GitHub Copilot Adds Local Sandboxing, Claude Haiku 5.5, and New Management Features

What changed?

GitHub Copilot released several quality-of-life improvements. Local sandboxing is now generally available for Copilot CLI, the Copilot app, and VS Code sessions using Agent Host, letting users limit agent access to files, networks, and credentials. The Copilot app now enables separate GitHub accounts for your license and for repository access. Copilot CLI supports local model selection, including models from a running Ollama instance and Copilot’s cloud options via the /model command. Claude Haiku 5.5 is available to Copilot Pro, Pro+, Max, Business, and Enterprise users. In VS Code (release 1.141), the Agents window supports arranging agent sessions side by side in a grid and offers worktree cleanup features to free disk space from inactive sessions.

Why does it matter to an everyday developer?

These updates give developers increased control and flexibility. Local sandboxing enhances security when running AI agents by restricting their access to sensitive resources. Being able to use separate accounts supports better management in enterprise or multi-role scenarios. The enhanced CLI model selection allows working with locally hosted language models, which can improve speed, privacy, or compliance depending on workflow needs. In VS Code, managing agent outputs in parallel and cleaning up unused resources helps streamline multi-tasking and workspace management.

What can the developer do now?

• Enable local sandboxing in Copilot CLI, the Copilot app, or VS Code to limit agent resource access.
• Use different GitHub accounts in the Copilot app for licensing and obtaining repository permissions.
• Select local or cloud models in Copilot CLI, including models from a running Ollama instance, using the /model command.