Release2026-09-04

GitHub added two more models to Copilot in its weekly release round-up. Claude Fable 5.1 is available on the Pro+, Max, Business and Enterprise plans. Gemini 3.8 Flash is rolling out to Pro as well as those tiers. The Copilot app and command-line tool now respect content exclusions. That keeps sensitive code out of context during agent workflows. The Copilot harness reached general availability in JetBrains editors. VS Code 1.136 added Agent Merge in public preview, which prepares a pull request for merging. It resolves review feedback, failed checks and merge conflicts. Multi-root workspaces are experimental and bring Copilot and Claude sessions to every folder. Chat backgrounds are also experimental.

What changed

Copilot app and CLI did not respect content exclusions, and JetBrains users lacked the new harness.

What it unlocks

Getting a pull request merge-ready automatically, including review feedback, failed checks and merge conflicts.

  • VS Code 1.136

What you need to act on it

  • Copilot Pro+, Max, Business or Enterprise for Claude Fable 5.1
  • VS Code 1.136 for the preview and experimental features

Sources

Send this to someone who needs it

Shares the story and its sources. Nothing about you.

What does this mean for your job?

This is the story as everyone gets it. Once a week we send you the version written for your role — what changed, why it matters for the work you actually do, and one thing to try. Free while we tune it.