Research, plan, and iterate on code changes with Copilot cloud agent

Introduction

You can use Copilot cloud agent (formerly Copilot coding agent) to:

• Perform deep research on a repository by asking Copilot questions.
• Plan and refine an approach before Copilot makes changes.
• Iterate on code changes on a branch, review a diff, and get Copilot to only create a pull request when you're ready.

Copilotコーディングエージェント won't automatically open a pull request as part of the session. If you do want Copilot to open a pull request for your task right away, you can explicitly ask for one in your prompt. For example, by stating "Create a pull request to ...".

Performing deep research

You can ask Copilotコーディングエージェント questions about a repository to understand how it works, identify where to make a change, or confirm assumptions before planning and implementation. Copilot starts a deep research session to examine the repository and return a grounded answer.

1. [エージェント] パネルまたはタブを開きます。

   • リポジトリの Agents タブを開きます。

   •      **エージェント ページに移動する**: [github.com/copilot/agents](https://github.com/copilot/agents?ref_product=copilot&ref_type=engagement&ref_style=text) に移動します。 エージェント パネルを開いてから **[View all]** をクリックして、ここに移動することもできます。
     

   •      **エージェント パネルを開く**: GitHub の右上にあるナビゲーション バーで <svg version="1.1" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 16 16" class="octicon octicon-agent" aria-label="The Agents icon" role="img"><path d="M14.5 8.9v-.052A2.956 2.956 0 0 0 11.542 5.9a.815.815 0 0 1-.751-.501l-.145-.348A3.496 3.496 0 0 0 7.421 2.9h-.206a3.754 3.754 0 0 0-3.736 4.118l.011.121a.822.822 0 0 1-.619.879A1.81 1.81 0 0 0 1.5 9.773v.14c0 1.097.89 1.987 1.987 1.987H4.5a.75.75 0 0 1 0 1.5H3.487A3.487 3.487 0 0 1 0 9.913v-.14C0 8.449.785 7.274 1.963 6.75A5.253 5.253 0 0 1 7.215 1.4h.206a4.992 4.992 0 0 1 4.586 3.024A4.455 4.455 0 0 1 16 8.848V8.9a.75.75 0 0 1-1.5 0Z"></path><path d="m8.38 7.67 2.25 2.25a.749.749 0 0 1 0 1.061L8.38 13.23a.749.749 0 1 1-1.06-1.06l1.719-1.72L7.32 8.731A.75.75 0 0 1 8.38 7.67ZM15 13.45h-3a.75.75 0 0 1 0-1.5h3a.75.75 0 0 1 0 1.5Z"></path></svg> をクリックします。
     

2. Ask a question about the repository.

   For example: Investigate performance issues in this app and suggest improvements.

   ヒント

   Alternatively, open Copilot チャット and attach the relevant repository as context, then ask Copilot チャット to do research. You will be prompted to approve a deep research session.

3. Optionally, send additional prompts while Copilot is working to steer the session.

4. Review the response and ask follow-up questions.

Creating a plan

You can ask Copilotコーディングエージェント to propose a plan before making changes, simply by prompting the agent.

1. Ask the agent to create a plan.

   For example: Create a plan to implement the most impactful performance improvements for this app.

2. Review the plan and iterate with Copilot until it matches what you want.

Iterating on code changes

After research and planning, you can make changes on a branch, review the diff, and then decide whether to iterate more or create a pull request.

1. Ask the agent to implement changes by describing what you want Copilot to do in your prompt.

   For example, you might reference the plan you designed earlier: Implement the plan we agreed upon.

2. Copilot starts a session to make the required changes.

3. Once the session completes, click Diff to review the changes.

4. Optionally, open the branch (copilot/BRANCH-NAME) that Copilot created to inspect the changes in context.

5. If you want refinements, you can continue the conversation and ask the agent to adjust the work. For example: Rename this to match our existing conventions.

6. Continue iterating until you’re satisfied with the branch.

7. Once you're happy with the results, and when the session is complete, click Create pull request.

Further reading

• Copilot コーディング エージェントGitHubについて
• GitHub Copilotにプルリクエストの作成を依頼する
• Copilotコーディングエージェント 用のカスタム エージェントの作成