed the catalog’s evidence bar. Conditions such as plan, platform, preview access, policy, and runtime stay attached to individual rows below.

Provider and standards provenance

Reviewed public references

These links support individual capability cells. They are not a product-wide certification.

Atomic capability ledger

Capability support

Open a capability record for its full notes, qualifiers, targets, and source links.

114 capabilities
CapabilityCurrentPreviewCurrent evidence and conditions
InterfacesAgent Plugins failure isolation

Reject invalid components narrowly without disabling valid components in the same package.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesAgent Plugins packaged MCP

Load MCP server configuration contained in an Agent Plugins package.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesAgent Plugins packaged skills

Load portable Agent Skills contained in an Agent Plugins package.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesAgent Plugins portable manifest

Load the published portable plugin.json manifest and its core components.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
RuntimeAgent Skills core and discovery

Recognize, discover, and load reusable instruction packages centered on SKILL.md.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code Agent Skills documentationNo additional condition recorded.Evidence and notes →
RuntimeAgent Skills manual invocation

Let a user or agent explicitly select and activate a named skill.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code Agent Skills documentationNo additional condition recorded.Evidence and notes →
RuntimeAgent Skills progressive loading

Load skill metadata first and defer full instructions or resources until relevant.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code Agent Skills documentationNo additional condition recorded.Evidence and notes →
RuntimeAgent Skills references and assets

Resolve supporting reference files, templates, and assets from a skill package.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code Agent Skills documentationNo additional condition recorded.Evidence and notes →
RuntimeAgent Skills scripts

Resolve and execute optional scripts included with an Agent Skill under explicit runtime policy.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code Agent Skills documentation
  • policy: script execution uses VS Code's terminal tool and remains subject to approval or configured allow-list controls
Evidence and notes →
InterfacesAGENTS.md root instructions

Discover and apply the cross-agent AGENTS.md convention at repository scope.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code custom-instructions documentationNo additional condition recorded.Evidence and notes →
CollaborationArtifact export

Download generated files and other documented outputs.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
Files and mediaAudio file input

Upload recorded audio for use as model input.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
Security and privacyAudit logs

Record security-relevant activity in an administrative audit log.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
Models and contextAutomatic context compaction

Continue long sessions by automatically summarizing or pruning older context.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code agent-session documentation
  • policy: automatic compaction occurs when context fills and can be disabled with github.copilot.chat.summarizeAgentConversationHistory.enabled
Evidence and notes →
RuntimeBackground agents

Keep a run going after the operator leaves the session.

PPartial?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code cloud-agent documentation
  • runtime: continuation after closing VS Code is supplied by a cloud session on GitHub infrastructure rather than the local Copilot process
  • policy: availability depends on eligible account, repository, and organization settings
Evidence and notes →
ToolsBrowser automation

Control a browser for navigation, clicks, forms, and page reading.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code browser-tools documentation
  • runtime: automation is scoped to the VS Code integrated browser
  • policy: organization policy can disable browser tools
Evidence and notes →
ToolsCode execution

Run generated code in a documented execution environment.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
RuntimeComputer use

Inspect and act on a visual interface through screenshots and input actions.

PPartial?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code browser-tools documentation
  • runtime: integrated browser only
  • policy: organization policy can disable browser tools
Evidence and notes →
RuntimeConcurrent subagents

Run multiple child-agent tasks concurrently with explicit queue and fan-out limits.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code subagent documentation
  • host role: claim is scoped to GitHub Copilot's local VS Code agent surface; published documentation does not state a fixed maximum parallel-child count
Evidence and notes →
ToolsConnectors

Connect to external services authorized by the user or organization.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
Models and contextContext compaction controls

Trigger, inspect, configure, or disable context compaction.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code agent-session documentation
  • policy: /compact accepts preservation instructions and automatic compaction can be disabled; threshold selection and retained-item pinning are not documented
Evidence and notes →
Models and contextContext usage

Inspect consumed or remaining context budget during a conversation or run.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code agent-session documentation
  • runtime: the chat input control shows current usage, exact token count, a category breakdown, and the selected model's available context
Evidence and notes →
Models and contextContext window

Record the documented context-window limit by product, model, and mode.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
CollaborationConversation export

Export conversation history in a documented format.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
CollaborationConversation sharing

Share a conversation through a documented link or invitation.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesCustom instructions

Persist instructions at user or project scope.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
Security and privacyData residency

Select or document geographic storage or processing regions.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
Security and privacyData retention controls

Configure or document retention and deletion for covered product data.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
ToolsDiffs and patches

Propose or apply file changes as diffs or patches.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code agent-edit review documentation
  • runtime: review presentation varies by Chat view, Agents window, isolation mode, and editing settings
Evidence and notes →
Files and mediaDocument input

Upload common document formats for use as model input.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
Security and privacyEncryption key management

Record documented encryption key ownership, scope, rotation, and revocation.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
Files and mediaFile upload limits

Record numeric attachment size, count, page, duration, storage, and rolling quotas.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
RuntimeHuman approval

Pause before a tool action or file change until a person confirms.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code documentation
  • policy: permission level, tool settings, saved approvals, and organization-managed rules determine which calls prompt
Evidence and notes →
Files and mediaImage input

Attach, paste, or select an image for use as model input.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current GitHub Copilot Chat documentation for VS Code
  • runtime: JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, HEIC, and HEIF images can be pasted, dragged, or added from the VS Code Explorer when the selected model supports image input
  • plan: image attachments are documented as available on all Copilot plans and enabled by default
Evidence and notes →
Models and contextLocal models

Run against a model hosted on the operator's machine.

YSupportedexperimental?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code language-model documentation
  • experimental: using BYOK models in Agent Host sessions requires chat.agentHost.byokModels.enabled and an Agent Host restart
  • runtime: local Ollama use now requires the official Ollama extension; some VS Code features such as semantic search and embeddings can still require a GitHub account or external service
Evidence and notes →
RuntimeLong-term memory

Persist notes across sessions.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesMCP Apps

Render an interactive interface returned by an MCP server inside the product.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code documentationNo additional condition recorded.Evidence and notes →
InterfacesMCP cancellation

Cancel an in-flight MCP request and handle cancellation correctly.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · VS Code source commit a39698f7
  • protocol revision: the inspected implementation declares MCP 2025-11-25; exact 2026-07-28 revision negotiation is tracked separately
Evidence and notes →
InterfacesMCP client role

Consume capabilities exposed by MCP servers.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesMCP elicitation

Handle structured user-input requests initiated by an MCP server.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesMCP legacy HTTP and SSE

Connect through the superseded HTTP plus SSE transport when migration compatibility is required.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesMCP list-changed notifications

Refresh capability lists when a server announces dynamic changes.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesMCP logging

Receive structured log messages emitted by an MCP server.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · VS Code source commit a39698f7
  • protocol revision: the handler implements structured notifications/message logging; MCP 2026-07-28 retains this notification with revised per-request log-level semantics
Evidence and notes →
InterfacesMCP OAuth authorization

Complete the MCP authorization flow for protected remote servers.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesMCP progress notifications

Receive progress updates for long-running requests.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · VS Code source commit a39698f7
  • protocol revision: the inspected implementation declares MCP 2025-11-25; exact 2026-07-28 revision negotiation is tracked separately
Evidence and notes →
InterfacesMCP prompt-list notifications

Refresh prompt templates after a server announces changes.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesMCP prompts

Invoke reusable MCP prompt templates.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code MCP documentation
  • host role: claim is scoped to GitHub Copilot's local VS Code agent surface, not every Copilot product surface
Evidence and notes →
InterfacesMCP Registry metadata

Discover MCP servers and metadata through the official registry model.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · VS Code documentation dated 2026-08-26
  • policy: an administrator configures the registry with McpGalleryServiceUrl; registry-only policy can restrict installs to its catalog
Evidence and notes →
InterfacesMCP resource subscriptions

Subscribe to resource changes and receive update notifications.

YSupported?Unknown2 public referencesLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · VS Code docs and source commit a39698f7
  • protocol revision: the inspected implementation uses the 2025-11-25 resources/subscribe flow; MCP 2026-07-28 replaces it with subscriptions/listen
Evidence and notes →
InterfacesMCP resources

Read MCP resources as live context.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code MCP documentation
  • host role: claim is scoped to GitHub Copilot's local VS Code agent surface, not every Copilot product surface
Evidence and notes →
InterfacesMCP revision compatibility

Implement or negotiate the exact dated MCP revision.

PPartial?Unknown2 public referencesLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · VS Code docs and source commit a39698f7
  • protocol revision: current documentation says VS Code implements the full MCP specification, but the inspected source declares LATEST_PROTOCOL_VERSION as 2025-11-25 rather than 2026-07-28
Evidence and notes →
InterfacesMCP roots

Provide filesystem or workspace roots to an MCP server.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesMCP sampling

Handle server requests for model sampling through the client.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · VS Code documentation dated 2026-07-29
  • policy: the user authorizes a server's first sampling request and can restrict which configured models that server may use
Evidence and notes →
InterfacesMCP server instructions

Consume server-provided instructions during initialization.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesMCP server role

Expose capabilities from the harness as an MCP server.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesMCP stdio transport

Connect to a local MCP server over standard input and output.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesMCP Streamable HTTP

Connect to an MCP server over the current Streamable HTTP transport.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesMCP task listing

List and page through tasks exposed by the task utility.

YSupportedexperimental?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · VS Code source commit a39698f7
  • protocol revision: this is the experimental 2025-11-25 tasks/list design; MCP 2026-07-28 removes tasks/list from the redesigned Tasks extension
Evidence and notes →
InterfacesMCP tasks

Create, inspect, and manage long-running MCP tasks.

PPartialexperimental?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · VS Code source commit a39698f7
  • protocol revision: source implements the experimental 2025-11-25 core task design; MCP 2026-07-28 moves redesigned tasks to io.modelcontextprotocol/tasks with tasks/get and tasks/update semantics
  • runtime: implementation evidence is present in current source, but no first-party end-user documentation was located for availability in a stable VS Code release
Evidence and notes →
InterfacesMCP tools

Invoke operations exposed by a Model Context Protocol server.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code documentationNo additional condition recorded.Evidence and notes →
Models and contextModel fallback

Switch to another model after a documented failure condition.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
Models and contextModel selection

Choose the model or documented model class used for a run.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code language-model documentation
  • plan: available models depend on provider access, Copilot plan, organization policy, configured BYOK providers, and agent-harness compatibility
Evidence and notes →
ToolsMulti-file edit

Edit multiple files during one task.

YSupported?Unknown2 public referencesLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code agentic-coding documentation
  • runtime: agents apply edits in the session workspace or worktree; review and integration behavior varies by session mode
Evidence and notes →
InterfacesNative plugin system

Install and load a product-specific extension package.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesNested AGENTS.md instructions

Apply nested AGENTS.md files with directory-sensitive precedence.

PPartialexperimental?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code custom-instructions documentation
  • feature flag: requires chat.useNestedAgentsMdFiles
  • runtime: VS Code adds relative paths to chat context and lets the agent decide which instructions to use; deterministic nearest-file precedence is not documented
Evidence and notes →
RuntimeNested subagents

Allow a child agent to delegate further work to another child agent.

YSupportedexperimental?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code subagent documentation
  • feature flag: requires `chat.subagents.allowInvocationsFromSubagents`; disabled by default
  • runtime: nesting depth is capped at 5
Evidence and notes →
Security and privacyOffline operation

Run a documented workflow without a required network connection.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
Security and privacyOrganization policy controls

Centrally configure and enforce product settings for an organization.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
Models and contextOutput token limit

Record the maximum generated response budget by exact model and harness mode.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
Files and mediaPDF input

Upload a PDF for use as model input.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current GitHub Copilot Chat documentation for VS Code
  • runtime: PDF attachments can be pasted, dragged, or added from the VS Code Explorer when the selected model supports image input
  • plan: PDF and image attachments are documented as available on all Copilot plans and enabled by default
  • runtime: page, size, OCR, and complex-layout limits are not listed on the reviewed page
Evidence and notes →
RuntimePer-subagent model selection

Choose or constrain each child agent's model independently of the parent.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code subagent documentation
  • plan: the requested child model cannot exceed the cost tier of the parent model and must be available to the current Copilot plan
Evidence and notes →
Pricing, usage, and limitsPlans and pricing

Compare documented plan, seat, included-usage, credit, and overage pricing by exact product.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesPlugin marketplace

Discover and install extensions through a documented registry or marketplace.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesPlugin vendor extensions

Preserve namespaced host-specific behavior without representing it as portable core support.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesProject rules

Load persistent or path-scoped instructions from a documented product rule format.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code custom-instructions documentationNo additional condition recorded.Evidence and notes →
RuntimeProject-scoped Agent Skills

Discover skills installed for a repository or workspace.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code Agent Skills documentationNo additional condition recorded.Evidence and notes →
Models and contextPrompt cache controls

Mark, retain, refresh, or invalidate cached prompt context.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
Models and contextPrompt cache telemetry

Inspect cache hits, misses, token counts, latency, or billing effects.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
Models and contextPrompt caching

Reuse eligible repeated prompt content under documented caching behavior.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
ToolsPull request integration

Open or review pull requests through a documented integration.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code cloud-agent handoff documentation
  • auth: the pull-request workflow applies to a GitHub-backed Cloud session selected from VS Code and requires repository authorization
Evidence and notes →
Pricing, usage, and limitsRate limits and quotas

Record documented product usage limits and reset periods.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
Files and mediaRealtime voice

Speak and listen over a live audio session.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
Models and contextReasoning effort controls

Choose a documented reasoning depth, effort, or budget for a run.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
CollaborationRole-based access control (RBAC)

Assign and enforce permissions through documented roles.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
RuntimeSandbox network access

Allow, deny, or restrict outbound network access from a tool sandbox.

YSupportedpreview?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code approvals and sandbox documentation
  • preview: agent terminal sandboxing is preview-only and available on macOS, Linux, and WSL2
  • policy: outbound access is blocked unless allowed when sandboxing is enabled; domain allow and deny lists and an unrestricted-network switch are configurable
Evidence and notes →
RuntimeScheduled runs

Start a task on a schedule without a new human prompt.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
Files and mediaScreenshots

Capture a screen, window, or browser page for use as model input.

PPartial?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · 2026-08-26 VS Code chat-context documentation
  • runtime: the integrated browser can capture its current viewport and attach it as an image to Chat
  • runtime: arbitrary desktop, application-window, and multi-monitor capture is not established by the current reviewed page
Evidence and notes →
Security and privacySecrets management

Store and provide credentials through a documented secrets feature.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
Pricing, usage, and limitsSession resume

Continue a previously saved product session.

YSupported?Unknown2 public referencesLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code agent-session documentation
  • policy: local sessions restore after window reload; cross-device continuation depends on GitHub-backed session sync and can be disabled or repository-excluded
Evidence and notes →
CollaborationShared projects

Share a product-defined project workspace with other people.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesStreaming output

Show text or tool events as they arrive during a run.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesStructured outputs

Return JSON or schema-constrained output through a documented product feature.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
RuntimeSubagent context

Define which conversation, instructions, files, memory, and tools a child receives.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code agent-concepts documentation
  • runtime: the model context is isolated; project files and tools remain available according to the child agent configuration
Evidence and notes →
RuntimeSubagent delegation

Delegate a bounded task to another agent process.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code subagent documentation
  • host role: claim is scoped to GitHub Copilot's local VS Code agent surface with the subagent tool enabled
Evidence and notes →
RuntimeSubagent management

List, inspect, and control child-agent tasks.

PPartial?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code subagent documentation
  • runtime: live inspection and persistent read-only child records are documented; follow-up, resume, pause, retry, timeout, and cancellation controls are not established
Evidence and notes →
RuntimeSubagent MCP access

Allow a child agent to use MCP tools or declare its own MCP servers.

YSupported?Unknown2 public referencesLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code custom-agent and subagent documentation
  • policy: MCP access is restricted by the child agent's tool list and the enabled MCP servers in the local VS Code session
Evidence and notes →
RuntimeSubagent permissions

Control child-agent tools, inherited permissions, and approval behavior.

PPartial?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code subagent documentation
  • policy: child identity and tool allowlists are configurable, but separate child approval ownership, grant consumption, and escalation semantics are not fully documented
Evidence and notes →
RuntimeSubagent results

Return a child agent's findings or work to the parent.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code subagent documentation
  • runtime: the parent receives a final result and the operator can inspect the child trace, but no typed artifact, citation, diff, status, or error schema is documented
Evidence and notes →
RuntimeSubagent write access

Allow a child agent to create or modify project files.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code subagent documentation
  • policy: writes require the child configuration to expose an editing tool and remain subject to VS Code trust and approval controls
Evidence and notes →
ToolsTerminal commands

Propose or execute shell commands in a project environment.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code documentationNo additional condition recorded.Evidence and notes →
Security and privacyTraining data controls

Control or document model-training and service-improvement use of product content.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
Pricing, usage, and limitsUsage metering

Inspect documented product usage such as requests, tokens, or cost.

PPartial?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code agent-session documentation
  • runtime: the session context control exposes total AI credits consumed, but the reviewed page does not establish request-level cost dimensions, export, or billing-final values
Evidence and notes →
RuntimeUser-scoped Agent Skills

Discover personal or global skills outside the current project.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code Agent Skills documentationNo additional condition recorded.Evidence and notes →
Files and mediaVideo input

Upload or select a video for use as model input.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
ToolsWeb fetch

Retrieve live web pages or APIs during a run.

YSupported?Unknown2 public referencesLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current Visual Studio Code agent tools documentation
  • policy: URL access uses request pre-approval and fetched-response review unless trusted-domain or approval settings apply
Evidence and notes →
InterfacesWebMCP declarative form tools

Expose semantic HTML forms as structured tools through WebMCP annotations.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesWebMCP execution cancellation

Cancel pending tool registration or execution through abort signals and lifecycle rules.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesWebMCP imperative tools

Register JavaScript-backed tools through document.modelContext.registerTool().

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesWebMCP permissions policy

Gate tool exposure across documents and origins through the tools permissions policy.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesWebMCP security annotations

Communicate read-only and untrusted-content hints across the site-to-agent boundary.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesWebMCP tool discovery

Expose the active page tool list and schemas to a WebMCP-aware agent.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
InterfacesWebMCP tool execution

Invoke a page tool with structured arguments and return its result to the agent.

?Unknown?UnknownNo reviewed current evidenceThis remains unknown; it is not an unsupported claim.Open capability record →
ToolsWorkspace files

Read or edit files inside a user-selected project.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code documentationNo additional condition recorded.Evidence and notes →
ToolsWorkspace search

Search file names, text, or symbols across a workspace.

YSupported?Unknown1 public referenceLatest evidence 2026-08-28dated documentation · current VS Code workspace-context documentationNo additional condition recorded.Evidence and notes →