GitHub Copilot in VS Code Now Gives Each Agent Session Its Own Git Worktree

The July VS Code update gives every Copilot agent session an isolated git worktree so parallel sessions can't step on each other — and a /side command lets you open a second chat without disrupting your main task.

The July 2026 Copilot in VS Code release ships four additions worth knowing:

• Git worktrees per session: start a Copilot, Claude, or Codex session in its own worktree — each agent works on an isolated copy of the repo, preventing conflicts when two agents run in parallel
• Side chats (/side): open a parallel exploration thread that shares the session context but keeps its own history and title, so you can ask a tangential question without losing your main thread
• Subagent visibility: each subagent shows its model name, elapsed time, and active tool call inline in the session panel
• Credit usage: Copilot Business and Enterprise users can see their billing-cycle credit consumption in the VS Code status menu

Why it matters: Git worktree isolation for agents solves the same race condition that isolation: worktree in Claude Code's SDK addresses — two agents editing the same files simultaneously is a data-loss scenario. Copilot's built-in worktree support makes parallel coding agents production-safe without extra configuration.

Sources: GitHub Copilot in VS Code, July 2026 releases — GitHub Changelog