Manage Copilot Agent Sessions Locally or in Cloud
Use VS Code's session view to track, organize, and run multiple GitHub Copilot agent sessions locally, via CLI, or asynchronously in GitHub cloud for parallel workflows.
Organize Sessions for Efficient Tracking
Switch between sessions by clicking names in VS Code's session view; right-click to archive (hides completed work), rename (for organization), or delete (removes all history permanently). Create new sessions via the + icon or New Session button, supporting both chat-based and GitHub Copilot CLI sessions for terminal users. Hover over sessions to check status—spinning icons show active local or cloud runs—enabling quick oversight without disrupting workflow.
Choose Execution Environments for Flexibility
Run sessions locally (default) for immediate execution on your machine, using file changes as context (e.g., "Create a .gitignore for test files excluding them from commits"). Opt for Copilot CLI to delegate to a background local agent via terminal. Select cloud (GitHub platform) to offload compute, generating a labeled pull request (e.g., "WIP: Add README") visible in VS Code's GitHub extension and github.com/agents tab, tracking model usage, premium requests, and tool costs.
Leverage Modes and Async for Parallel Work
Start in plan mode for back-and-forth outlining before implementation; use ask mode like a traditional chatbot for queries; switch to agent mode for actual execution. Run multiple sessions concurrently—local for quick tasks (e.g., "Create simple HTML frontend with input field"), cloud for async heavy lifts (e.g., README generation)—monitoring progress across environments. Cloud frees your machine: view sessions in GitHub for status, PR links, and costs while focusing on new local work, scaling productivity without blocking.