Visual Studio 2026 gets cloud agent integration
Thanks to cloud agents, remote coding sessions can now be started from within the IDE, and the C++ code editing tools are generally available.
(Image: Wit Olszewski / Shutterstock.com)
Microsoft has released its Visual Studio 2026 development environment with the April update, which introduces cloud agent integration. Further updates concern C++ development, custom agents, and the use of IntelliSense.
Updates for GitHub Copilot
In the new release, Visual Studio users can start new remote coding sessions directly from the development environment. To achieve this, they select Cloud from the agent picker in the chat window and specify their requirements. The workflow then begins with a request for permission to create an issue in the repository, and the cloud agent prepares a corresponding pull request. Meanwhile, users can continue working in Visual Studio or close the IDE. They will receive a notification once the pull request is ready for review.
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Cloud agents run on remote infrastructure and are intended to enable scalable, isolated execution. GitHub Copilot is behind this, so users must be in a GitHub repository where Copilot has the authority to create issues.
Since the March update, Visual Studio users can also create custom agents with repository-based .agent.md files. This feature has now been extended to user-level agents, which can be used across different projects. They are stored by default in %USERPROFILE%/.github/agents/.
New features for C++ and IntelliSense
The C++ code editing tools for GitHub Copilot are now generally available. This allows Copilot to handle class inheritance hierarchies and follow function call chains when refactoring or modifying code. To achieve this, developers must open a C++ project with IntelliSense configured and activate the C++ tools in the Copilot chat:
(Image:Â Microsoft)
Another update concerns the general use of the IntelliSense code completion tool. Previously, users could see suggestions from both IntelliSense and Copilot simultaneously, which, according to feedback, could be distracting. Therefore, the editor now prioritizes the IntelliSense completion list and suppresses Copilot suggestions. After accepting or rejecting the IntelliSense selection, the Copilot suggestions appear automatically.
All further information about the new Visual Studio update is available on Microsoft's developer blog.
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