In this session, Brian will demonstrate GitHub Copilot's revolutionary agent mode and Model Context Protocol (MCP) integration that transforms Copilot from a code completion tool into an autonomous programming teammate. If you haven't looked at GitHub Copilot in over a year, you'll be amazed at how dramatically it has evolved beyond simple autocomplete into a sophisticated development partner. You'll see how GitHub Copilot's new coding agent can be assigned GitHub issues just like team members, spinning up secure development environments powered by GitHub Actions and working asynchronously to resolve complex coding tasks.
Brian will explore how agent mode can take action to translate your ideas into code with prompts that complete all necessary subtasks across automatically identified or generated files. You'll discover the difference between agent mode's synchronous collaboration and the new asynchronous coding agent that works independently in the background. Brian will show how agent mode is powered by the latest foundation models from Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI via the new premium request system, with self-healing abilities to analyze run-time errors automatically.
Real-world scenarios will include assigning GitHub issues to Copilot, configuring MCP servers for external tool integration, setting up custom instructions, and leveraging visual inputs like screenshots and mockups. We'll also cover security considerations, showing how existing policies like branch protections apply and how the agent's pull requests require human approval before any CI/CD workflows are run.
Whether you're looking to accelerate development velocity, handle technical debt, or enable your team to focus on higher-level creative work while Copilot handles routine tasks, this session provides practical insights into the future of AI-assisted development.
You will learn:
- How GitHub Copilot's agent mode transforms autonomous coding workflows
- Practical implementation of Model Context Protocol (MCP) for tool integration
- When to use agent mode vs traditional Copilot features vs the new coding agent