GitHub Copilot's Git Agent Reviews Your Code Before You Open a Pull Request
GitHub CopilotGitHub Copilot's Git agent in Visual Studio can now review uncommitted changes or individual commits before a pull request is ever opened, surfacing feedback inline in the editor and in a navigable list in the Git Changes window. Developers can trigger a review directly from the Git Changes window or by asking the Git agent in Copilot Chat, and where possible, findings come with one-click actionable suggestions. The feature works with both GitHub and Azure DevOps repositories.
Key Takeaways
- Reviews now happen before a pull request exists, covering uncommitted changes and individual commits directly in Visual Studio.
- Two entry points: a one-click button in the Git Changes window, or asking the Git agent directly inside Copilot Chat.
- Feedback appears inline in the editor as well as in a dedicated, navigable Git Changes comment list.
- Actionable suggestions can be applied in one click, where the agent is able to offer a concrete fix.
- Works with both GitHub and Azure DevOps repositories, not just GitHub-hosted projects.
- Requires Visual Studio 17.14 or later, and reuses the same review engine that already powers Copilot's pull request reviews.
Sources & Mentions
1 external resource covering this update
Catching Issues Before They Reach a Pull Request
GitHub Copilot's Git agent, available in Visual Studio, now reviews code earlier in the workflow than before — at the point of uncommitted changes or individual commits, rather than waiting for a pull request to exist. Developers no longer need to push a branch and open a PR just to get a first pass of automated feedback; the same GitHub Copilot code review engine that powers pull request reviews can now be pointed at local work in progress.
Two Ways to Trigger a Review
There are two paths into the feature. In the Git Changes window, a new "Review changes with Copilot" button — shown as a comment icon with a sparkle — kicks off a review of uncommitted changes directly. Alternatively, developers can switch to the Git agent inside Copilot Chat and simply ask it to review their changes or a specific commit; a commit can also be attached as context for the agent to review after the fact, with results shown in a commit-specific view separate from the developer's working files.
Feedback Where Developers Already Are
Once a review completes, a link showing the number of code review comments appears in the Git Changes window, and the actual feedback shows up inline in the editor alongside the relevant lines, plus as a navigable list in the Git Changes comment panel. Where the agent can offer a concrete fix, comments include an actionable code suggestion that can be applied in one click. Developers can also keep the conversation going in Copilot Chat to ask for explanations or work through a finding interactively, rather than treating the review as a one-shot report.
Works Across GitHub and Azure DevOps
The feature isn't limited to GitHub-hosted repositories — it supports both GitHub and Azure DevOps repos, using Visual Studio 17.14 or later. For teams whose workflow already leans on reviewing changes locally before pushing, this closes a gap where automated code review previously only kicked in once a pull request existed, pushing that same quality check as far left as the moment code is written.