GitHub Copilot Desktop Goes Free for All and Lands in JetBrains With Codex Agent

TL;DR: GitHub's Copilot desktop app — which runs agentic coding tasks in isolated git worktrees — is now free for all plan tiers, and JetBrains users get Codex as an agent provider.

On July 7, GitHub opened the Copilot desktop app (macOS, Windows, Linux) to every plan tier, including Copilot Free and GitHub Education accounts. The app runs each agentic session in a clean, isolated git worktree — tasks work in parallel without touching your active branch. Free users can also connect their own model credentials (BYOK), including OpenRouter, to use any model behind the same interface.

In the same release, GitHub shipped Codex as an agent provider inside JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm), closing the agent-mode gap with VS Code. Codex in JetBrains runs background tasks, writes and tests code, and opens pull requests — the same loop VS Code users have had since earlier this year.

Why it matters: Free-tier agentic coding with worktree isolation removes two barriers at once — cost and branch safety. Developers who've been waiting to try agent-mode without risking main-branch state can now do it without a paid plan.

Sources: GitHub Changelog: Copilot app available to all · GitHub Copilot Breaks Agent Barrier: Free Desktop App, JetBrains, Cost Controls — TechTimes