GitHub Copilot is now a default agent in JetBrains Air

GitHub Copilot is now available in the JetBrains Air as a default agent. Select GitHub Copilot as your agent, delegate coding tasks, and work through results without leaving your IDE.  All you need to get started is a GitHub Copilot subscription:

Built in collaboration with JetBrains and powered by Agent Client Protocol (ACP), this integration brings GitHub Copilot into Air’s native agent experience. Developers can select GitHub Copilot from the agent picker, sign in with their existing GitHub Copilot subscriptions, and start delegating coding tasks, managing parallel agent sessions, and reviewing changes without leaving their IDE.

Starting November 3, GitHub Copilot will also be available through Air’s Cloud Run experience, expanding beyond the existing Local Run integration. This gives developers greater flexibility to delegate coding tasks through Copilot, whether working locally or in the cloud.

Getting started is simple: Open Air → Select GitHub Copilot from the default agent picker → (Sign-in will be prompted if user is not logged in) → Send a prompt

Additionally, starting with JetBrains IDEs version 2026.2.4, GitHub Copilot can be selected as a provider for the natively integrated Next Edit Suggestions (NES) feature. To enable NES, navigate to Settings → Editor → General → Code Completion → Inline, select Copilot as the provider, and enable Next Edit Suggestions.

Two ways to use GitHub Copilot in JetBrains IDE

With this integration, developers now have two ways to use GitHub Copilot in JetBrains IDEs, depending on their workflows and needs. Both experiences share core Copilot capabilities, including agentic coding, parallel agent sessions, IDE tools and project context, and model selection, while offering different levels of integration and workflows.

GitHub Copilot agent in JetBrains Air: Quick access to GitHub Copilot

Built in collaboration with JetBrains and powered by Agent Client Protocol (ACP), GitHub Copilot in Air offers a lightweight, native way to access GitHub Copilot’s agentic capabilities.

• Built-in access: Select GitHub Copilot directly from Air’s agent picker, with no separate Copilot plugin installation or maintenance required.
• Air-native workflows: Delegate coding tasks, track progress, and review changes through Air’s integrated agent workspace.
• Next Edit Suggestions: Choose “GitHub Copilot” as one of the native NES providers from JetBrains IDEs.

GitHub Copilot plugin: The complete GitHub Copilot experience

For developers seeking deeper IDE integration, advanced capabilities, and GitHub Copilot specific enterprise capabilities and features, the GitHub Copilot plugin for JetBrains IDEs remains our recommended experience.

• Deeper IDE integration: Completion/Next Edit Suggestions, Inline Chat, built-in Copilot Code Review, and commit message generation.
• Advanced agentic capabilities and features: Agent customization (skills, hooks, instructions), Agent Debug panel, and Local Sandbox for secure agent execution.
• GitHub Copilot enterprise controls: Enterprise Managed Settings (EMS) for centrally managing Copilot configurations, permissions, and policies, with Enterprise Policy Diagnostics to debug enterprise settings.

References

• Air plugin for JetBrains IDEs
• GitHub Copilot plugin for JetBrains IDEs
• Agent Client Protocol in JetBrains

Share your feedback

Your feedback helps shape the future of GitHub Copilot. Share your thoughts through the GitHub Copilot for JetBrains feedback repository or our quick survey.