GitHub Copilot: Four Models Set to Retire October 2
GitHub CopilotGitHub Copilot will remove Gemini 3.5 Flash, Gemini 3.6 Flash, Kimi K2.7 Code, and Claude Opus 4.7 from every Copilot experience on October 2, 2026. GitHub is directing developers toward Gemini 3.8 Flash, Kimi K3, and Claude Opus 5 as the recommended replacements ahead of the cutoff. Business and Enterprise administrators may need to enable the replacement models through their organization's model policy before access disappears for their teams.
Key Takeaways
- Four models exit Copilot on October 2, 2026: Gemini 3.5 Flash, Gemini 3.6 Flash, Kimi K2.7 Code, and Claude Opus 4.7.
- Both deprecated Gemini models funnel to the same replacement, Gemini 3.8 Flash, which GitHub made available in Copilot on the same day as this deprecation notice.
- Kimi K2.7 Code users are directed to Kimi K3, and Claude Opus 4.7 users are directed to Claude Opus 5.
- The deprecation spans every Copilot surface, including Copilot Chat, inline edits, ask mode, agent mode, and code completions.
- No manual removal is needed after the cutoff; the retiring models will simply stop appearing in the model selector once October 2 passes.
- Business and Enterprise admins need to check their organization's model policy settings, since replacement models may require explicit enablement before the old ones disappear for their teams.
Four Models Scheduled to Leave Copilot
GitHub has announced that four AI models will be deprecated across every GitHub Copilot experience, including Copilot Chat, inline edits, ask and agent modes, and code completions, effective October 2, 2026. This follows GitHub's now-familiar cadence of retiring older models shortly after their replacements ship, keeping the model picker focused on current-generation options.
What's Being Retired
| Model | Deprecation Date | Suggested Replacement |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | October 2, 2026 | Gemini 3.8 Flash |
| Gemini 3.6 Flash | October 2, 2026 | Gemini 3.8 Flash |
| Kimi K2.7 Code | October 2, 2026 | Kimi K3 |
| Claude Opus 4.7 | October 2, 2026 | Claude Opus 5 |
Both retiring Gemini models point to the same replacement, Gemini 3.8 Flash, which GitHub added to Copilot the same day this deprecation was announced, giving developers on the outgoing Flash models a direct, same-generation upgrade path.
What Developers Should Do
GitHub is asking developers and teams that reference these models directly in workflows or integrations to switch to the supported replacements before the October 2 deadline. No manual cleanup is required after the cutoff, since the retiring models will simply stop appearing in the Copilot Chat model selector once the date passes.
What Administrators Should Do
Business and Enterprise administrators may need to explicitly enable the replacement models, Gemini 3.8 Flash, Kimi K3, and Claude Opus 5, through their organization's or enterprise's Copilot model policy before the deadline, since new models aren't always turned on automatically for every configuration. Admins can confirm the current state of each model's availability from their organization or enterprise Copilot model settings, and GitHub says enterprise customers with questions can reach out to their account team directly.