Following its initial public preview rollout, GitHub Copilot CLI has received continuous enhancements. The team has prioritized developer input collected through its public repository while simultaneously developing more substantial capabilities designed to increase extensibility and integration with the wider GitHub Copilot platform.

Custom agents are available in GitHub Copilot CLI

Developers can now create personalized agents within GitHub Copilot that embody specific team workflows, standards, and requirements. These agents can be refined through custom prompts, tool configurations, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers tailored to particular scenarios.

Agent definitions can be stored in .github/agents within a repository or in the {org}/.github repository structure. Additionally, GitHub Copilot CLI will detect custom agent setups located in ~/.copilot/agents.

Agents can be triggered directly through the /agent slash command during interactive sessions. Custom agents function as available tools for Copilot, and the system will automatically initiate a new agentic loop with an appropriate custom agent when the situation calls for it.

Delegate tasks to Copilot coding agent from GitHub Copilot CLI

The Copilot coding agent operates as an asynchronous, autonomous background service. Entering the /delegate TASK-DESCRIPTION slash command from GitHub Copilot CLI will stage any uncommitted modifications onto a fresh branch. Subsequently, the Copilot coding agent will generate a draft pull request, implement modifications asynchronously, and solicit your review. Copilot displays both the pull request URL and the coding agent's session link in the terminal as this workflow progresses.

Streaming, parallel tool calling, improved performance

  • Output from Copilot now flows to the terminal character-by-character, delivering faster responsiveness.
  • Multiple tool invocations can run concurrently, reducing the time needed to finish more demanding operations.
  • GitHub Copilot CLI has undergone additional optimization work, including reduced memory consumption and elimination of display refresh glitches.

To get the latest version, execute npm install -g @github/copilot@latest from your command line. The team acknowledges all contributors who have shared input via the /feedback command and by reporting issues in the public repository. Ongoing community feedback continues to drive the daily release cycle of new enhancements.

Source: GitHub Blog