Compatibility record

Does GitHub Copilot support Background agents?

Selected plans

GitHub Copilot cloud agent runs delegated coding work asynchronously and opens draft pull requests on Pro, Pro Plus, Business, and Enterprise, not on Copilot Free.

Last verified2026-09-08
Confidencehigh
Primary sources2

What this state means

Selected plans, with the qualification kept attached.

Copilot cloud agent is for paid plans. Free is excluded. Business/Enterprise require admin enablement (disabled by default). Pro/Pro Plus enabled by default. Product plan list has no separate Max string; higher individual tiers map to Pro Plus features where applicable. Automations also require private/internal repos and admin policy.

Capability definition

Runs delegated work asynchronously while the user leaves the active session.

Scope boundary

A long synchronous response or an agent loop that requires an open session is not a background agent.

Researcher note

Path A pairs cloud-agent access-management docs with github.com/features/copilot/plans Pro cloud-agent entitlement. Refines prior unscoped supported seed.

Evidence

Primary records behind the answer.

  1. 01

    Managing access to GitHub Copilot cloud agent

    GitHub · official documentation · accessed 2026-09-08

    Automations are available with the GitHub Copilot Pro, GitHub Copilot Pro+, GitHub Copilot Max, GitHub Copilot Business, and GitHub Copilot Enterprise plans.
  2. 02

    GitHub Copilot · Plans & pricing

    GitHub · official documentation · accessed 2026-09-08

    Integrates with MCP servers