GitHub Copilot JetBrains: Inline Agent Mode Preview
GitHub CopilotGitHub Copilot for JetBrains IDEs received a significant update introducing Inline Agent Mode in public preview, which brings full agent capabilities directly into the inline chat experience — no panel-switching required. The update also ships enhancements to Next Edit Suggestions (NES), including inline edit previews and navigation indicators for far-away edits, plus a new global auto-approve setting for automating tool call approvals across all workspaces. Several UX and performance improvements round out the release.
Sources & Mentions
3 external resources covering this update
Inline Agent Mode Arrives in JetBrains IDEs
GitHub Copilot for JetBrains IDEs has shipped a notable April 2026 update, with Inline Agent Mode as the headline feature. Previously, JetBrains users who wanted to leverage Copilot's full agent capabilities — autonomous task execution, multi-file edits, terminal command running — had to work through the dedicated chat panel. With this update, that power is now accessible directly from the inline chat interface, right where developers are already working in the editor.
How to Access Inline Agent Mode
Inline Agent Mode is available via:
- Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Ctrl+I (Windows) or Shift+Cmd+I (Mac)
- Right-click context menu: select Open Inline Chat, then switch to agent mode in the inline panel
The feature is currently in public preview and requires downloading the latest version of the GitHub Copilot plugin for JetBrains.
Next Edit Suggestions: Smarter and More Navigable
Next Edit Suggestions (NES) received two meaningful improvements in this update:
Inline edit previews — NES suggestions now appear as inlay previews directly in the editor buffer, allowing developers to review proposed code changes in context before accepting them. This eliminates the need to mentally map a suggestion onto the current code.
Far-away edit navigation — When the next suggested edit is located several screens away from the current cursor position, a directional indicator now appears in the gutter, making it easy to jump directly to the relevant location without scrolling.
Global Auto-Approve and Granular Tool Controls
This release adds a global auto-approve setting that, when enabled, automatically approves all tool calls across all workspaces — overriding per-category auto-approve settings, including for potentially destructive actions such as file edits and terminal commands. This is aimed at developers who want a fully hands-off agent experience and prefer to review outcomes rather than individual steps.
For users who want more control rather than less, two new granular controls allow setting default approval behavior specifically for unmatched terminal commands and file edits, without having to create manual approval rules for every scenario.
Additional UX and Quality Improvements
The update also delivers a range of polish items: chat context now resets automatically after each message, chat history performance is improved, the inline code review panel resizes automatically, the login flow is more streamlined, and tooltips and focus behavior have been refined throughout the interface.