\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/iframe>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-turn-agent-mode-on\">How to turn agent mode on<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open <strong>Copilot Chat<\/strong> in VS Code.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select <strong>Agent<\/strong> from the mode dropdown.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>(Optional but smart) Click <strong>Tools → Manage<\/strong> to enable or disable capabilities and add MCP extensions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-pro-tips-for-using-agent-mode-to-the-fullest-extent\">Pro tips for using agent mode to the fullest extent<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Scope the outcome<\/strong>: “Generate a REST endpoint” beats “help?” Vagueness breeds <em>hallucination<\/em>, so be as clear as possible about what you want.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Seed with context<\/strong>: Point it at the spec file or paste the schema so it doesn’t reinvent shapes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Iterate interactively<\/strong>: Let it run, but nudge when it veers—like pair programming with a skilled teammate who’s fast but needs occasional direction.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Extend with MCP servers<\/strong>: If you need custom tools (database migrations, cloud deploys, etc.).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Choose your model<\/strong>: OpenAI GPT‑4o for raw power, Anthropic Claude for longer context—swap via the model picker.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>TLDR:<\/strong> Agent mode is like pair programming with a pro who writes code, runs tests, and fixes errors instantly, all within your editor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-meet-your-coding-agent-your-asynchronous-teammate\">Meet your coding agent: Your asynchronous teammate <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Where agent mode lives in the IDE, <em>coding agent<\/em> lives in your repos. Assign an issue to <strong>Copilot<\/strong>, and it spins up a secure cloud workspace (via GitHub Actions), figures out a plan, edits code on its own branch, runs your tests\/linters, and opens a pull request tagging you for review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n\t\t<div class=\"mod-vh position-relative\" style=\"height: 0; padding-bottom: calc((9 \/ 16)*100%);\">\n\t\t\t<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"position-absolute top-0 left-0 width-full height-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6xHZJVnKkSs?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent\" title=\"YouTube video player\" allow=\"accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-enable-it\">How to enable it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Plan eligibility<\/strong>: Requires <strong>Copilot Pro+<\/strong> or <strong>Copilot  Enterprise<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Flip the switch<\/strong>: Enterprise admins must enable <em>“Copilot coding agent”<\/em> in organization policies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Assign issues<\/strong>: Prompt coding agent with natural language by pointing it at an issue to get started. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-code-wrapper\">\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>### Feature: add dark‑mode toggle\nassignees: Copilot<\/code><\/pre>\n<clipboard-copy aria-label=\"Copy\" class=\"code-copy-btn\" data-copy-feedback=\"Copied!\" value=\"### Feature: add dark‑mode toggle\nassignees: Copilot\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" height=\"16\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" version=\"1.1\" width=\"16\" class=\"octicon octicon-copy js-clipboard-copy-icon\"><path d=\"M0 6.75C0 5.784.784 5 1.75 5h1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 0 1.5h-1.5a.25.25 0 0 0-.25.25v7.5c0 .138.112.25.25.25h7.5a.25.25 0 0 0 .25-.25v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 1.5 0v1.5A1.75 1.75 0 0 1 9.25 16h-7.5A1.75 1.75 0 0 1 0 14.25Z\"><\/path><path d=\"M5 1.75C5 .784 5.784 0 6.75 0h7.5C15.216 0 16 .784 16 1.75v7.5A1.75 1.75 0 0 1 14.25 11h-7.5A1.75 1.75 0 0 1 5 9.25Zm1.75-.25a.25.25 0 0 0-.25.25v7.5c0 .138.112.25.25.25h7.5a.25.25 0 0 0 .25-.25v-7.5a.25.25 0 0 0-.25-.25Z\"><\/path><\/svg><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" height=\"16\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" version=\"1.1\" width=\"16\" class=\"octicon octicon-check js-clipboard-check-icon\"><path d=\"M13.78 4.22a.75.75 0 0 1 0 1.06l-7.25 7.25a.75.75 0 0 1-1.06 0L2.22 9.28a.751.751 0 0 1 .018-1.042.751.751 0 0 1 1.042-.018L6 10.94l6.72-6.72a.75.75 0 0 1 1.06 0Z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/clipboard-copy><\/div>\n\n\n<ol start=\"4\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Watch the pull requests roll in—quick turnarounds for small tasks, thorough work on the complex ones.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-sweet-spot-tasks\">Sweet‑spot tasks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Low‑to‑medium complexity changes in <strong>well‑tested<\/strong> repositories.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adding or extending unit tests.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Small refactors (rename a service, extract helpers).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Documentation or typo fixes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Not yet ideal for<\/strong>: massive rewrites, cross‑repo changes, codebases with 0% test coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-pro-tips-for-using-coding-agent-in-github-copilot\">Pro tips for using coding agent in GitHub Copilot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Write crisp acceptance criteria<\/strong> in the issue. The agent reads them like a spec.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Link to files<\/strong> or functions the change touches; saves exploration time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Keep it atomic<\/strong>: one logical task per issue. Multiple smaller issues scale better than one behemoth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Leverage PR comments<\/strong>: Ask the agent for tweaks, then you can extract the logic into a separate function and add error handling.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mind your minutes<\/strong>: Heavy tasks consume Actions minutes and premium requests, so queue strategically.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>And remember:<\/strong> GitHub Copilot coding agent follows your existing code style without complaints… yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-side-by-side-picking-the-right-tool\">Side by side: Picking the right tool<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Decision lens<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Agent mode<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Coding agent<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Workflow pacing<\/strong><\/td><td>Real‑time collaboration, conversational, and iterative<\/td><td>Fire and forget, background tasks<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Interface<\/strong><\/td><td>VS Code \/ JetBrains \/ Eclipse \/ Xcode chat<\/td><td>GitHub Issues or Copilot Chat → Monitored via pull requests<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Typical tasks<\/strong><\/td><td>Refactor, prototype, debug, migrate<\/td><td>Feature add, bug fix, extending tests, boring tasks and repetitive engineering chores<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Human oversight<\/strong><\/td><td>Continuous (you watch edits)<\/td><td>At pull request review checkpoint<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Resource cost<\/strong><\/td><td>Premium requests<\/td><td>Premium requests <strong>+<\/strong> Actions minutes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Best for<\/strong><\/td><td>Exploring unknown code, tight feedback loops<\/td><td>Clearing backlog, parallelizing chores<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-get-more-done-by-using-both\">Get more done by using both<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before we dive into the tactical playbook, remember that Copilot’s superpowers aren’t either\/or—they’re peanut butter and jelly. The magic really shows up when the real‑time, in‑editor agent mode meets the steady, background hustle of the coding agent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With that, here are three proven pairings that let you wring every drop of productivity (and fun) out of both:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Prototype in agent mode. Ship with coding agent.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use agent mode to spike a working feature branch.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open an issue describing polish tasks; assign to Copilot.<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Agent mode for spec generation. Coding agent for implementation.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ask agent mode to draft a design doc from code context.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fine‑tune it, then hand the ticket to coding agent to execute.<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Coding agent regression fix. Agent mode hot patch. <\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If coding agent’s pull request introduces a build failure, open the branch locally and summon agent mode to diagnose and patch instantly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>These aren’t the only areas where you can use agent mode and coding agent to greater effect. But they do offer some examples to help you get started. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-safety-and-quality-checklist\">Safety and quality checklist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Excited to watch Copilot code circles around your backlog? Same—but let’s make sure the wheels don’t fall off at 120 mph. Before you hit merge, run through this quick pre‑flight to keep quality, security, and version‑control hygiene firmly on‑track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Tests green?<\/strong> Both agents rely on tests—invest in coverage or they’ll fly blind.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Secrets safe?<\/strong> Coding agent runs in a secure ephemeral env; still, guard <code>.env<\/code> files.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Review everything<\/strong>: Agents accelerate work; they don’t eliminate your responsibility as reviewer-of-record.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Version control FTW<\/strong>: Agent mode edits locally in a branch, so commit early and often.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-common-questions-quick-answers\">Common questions, quick answers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Still scratching your head about edge cases, quirky workflows, or editor allegiance? Below are the questions we hear most often when we demo these agents—served up in a lightning round so you can get back to shipping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Q: Can coding agent fix that legacy Perl CGI script from 2002?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>A: It <em>can try<\/em>—but without tests it’s like teaching a golden retriever calculus. Use agent mode to refactor first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Q: Does agent mode support vim?<br><\/strong>A: Not yet. But you can always <code>:wq<\/code> VS Code if you miss modal editing (ducks).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Q: How many issues can I throw at coding agent at once?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>A: Multiple, but remember each consumes compute and your pull request queue tolerance. Treat it like coffee—great in moderation, disaster when the pot overflows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Q: Can GitHub Copilot coding agent work with images?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>A: Yes! Thanks to vision models, it can see screenshots of bugs or mockups included in GitHub issues, making visual bug reports much more effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Q: What about accessing external data sources? <\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>A: With Model Context Protocol (MCP) support, GitHub Copilot coding agent can connect to external data and capabilities beyond GitHub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-take-this-with-you\">Take this with you<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Agent mode = synchronous mastery<\/strong> inside your editor; <strong>coding agent = asynchronous work<\/strong> in issues and PRs on GitHub.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Clear prompts, good tests, and small scopes remain the secret sauce.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use both agents in tandem to cover the full dev‑cycle—from “Hmm, what if…?” to “LGTM, ship it.”<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep humans in the loop for architecture choices, security reviews, and celebratory high‑fives.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>AI agents won’t replace engineers; they’ll replace the <em>boring parts<\/em> of engineering. That means more time for inventive features, better code quality, and building what’s next. And isn’t that why we all love being developers? (Ok, maybe that’s just me.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Happy building, and may your Actions minutes be plentiful and your pull request diff stats impressively tiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-content-cta has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>Want to learn more? <br><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.github.com\/copilot\/using-github-copilot\/coding-agent\/about-assigning-tasks-to-copilot\">Try exploring our Docs on everything Copilot ><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019ll decode these two tools\u2014and show you how to use them both to work more efficiently. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1825,"featured_media":88335,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gh_post_show_toc":"yes","_gh_post_is_no_robots":"","_gh_post_is_featured":"yes","_gh_post_is_excluded":"","_gh_post_is_unlisted":"","_gh_post_related_link_1":"","_gh_post_related_link_2":"","_gh_post_related_link_3":"","_gh_post_sq_img":"","_gh_post_sq_img_id":"","_gh_post_cta_title":"","_gh_post_cta_text":"","_gh_post_cta_link":"","_gh_post_cta_button":"","_gh_post_recirc_hide":"","_gh_post_recirc_col_1":"","_gh_post_recirc_col_2":"","_gh_post_recirc_col_3":"","_gh_post_recirc_col_4":"","_featured_video":"","_gh_post_additional_query_params":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3298,3302],"tags":[3514,2535],"coauthors":[2539],"class_list":["post-88333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-developer-skills","category-github","tag-agent-mode","tag-github-copilot"],"yoast_head":"\n<title>The difference between coding agent and agent mode in GitHub Copilot - The GitHub Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We\u2019ll decode these two tools\u2014and show you how to use them both to work more efficiently.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/github.blog\/developer-skills\/github\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The difference between coding agent and agent mode in GitHub Copilot\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We\u2019ll decode these two tools\u2014and show you how to use them both to work more efficiently.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/github.blog\/developer-skills\/github\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The GitHub Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-02T16:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-13T15:51:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Github-DarkMode-Blog-Logo-16x9-07.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andrea Griffiths\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Github-DarkMode-Blog-Logo-16x9-07.png?fit=1200%2C630\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@acolombiadev\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andrea Griffiths\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/developer-skills\\\/github\\\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/developer-skills\\\/github\\\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Andrea Griffiths\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a1a244472a4104a81587cbe29e5a1ac1\"},\"headline\":\"The difference between coding agent and agent mode in GitHub Copilot\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-02T16:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-13T15:51:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/developer-skills\\\/github\\\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1510,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/developer-skills\\\/github\\\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/Github-DarkMode-Blog-Logo-16x9-07.png?fit=1200%2C630\",\"keywords\":[\"agent mode\",\"GitHub Copilot\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Developer skills\",\"GitHub\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/developer-skills\\\/github\\\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/developer-skills\\\/github\\\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\\\/\",\"name\":\"The difference between coding agent and agent mode in GitHub Copilot - The GitHub Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/developer-skills\\\/github\\\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/developer-skills\\\/github\\\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/Github-DarkMode-Blog-Logo-16x9-07.png?fit=1200%2C630\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-02T16:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-13T15:51:34+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a1a244472a4104a81587cbe29e5a1ac1\"},\"description\":\"We\u2019ll decode these two tools\u2014and show you how to use them both to work more efficiently.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/developer-skills\\\/github\\\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/developer-skills\\\/github\\\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/developer-skills\\\/github\\\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/Github-DarkMode-Blog-Logo-16x9-07.png?fit=1200%2C630\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/Github-DarkMode-Blog-Logo-16x9-07.png?fit=1200%2C630\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/developer-skills\\\/github\\\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Developer skills\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/developer-skills\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"GitHub\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/developer-skills\\\/github\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"The difference between coding agent and agent mode in GitHub Copilot\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"The GitHub Blog\",\"description\":\"Updates, ideas, and inspiration from GitHub to help developers build and design software.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a1a244472a4104a81587cbe29e5a1ac1\",\"name\":\"Andrea Griffiths\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/Andrea-Griffiths_avatar_1755783168-96x96.jpeg9bbe944fe21f5e84b359f268822378d2\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/Andrea-Griffiths_avatar_1755783168-96x96.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/Andrea-Griffiths_avatar_1755783168-96x96.jpeg\",\"caption\":\"Andrea Griffiths\"},\"description\":\"Andrea is a Senior Developer Advocate at GitHub with over a decade of experience in developer tools. She combines technical depth with a mission to make advanced technologies more accessible. After transitioning from Army service and construction management to software development, she brings a unique perspective to bridging complex engineering concepts with practical implementation. She lives in Florida with her Welsh partner, two sons, and two dogs, where she continues to drive innovation and support open source through GitHub's global initiatives. Find her online @acolombiadev.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/andreagriffiths.dev\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/acolombiadev\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/acolombiadev\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@acolombiadev\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Senior Developer Advocate\",\"worksFor\":\"GitHub\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/github.blog\\\/author\\\/andreagriffiths11\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The difference between coding agent and agent mode in GitHub Copilot - The GitHub Blog","description":"We\u2019ll decode these two tools\u2014and show you how to use them both to work more efficiently.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/github.blog\/developer-skills\/github\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The difference between coding agent and agent mode in GitHub Copilot","og_description":"We\u2019ll decode these two tools\u2014and show you how to use them both to work more efficiently.","og_url":"https:\/\/github.blog\/developer-skills\/github\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\/","og_site_name":"The GitHub Blog","article_published_time":"2025-06-02T16:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-06-13T15:51:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Github-DarkMode-Blog-Logo-16x9-07.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Andrea Griffiths","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Github-DarkMode-Blog-Logo-16x9-07.png?fit=1200%2C630","twitter_creator":"@acolombiadev","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Andrea Griffiths","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/github.blog\/developer-skills\/github\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/github.blog\/developer-skills\/github\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\/"},"author":{"name":"Andrea Griffiths","@id":"https:\/\/github.blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a1a244472a4104a81587cbe29e5a1ac1"},"headline":"The difference between coding agent and agent mode in GitHub Copilot","datePublished":"2025-06-02T16:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-13T15:51:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/github.blog\/developer-skills\/github\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\/"},"wordCount":1510,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/github.blog\/developer-skills\/github\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Github-DarkMode-Blog-Logo-16x9-07.png?fit=1200%2C630","keywords":["agent mode","GitHub Copilot"],"articleSection":["Developer skills","GitHub"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/github.blog\/developer-skills\/github\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\/","url":"https:\/\/github.blog\/developer-skills\/github\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\/","name":"The difference between coding agent and agent mode in GitHub Copilot - The GitHub Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/github.blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/github.blog\/developer-skills\/github\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/github.blog\/developer-skills\/github\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Github-DarkMode-Blog-Logo-16x9-07.png?fit=1200%2C630","datePublished":"2025-06-02T16:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-13T15:51:34+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/github.blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a1a244472a4104a81587cbe29e5a1ac1"},"description":"We\u2019ll decode these two tools\u2014and show you how to use them both to work more efficiently.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/github.blog\/developer-skills\/github\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/github.blog\/developer-skills\/github\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/github.blog\/developer-skills\/github\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Github-DarkMode-Blog-Logo-16x9-07.png?fit=1200%2C630","contentUrl":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Github-DarkMode-Blog-Logo-16x9-07.png?fit=1200%2C630","width":1200,"height":630},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/github.blog\/developer-skills\/github\/less-todo-more-done-the-difference-between-coding-agent-and-agent-mode-in-github-copilot\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/github.blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Developer skills","item":"https:\/\/github.blog\/developer-skills\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"GitHub","item":"https:\/\/github.blog\/developer-skills\/github\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"The difference between coding agent and agent mode in GitHub Copilot"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/github.blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/github.blog\/","name":"The GitHub Blog","description":"Updates, ideas, and inspiration from GitHub to help developers build and design software.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/github.blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/github.blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a1a244472a4104a81587cbe29e5a1ac1","name":"Andrea Griffiths","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Andrea-Griffiths_avatar_1755783168-96x96.jpeg9bbe944fe21f5e84b359f268822378d2","url":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Andrea-Griffiths_avatar_1755783168-96x96.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Andrea-Griffiths_avatar_1755783168-96x96.jpeg","caption":"Andrea Griffiths"},"description":"Andrea is a Senior Developer Advocate at GitHub with over a decade of experience in developer tools. She combines technical depth with a mission to make advanced technologies more accessible. After transitioning from Army service and construction management to software development, she brings a unique perspective to bridging complex engineering concepts with practical implementation. She lives in Florida with her Welsh partner, two sons, and two dogs, where she continues to drive innovation and support open source through GitHub's global initiatives. Find her online @acolombiadev.","sameAs":["https:\/\/andreagriffiths.dev\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/acolombiadev\/","https:\/\/x.com\/acolombiadev","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@acolombiadev"],"jobTitle":"Senior Developer Advocate","worksFor":"GitHub","url":"https:\/\/github.blog\/author\/andreagriffiths11\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Github-DarkMode-Blog-Logo-16x9-07.png?fit=1200%2C630","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pamS32-mYJ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1825"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88333"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88333\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88771,"href":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88333\/revisions\/88771"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88333"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/github.blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=88333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}