Microsoft has introduced a public preview for a brand new characteristic that goals to allow Copilot in Visible Studio to deal with extra advanced tasks.
With its new planning functionality in Agent Mode, Copilot will analysis the codebase to interrupt down large duties into smaller and extra manageable duties, whereas additionally iterating on its plan as it really works by means of the steps.
“Planning makes Copilot extra predictable and constant by giving it a structured approach to purpose about your venture. It builds on methods from hierarchical and closed-loop planning analysis – enabling Copilot to plan at a excessive stage, execute step-by-step, and modify dynamically because it learns extra about your codebase and points encountered throughout implementation,” Rhea Patel, product supervisor at Microsoft, wrote in a weblog submit.
In apply, when Copilot receives a immediate, it would resolve if it ought to reply instantly or swap into planning. Easy prompts will obtain a fast reply, whereas multi-step prompts will set off planning. Planning will then create a markdown file defining the duty, analysis steps, and progress updates because it executes every step.
In keeping with Microsoft’s preliminary testing, GPT-5 and Claude Sonnet 4 had 15% larger success and had been in a position to resolve 20% extra duties with planning enabled.
Patel additionally famous that this announcement “marks the inspiration of planning-driven growth in Visible Studio.” Because the workforce continues to enhance planning, a few of its focus areas embrace smarter caching, refined reasoning, and deeper venture context.
“It’s an early milestone – however one we consider will make Copilot a extra predictable and clear collaborator,” Patel wrote.
Planning is out there in Visible Studio 2022 17.14 and Visible Studio 2026 Insiders, and builders can discover the choice to allow it in Instruments > Choices > Copilot > Allow Planning.
