GitHub Copilot in VS Code: Autopilot Mode for Fully Autonomous Agent Sessions
GitHub CopilotGitHub Copilot in Visual Studio Code has introduced Autopilot mode, a new agent permission level (currently in preview) that allows the agent to approve its own actions, automatically retry on errors, and work autonomously from start to finish — no manual approvals required. This complements two other configurable permission levels: Default Approvals (standard mode) and Bypass Approvals (skips confirmations but still pauses for questions). Together, the three modes give developers fine-grained control over agent autonomy per session, available starting in VS Code v1.111.
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Autopilot Mode: GitHub Copilot Agents Go Fully Autonomous in VS Code
The March 2026 releases of GitHub Copilot for Visual Studio Code (versions v1.111–v1.115) introduced Autopilot mode, a significant evolution in how developers can delegate work to Copilot agents. Rather than requiring approval at every tool call or decision point, Autopilot lets the agent run end-to-end without interruption.
Three Agent Permission Levels
VS Code's Copilot Chat now features a permissions picker that lets developers choose how much autonomy to grant the agent for any given session:
- Default Approvals — The traditional experience. The agent pauses for manual confirmation before taking actions, giving developers full visibility and control at each step.
- Bypass Approvals — The agent skips action confirmations but still pauses to ask clarifying questions when it needs guidance.
- Autopilot (Preview) — The agent approves all its own actions, auto-responds to blocking prompts, retries on errors, and keeps working until the task is complete.
What Autopilot Actually Does
In Autopilot mode, if the agent encounters an error — a failing test, a missing dependency, a build problem — it does not stop and wait for the developer to diagnose it. Instead, it attempts to troubleshoot autonomously: adding missing packages, iterating on broken code, and recovering from failures without human intervention. This makes Autopilot most useful for well-defined, self-contained tasks where the developer wants to hand off execution entirely.
Autopilot applies to both local agent sessions and Copilot CLI sessions, making it consistent across VS Code's agentic surfaces.
Considerations
The autonomous nature of Autopilot means the agent can make significant changes — including modifying or deleting files — without confirmation. GitHub recommends using it with clear, scoped prompts and reviewing the changes carefully after the session completes. The feature is currently available in public preview.