How to Use Coding Agents and the Agents Window in VS Code

The VS Code Agents window gives coding agents a dedicated place to handle multi-step tasks across projects. Agents can read files, edit code, run approved tools or commands, and iterate on results, while you remain responsible for permissions, review, and validation.

Agents are available in the code-first Chat view and the agent-first Agents window. The Agents window is currently a Preview feature built into VS Code Insiders, not the Stable release, and its interface and supported agents can change.

Before starting, install VS Code Insiders, set up Copilot, and verify that the chat.agent.enabled setting is on. An organization administrator can disable agents. Follow the /vscode/how-to-set-up-github-copilot-free-in-vs-code guide if needed.

Open the Agents window

The Preview Agents window is a separate VS Code Insiders window dedicated to agent tasks. Your main editor window stays open alongside it.

Choose one of these methods:

• Select Open in Agents in the VS Code title bar.
• Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) and run Chat: Open Agents Window.
• From a terminal, run code --agents.
• Open the Agents window in a browser at insiders.vscode.dev/agents (requires a dev tunnel).

The Agents window opens with your existing sessions visible in the sidebar. If you were already signed into GitHub in the main VS Code window, you are signed in automatically here too.

Interface overview

The Agents window has four main areas:

Start an agent session

The agent starts working in the selected folder, repository, or worktree. Tool calls and approvals appear in chat, and changed files appear in the Changes panel.

You can send another message while a request runs and choose whether to queue it, steer the current request, or stop and send the new message.

Review agent changes

After the agent finishes a task, review its changes before accepting them.

File diffs

Open any changed file to see an inline diff. Each edit has Keep and Undo controls. Use the editor overlay arrows to navigate between edits. Review every change, not just the first one.

Changes panel

The Changes tab in the right panel lists files changed by the agent's file-edit tools. Select a file to open its diff view. Tool-edited files outside your workspace folders appear in a separate Other Files section, but changes made only through terminal commands might not appear there.

Leave feedback

Select a range of code in a changed file and choose Add Feedback. Write a comment describing what you want changed, then select Submit Feedback. The agent reads your comments and makes the requested adjustments. Use this to refine output without starting a new session.

Commit, merge, or discard

After review:

• Commit: commit changes from a folder-isolated session in its workspace.
• Merge: merge changes from a worktree-isolated session. You can optionally sync upstream or create a pull request.
• Checkout: for a Copilot Cloud session, check out the pull request branch locally for further review.
• Discard: remove unwanted edits from individual files or all changes.

Discard permanently removes the selected uncommitted edits. Commit, stash, or copy anything you might need before using it.

Run multiple chats in one session

A single agent session can have multiple independent chats. Each chat has its own conversation, status, and model selection, but all chats share the same workspace.

Press Cmd+T (macOS) or Ctrl+T (Windows/Linux) to create a new chat tab. Type a prompt and the new chat starts from scratch with no memory of the other chats.

This is useful when you want to work on two independent tasks in the same project without losing context from either conversation. The session header shows a combined Changes pill that aggregates edits from all chats.

Plan before coding

Type /plan in a Copilot CLI or Claude agent session when you want the agent to plan before implementation. The Agents window currently does not show a separate plan agent in its agent dropdown.

Copilot CLI can also invoke planning when your prompt explicitly asks for a plan. Review the plan and clarify risky or unclear steps before allowing implementation.

Use side chats

Type /btw followed by your question in the chat input to open a side chat. A side chat asks the agent a question about the current conversation without adding the question or response to the main chat history.

Side chats are useful for checking your understanding mid-task. For example, typing "/btw why did you choose a Map over an object here?" asks the agent to explain a decision without steering the main task.

Side chats are available for Copilot CLI and Claude sessions in the Agents window.

Validate agent changes locally

Before committing agent changes, run your project's tests and build to verify nothing broke.

Select the Tasks dropdown in the Agents window title bar, then Add Task. Enter a name (like "Run tests") and the command (such as npm test or pytest). You can set the task to run automatically when the session worktree is created.

If your project serves a web app, select a localhost link in chat to open it in the integrated browser. The browser tab is scoped to the session and persists across session switches.

To run terminal commands yourself in the session context, select the Open Terminal icon in the title bar. The terminal opens with its working directory set to the session folder or worktree.

Customize agent behavior

The Customizations panel (bottom of the left sidebar) lets you tailor how agents work:

• Agents: define custom agent personas with specific tools and instructions.
• Skills: add portable instruction folders that agents load when relevant.
• Instructions: set coding standards and conventions.
• Hooks: run shell commands at lifecycle points during sessions.
• MCP Servers: connect agents to external tools, databases, and APIs.
• Plugins: install prepackaged bundles of customizations from the Marketplace.

Use the dropdown at the top left of the Customizations panel to choose which agent the customization applies to. MCP servers, hooks, skills, and plugins can execute tools or commands, so verify their source and configuration before enabling them.

Agent types compared

Copilot CLI and Claude sessions support multiple chats and side chats. Copilot Cloud sessions require a GitHub-backed repository. A Copilot CLI folder session can use Continue In to hand work to a Copilot Cloud agent when the account and repository support it.

Limitations

The Agents window is in preview and has some current limitations:

• Multi-root workspace sessions are not yet supported. You can still ask the agent to work across projects in a single session.
• The agents dropdown does not include the Plan persona. Use /plan or mention planning in your prompt instead.
• The agent cannot directly open the integrated browser. Open it from the Command Palette or by selecting a localhost link.
• Local and third-party CLI agents are managed from the main VS Code window, not the Agents window.

The Agents window and its documented behavior are still changing during Preview. Verify the current official Agents window documentation before publishing screenshots or relying on a specific control location. For creating your own specialized agent personas, see /vscode/how-to-create-custom-agents-in-vs-code-with-agent-md-files.