Microsoft has introduced a major upgrade to Copilot Chat in Visual Studio 2026, bringing a new AI engine powered by the Microsoft Copilot SDK. The updated experience is designed to help developers complete more complex coding tasks, deliver better results, and work more efficiently across their projects. It also introduces new ways to interact with Copilot, making AI-assisted development more flexible and consistent across Microsoft's developer tools.
Here's what you need to know:
More Tasks Successfully Completed
Microsoft's .NET team evaluated the new and previous Copilot experiences using 157 real-world tasks across C# projects, covering .NET Framework, .NET Core, Azure, Aspire, WinForms, and desktop applications. A task was considered resolved only when its failing tests passed without breaking previously passing tests, helping measure Copilot's ability to deliver working solutions.
Same Models, A Better Harness
The language model is only one part of the Copilot experience, as the harness determines how it accesses tools, manages context, interacts with your solution, and performs tasks. With the Microsoft Copilot SDK, Visual Studio now uses the Microsoft Copilot harness to deliver faster, more predictable, and more effective results.
What's New In Copilot Chat?
The updated engine introduces new capabilities that give developers greater control and visibility over how Copilot handles tasks. From sending instructions mid-task to monitoring subagents and reviewing actions, developers can work more efficiently with AI assistance.
A Consistent Experience Across GitHub Copilot
The new engine brings a more consistent Copilot experience across Visual Studio, VS Code, GitHub Copilot CLI, and the GitHub Copilot app. Developers can reuse agent skills across all four environments while continuing to benefit from Visual Studio's specialised tools for debugging, profiling, and application modernisation.
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