New features and improvements in Copilot for JetBrains

GitHub released Copilot for JetBrains 1.18.0, adding AI-assisted tool approvals in public preview that automatically approve low-risk tool calls while still prompting for higher-risk actions. The update also lets users re-edit earlier messages in Copilot agent sessions, supports organization and enterprise skills and custom instructions, adds plan mode to the Codex agent, and introduces persistent per-tool controls for MCP servers. The release hides inline chat in JetBrains Gateway and remote development environments and warns users on JetBrains IDE version 2025.1 to upgrade to 2026.1 or later.

New features and improvements in Copilot for JetBrains GitHub Copilot for JetBrains 1.18.0 brings AI-assisted tool approvals, more control over agent conversations, and shared skills and instructions for your organization. You can also review plans with the Codex agent and manage MCP tools with persistent controls. What’s new whats-new AI-assisted tool approvals ai-assisted-tool-approvals AI-assisted tool approvals, called assisted approvals, are now in public preview for Copilot agent sessions. Low-risk tool calls receive automatic approval, while higher-risk actions continue to prompt you for a decision. This gives you fewer approval interruptions for low-risk actions while keeping higher-risk decisions in your hands. Re-edit earlier messages re-edit-earlier-messages You can now re-edit a previous user message in a Copilot agent session. Before sending your replacement message, Copilot rewinds both the conversation and file changes. This lets you revise an earlier request and continue from that point, rather than adding another message to correct the direction of the conversation. Shared skills and instructions shared-skills-and-instructions Local and Copilot agent sessions now support organization and enterprise skills, along with organization-managed custom instructions. You can use shared skills and organizational guidance in both types of sessions. Plan with the Codex agent plan-with-the-codex-agent The Codex agent now supports plan mode. You can review, refine, or approve a plan before implementation, giving you an opportunity to shape the approach before the agent starts making changes. More control over MCP tools more-control-over-mcp-tools A new setting lets you turn the built-in GitHub MCP Server on or off without changing manually configured MCP servers. The built-in server remains enabled by default. Copilot agent sessions also gain persistent per-tool controls for MCP servers. You can manage individual tools as well as control whether the built-in server is enabled. User experience enhancements user-experience-enhancements Chat alongside your sessions chat-alongside-your-sessions A new side-by-side chat panel switcher in the session toolbar lets you chat in the editor while browsing sessions in the tool window. You can keep your conversation open alongside the session list. Other updates make features and settings easier to discover: - Added browsable usage tips above the chat input with shortcuts to commands, customizations, and settings - Simplified the chat welcome screen and added a direct feedback link - Labeled the built-in GitHub MCP Server in the tool configuration interface and added a direct link to its settings - Restored shortcuts for updating agent instructions and viewing usage-based billing best practices - Clarified the /init tip and grouped it with customizations Quality improvements quality-improvements This update improves inline chat reliability, including preserving your edits when requests end and respecting selected thinking effort and context window settings. It also addresses Codex session startup issues, improves behavior across multiple project windows, and restores embedded editors and message re-editing on IntelliJ 2026.3 EAP builds. Changed changed Inline chat and its entry points are now hidden in JetBrains Gateway and remote development environments. Deprecation deprecation If you use a JetBrains IDE version 2025.1, you will see advance notice to upgrade to 2026.1 or later. Support remains unchanged in this release. Try it out try-it-out We encourage you to try out the latest version of the GitHub Copilot plugin https://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugin/17718-github-copilot--your-ai-pair-programmer/versions and share your feedback. Your input is invaluable in helping us refine and improve the product. Share your feedback share-your-feedback Your feedback drives improvements. We’d love to hear about your experience in the following channels: - In-product feedback: Use the feedback options within your IDE. - Feedback repository: Share your thoughts in the GitHub Copilot for JetBrains IDEs issues https://github.com/microsoft/copilot-intellij-feedback/issues .