GitHub Copilot: View GitHub Issues and PRs in the Agents Window
GitHub CopilotGitHub Copilot's Agents window in VS Code 1.137 gained an experimental capability that opens a github.com issue or pull request's full details inline, without switching to a browser, even when no workspace for that repository is open. It builds on the existing GitHub Pull Requests extension rather than a new integration, and is enabled through the experimental extensions.experimental.enableAgentsWindowCapability setting. The change is aimed at cutting the number of context switches between VS Code and github.com while a developer works through review feedback or investigates a reported bug.
Key Takeaways
- GitHub Copilot's Agents window in VS Code can now open a
github.comissue or pull request's full details inline, without leaving the editor for a browser tab. - The capability works even when no workspace is open for the relevant repository, letting a developer preview an issue or PR before deciding to clone it.
- Enabling it requires the GitHub Pull Requests extension plus the experimental
extensions.experimental.enableAgentsWindowCapabilitysetting. - The feature builds on VS Code's existing GitHub integration rather than a separate connector, keeping issue and PR data inside the same agent session.
- It shipped alongside Automations and Voice Mode in VS Code 1.137, part of a broader push to centralize GitHub workflows inside the Agents window.
- As an experimental feature, its behavior and settings may still change before GitHub moves it toward general availability.
Sources & Mentions
1 external resource covering this update
Bringing GitHub Context Directly Into the Agents Window
VS Code 1.137 introduced an experimental capability that lets developers select a github.com issue or pull request link and have its full details open directly inside the Agents window, instead of switching over to a browser tab. Because the feature does not require a workspace to already be open for the relevant repository, a developer can jump into an issue or PR's context from anywhere in the editor, even before deciding whether to clone the project locally.
How It Works
The capability builds on VS Code's existing GitHub Pull Requests extension rather than introducing an entirely new integration. To try it, a developer installs the GitHub Pull Requests extension in their default VS Code profile and turns on the experimental extensions.experimental.enableAgentsWindowCapability setting. Once enabled, clicking through to an issue or pull request link surfaces its details, comments, and changes right inside the Agents window, where an agent session can use that context directly.
Why It Matters
The change is a small piece of a larger pattern in recent VS Code releases: pulling more of a developer's GitHub workflow, issues, pull requests, and reviews, into the same window where agent sessions already live. Fewer context switches between the editor and github.com mean less friction when a developer wants an agent to act on a specific piece of reported feedback, whether that is investigating a bug from an issue or continuing work flagged in a pull request review.
Being experimental, the feature is still early: it depends on an extension most Copilot users already have installed, but the underlying setting is off by default and the behavior may change before GitHub moves it toward general availability.