Beyond creating fresh pull requests independently, GitHub's Copilot coding agent has expanded its capabilities to assist with modifications to existing pull requests authored by developers. Summoning the agent requires nothing more than an @copilot mention in a comment thread.
The Copilot coding agent operates as an asynchronous, autonomous background service. Users can assign work to it, and the agent executes tasks independently before surfacing results for human review.
When invoked via @copilot in a comment, the agent generates a new pull request layered on top of the existing one, using the current pull request's branch as the foundation. After completing the requested modifications, it prompts the developer to review the newly created pull request.
The original pull request remains under developer control throughout this process. Your existing pull request stays unchanged until you explicitly merge Copilot's proposed pull request into your branch, giving you full authority over acceptance or rejection.
Pull requests that target another pull request's branch now display clear indicators to help developers identify them quickly.
Access to the Copilot coding agent extends to subscribers of Copilot Pro, Copilot Pro+, Copilot Business, and Copilot Enterprise. For Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise users, organizational administrators must first activate the coding agent through the "Policies" page to enable usage.
Additional details about the Copilot coding agent are available in GitHub's documentation on coding agent.