GitHub Copilot: Model-Native Web Search Now Available on github.com

Model-Native Web Search Replaces Bing Integration

GitHub has enabled model-native web search in select Copilot models on github.com, replacing the previous Bing-based web search integration for supported models. Model-native web search allows the AI model itself to decide when and how to search the web during a conversation, rather than relying on a separate search step that was orchestrated by the Copilot platform.

The shift to model-native search delivers faster and more accurate responses to questions about current events, recent releases, and time-sensitive technical topics. Because the model controls the search process directly, it can formulate more targeted queries, evaluate search results in context, and synthesize information more effectively than the previous approach where search results were injected into the model's context as a preprocessing step.

How It Works

When a supported model determines that a question requires up-to-date information that may not be in its training data, it automatically initiates a web search as part of its response generation. The search is transparent to the user — the Copilot interface shows when a web search is being performed and which sources are being consulted.

The model-native approach means that search queries are formulated by the model based on its understanding of the full conversation context, rather than being derived from simple keyword extraction. This results in more relevant search results, particularly for nuanced technical questions where the intent is not fully captured by surface-level keywords.

Supported Models and Scope

Model-native web search is available for select models on github.com only in this initial release. The feature is enabled by default for supported models and does not require any configuration changes. Models that do not support native web search continue to use the existing Bing integration as a fallback.

The github.com scope includes Copilot Chat in the web interface, pull request discussions, and issue conversations. VS Code, Visual Studio, and other IDE-based Copilot surfaces continue to use the existing search integration in this release.

Availability

Model-native web search is available immediately on github.com for all Copilot subscribers using supported models. No additional configuration or opt-in is required.