GitHub Copilot: GPT-6 Astra Now Available
GitHub CopilotGitHub Copilot added GPT-6 Astra, OpenAI's newest flagship model, to its model picker across ten surfaces, including VS Code, Visual Studio, Copilot CLI, the coding agent, github.com, and JetBrains IDEs. The model is built for long-horizon, autonomous coding and agentic tasks, planning and validating its own work, batching diagnosis with verification, and independently confirming results before marking a task done. GitHub Copilot is rolling GPT-6 Astra out gradually to Pro+, Max, Business, and Enterprise subscribers, billed at standard provider list pricing under usage-based billing.
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Key Takeaways
- GPT-6 Astra is one of the widest-reaching model launches GitHub Copilot has shipped, arriving in ten surfaces at once, from VS Code and Visual Studio to GitHub Mobile and Eclipse.
- Early developer testing highlighted noticeably better browser and tool-control behavior compared with GPT-5.6 Sol, OpenAI's prior flagship.
- On an offline OSWorld 2.0 subset, GPT-6 Astra scored 72.6% in about 40 minutes per task, versus 65.7% and roughly 75 minutes for its predecessor, a meaningful jump in both accuracy and speed.
- GitHub frames the model's edge as behavioral rather than purely benchmark-driven: it plans, validates, and self-checks its own work before declaring a task complete.
- Access is limited to Copilot Pro+, Max, Business, and Enterprise plans, so Free and base Pro subscribers do not get GPT-6 Astra in this rollout.
- Business and Enterprise admins should note that new models are auto-enabled by default under the model policy in Copilot settings, unless they have already turned off that default or explicitly blocked this model.
Sources & Mentions
5 external resources covering this update
First impressions of GPT-6 Astra from developers
YouTube
"Welcome to the AGI era": OpenAI launches GPT-6 Astra
VentureBeat
OpenAI rolls out GPT-6 Astra across ChatGPT, Microsoft 365, and GitHub Copilot
Neowin
OpenAI begins rolling out GPT-6 Astra
Hacker News
GPT-6 Astra makes major gains in the Artificial Analysis Coding Agent Index
Hacker News
OpenAI's Newest Flagship Reaches GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot has added GPT-6 Astra, OpenAI's latest general-purpose model, to its model picker. The rollout follows closely on the model's broader debut across OpenAI's own products: Astra reached ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise users, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and Microsoft Foundry within days of its initial release to trusted partners on September 3, 2026, with GitHub Copilot access following on September 4. OpenAI president Greg Brockman described the launch as marking the start of what the company calls the "AGI era," pointing to state-of-the-art results across computer use, browser use, software engineering, cybersecurity, and scientific reasoning.
How GPT-6 Astra Approaches Coding Tasks
According to GitHub's announcement, GPT-6 Astra distinguishes itself through how it works rather than just what it scores on benchmarks. The model "plans and validates as it goes, batches diagnosis with verification, and independently confirms its results before declaring a task done." In practice, that translated into stronger performance on long-horizon coding assignments while taking fewer steps than earlier OpenAI models. Independent benchmarking backs this up: on an offline subset of OSWorld 2.0, Astra scored 72.6% in roughly 40 minutes per task, compared with 65.7% and about 75 minutes for GPT-5.6 Sol, its immediate predecessor. Early hands-on reports from developers testing the model inside coding workflows echoed this pattern, describing meaningfully better browser and tool-control behavior compared with the prior generation, alongside the usual early-model caveats around cost and occasional inconsistency on longer runs.
Where and How Developers Can Use It
GPT-6 Astra is rolling out gradually to Copilot Pro+, Max, Business, and Enterprise subscribers. It is selectable through the model picker across Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, Copilot CLI, the GitHub Copilot coding agent, the GitHub Copilot app, github.com, GitHub Mobile on iOS and Android, JetBrains IDEs, Xcode, and Eclipse, making it one of the more broadly distributed model launches GitHub Copilot has shipped to date.
Billing and Administrative Controls
Like other recent third-party model additions, GPT-6 Astra runs on provider list pricing under GitHub Copilot's usage-based billing model rather than a flat per-seat rate. Business and Enterprise administrators manage access through the model policy in Copilot settings; new models are enabled automatically for an organization unless an administrator has turned off the global default or specifically restricted this model. Developers can review the full list of supported models in GitHub's documentation and share feedback through the GitHub Community forums.