GitHub Copilot Cloud Agent: Research, Plan, and Code on Branches Without Pull Requests
GitHub Changelog·medium signal
On April 1, 2026, Copilot cloud agent (formerly coding agent) expanded beyond PR-only workflows. Developers can now have Copilot work on a branch without creating a PR, review full diffs before deciding on a PR, request implementation plans before any code is written, and kick off deep research sessions from Copilot Chat. This makes Copilot a general-purpose development assistant rather than just a PR automation tool — significant workflow expansion.