GitHub Copilot Chat: Pull Request Understanding, Review, and Summary
GitHub CopilotGitHub has expanded Copilot Chat on github.com with three new pull request capabilities: PR understanding (contextual analysis of comments, file modifications, commits, and review feedback), PR review (structured code review assistance), and PR summary (concise overviews of changes on demand). These features work in both the embedded on-page chat and the immersive github.com/copilot interface. Public preview users can also click a Copilot button directly on diffs to ask questions about specific changes inline. The update ships with suggested prompts like 'Help review this pull request' to guide users toward the new capabilities.
Sources & Mentions
3 external resources covering this update
Pull Request Intelligence Comes to Copilot Chat on the Web
GitHub has significantly extended Copilot Chat's capabilities for pull request workflows on github.com, introducing three distinct PR-focused modes that allow developers to interact with a pull request as a first-class context — not just paste code into a generic chat window.
Pull Request Understanding
When a pull request is open, Copilot Chat now incorporates the full context of that PR into its responses. This includes comments, file modifications, commit history, and review feedback from other contributors. Developers can ask questions like "What does this PR change in the auth layer?" or "Why was this function refactored?" and receive answers grounded in the complete history and surrounding discussions of the pull request.
Pull Request Review
Copilot can now assist with structured code review directly from chat. When asked to help review a PR, Copilot provides comprehensive feedback on the proposed changes — surfacing potential issues, style inconsistencies, or logic concerns. This complements the existing automated code review that runs as part of the PR workflow, adding an on-demand conversational review layer that developers can interrogate interactively.
Pull Request Summary
Copilot can generate a concise overview of what a pull request changes when asked. This is particularly useful for reviewers coming to a PR cold, or for contributors who want to draft a description from their changes. The summary mode is accessible from both the embedded on-page chat and the full-screen immersive interface at github.com/copilot.
Diff-Level Chat for Public Preview Users
Users in the public preview have access to an additional interaction layer: a Copilot button that appears directly on diffs, enabling developers to ask questions about specific code changes in context — without leaving the diff view. This brings the chat surface closer to the actual code under review.
Getting Started
The new PR capabilities are available to all Copilot users on github.com. GitHub has updated suggested prompts within the chat interface — including "Help review this pull request" — to surface the new modes. The immersive experience at github.com/copilot also supports all three modes.