Claude & Codex on Copilot Business/Pro: Enhanced AI Coding

AI Coding Agents: Claude & Codex Expand GitHub Copilot Access

GitHub is dramatically enhancing the capabilities of its AI-powered developer tool, Copilot, by integrating cutting-edge models: Claude by Anthropic and OpenAI Codex. This pivotal expansion, announced for Copilot Business and Copilot Pro customers, builds upon earlier access granted to Enterprise and Pro+ tiers. Developers across a broader spectrum now gain direct access to these sophisticated AI coding agents, transforming how code is written, reviewed, and debugged within the familiar GitHub ecosystem.

The inclusion of Claude and Codex positions GitHub Copilot as an even more powerful, versatile assistant, offering diverse AI perspectives and specialized strengths to tackle complex coding challenges. This move underscores GitHub's commitment to delivering state-of-the-art AI directly into developers' workflows, promising a future of unprecedented efficiency and innovation.

Seamless Integration Across GitHub Workflows

The true power of this integration lies in its seamless presence across all core GitHub environments. Whether you're collaborating on a project through the web interface on github.com, triaging issues on the go with GitHub Mobile, or deeply immersed in code within VS Code, Claude, Codex, and Copilot are available as unified coding agents. This means developers can switch between platforms without losing context, as the agents maintain a shared history and understanding of your work.

This ubiquitous access eliminates friction, allowing developers to leverage AI assistance precisely when and where they need it most. From generating intricate code snippets to suggesting solutions for tricky bugs or even drafting pull requests, these agents become an intrinsic part of the development lifecycle, accelerating productivity and fostering a more intuitive coding experience. Crucially, no additional subscriptions are required; access to Claude and Codex is fully included with your existing Copilot subscription, making this a significant value add for current users.

Unified Control and Governance for Enterprise AI

For organizations and individual developers alike, the integration of multiple powerful AI models necessitates a robust framework for management and security. GitHub addresses this with a single, shared platform for all agents, ensuring unified governance, shared context, and memory. This architecture allows Claude, Codex, and Copilot to operate with a holistic understanding of the project, accessing repository code and history, issues, pull requests, Copilot Memory, and repository-specific instructions and policies.

The core of this controlled environment is GitHub’s enterprise controls, featuring centralized enablement, policy management, and comprehensive audit logging through the Agent Control Plane, which is now generally available. This sophisticated system ensures that businesses can confidently deploy AI agents, maintaining oversight and adherence to internal compliance standards while empowering their development teams with advanced AI capabilities. For businesses embracing agentic workflows, this level of control is paramount.

Step-by-Step: Enabling Claude and Codex for Your Team

Activating these powerful AI coding agents is a straightforward process, though it differs slightly between Copilot Pro and Copilot Business accounts, reflecting the varied needs for individual vs. organizational control.

Feature / Account Type	Copilot Pro	Copilot Business
Enabling Process	User-level control	Admin-level control at Enterprise & Org levels
Steps (Pro)	1. Go to Copilot coding agent settings. 2. Select repositories. 3. Toggle "Claude", "Codex", or both On.	-
Steps (Business)	-	Enterprise: Go to Enterprise AI Controls → Agents. Under "Partner Agents", enable Claude/Codex. Organization: Go to Settings → Copilot → Coding agent. Under "Partner Agents", enable Claude/Codex.
Permissions	Individual user choice	Centralized control by enterprise/org admins
Additional Cost	None (included in existing subscription)	None (included in existing subscription)

This tiered approach ensures that both individual developers and enterprise administrators have the necessary granular control over AI agent access and usage, aligning with their specific operational needs and security policies.

Leveraging AI Agents for Enhanced Developer Productivity

Once enabled, Claude and Codex unlock a new dimension of developer productivity. The methods for interacting with these agents are intuitive and integrated into daily development tasks.

Starting Sessions:

GitHub (web and mobile): Simply open the "Agents" tab in an enabled repository or use the agents dropdown in the main header. On GitHub Mobile, access through the "Agents" view or tap the '+' icon. Enter your request, choose your preferred agent (Claude, Codex, or Copilot), and submit. Sessions run asynchronously, providing live progress and detailed logs for review.
VS Code: (Requires VS Code 1.109 or later) Open "Agent sessions" from the title bar or Command Palette. You can choose between "Local" for fast, interactive help, "Cloud" for autonomous tasks running on GitHub, or "Background" for asynchronous local tasks (Copilot only).

Assigning Agents to Issues and Pull Requests: Developers can now assign issues to specific agents, like @copilot, @claude, or @codex, or even multiple agents to compare their approaches. These agents can then generate draft pull requests for review, streamlining the initial stages of development. Additionally, mentioning an agent in pull request comments (e.g., @claude for assistance with complex logic) allows developers to request updates or refinements directly within their existing workflow. All agent output appears as draft, reviewable artifacts, ensuring developers maintain full control over the final code. This includes leveraging the nuanced understanding of models like Claude Opus 4.6 for specific tasks.

The Future of Collaborative Coding with Advanced AI

The integration of Claude and Codex into GitHub Copilot marks a significant leap forward in AI-assisted software development. By offering a choice of powerful AI models within a unified, governed platform, GitHub is not just providing tools; it's fostering an ecosystem where developers can harness the full potential of artificial intelligence to innovate faster and more efficiently.

This expansion empowers a wider community of developers to experiment with different AI approaches, compare results, and ultimately choose the best AI partner for each specific task. As AI models continue to evolve, the ability to seamlessly integrate and manage them within existing workflows will be crucial. GitHub's strategy ensures that its users remain at the forefront of this revolution, equipped with the most advanced AI coding agents to navigate the complexities of modern software engineering. The future of coding is collaborative, intelligent, and increasingly, AI-driven.

Original source

https://github.blog/changelog/2026-02-26-claude-and-codex-now-available-for-copilot-business-pro-users/

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Claude and Codex, and how do they enhance GitHub Copilot's capabilities?

Claude by Anthropic and OpenAI Codex are advanced AI coding agents now integrated into GitHub Copilot. They significantly enhance Copilot's capabilities by offering diverse AI models for code generation, review, and issue resolution. Developers can leverage the distinct strengths of Claude for nuanced understanding and robust reasoning, and Codex for its deep expertise in code generation, enabling a more versatile and powerful AI-assisted development experience. This expansion ensures that Copilot users have access to a broader spectrum of AI intelligence for various coding challenges, from complex problem-solving to efficient code completion.

Which GitHub Copilot subscription tiers now have access to Claude and Codex agents?

Following an earlier rollout to Copilot Enterprise and Pro+ customers, GitHub has now expanded access to Claude and OpenAI Codex to all Copilot Business and Copilot Pro subscribers. This means a much wider range of individual developers and business teams can now utilize these powerful AI coding agents directly within their existing GitHub workflows, without requiring any additional subscriptions. The goal is to democratize advanced AI assistance in coding, making high-quality, diverse AI models available to a larger user base for enhanced productivity.

How do these AI coding agents integrate into existing GitHub workflows and development environments?

Claude and Codex are designed for seamless integration across the entire GitHub ecosystem. They can be utilized directly on github.com (web), GitHub Mobile, and within VS Code. This deep integration allows developers to use the agents for reviewing code, triaging issues, generating solutions, and iterating on code – all within their familiar GitHub environments. The agents maintain shared history and context across these surfaces, ensuring a consistent and efficient experience whether you're at your desktop or on the go. This level of integration streamlines the developer workflow significantly.

What kind of data and context do Claude and Codex agents have access to within GitHub?

Operating on a unified platform within GitHub, these AI agents have secure and governed access to crucial contextual data. This includes access to repository code and its history, relevant issues, and pull requests. Furthermore, they can leverage Copilot Memory and adhere to repository-specific instructions and policies. This rich context allows Claude and Codex to provide highly relevant and accurate assistance, understanding the specific codebase and ongoing development tasks, while operating within the enterprise's defined controls and audit logging through the Agent Control Plane.

What administrative controls are available for managing Claude and Codex access for Copilot Business users?

For Copilot Business customers, robust administrative controls are in place through the generally available Agent Control Plane. To enable Claude and Codex, administrators must first activate them at the enterprise level via 'Enterprise AI Controls' → 'Agents' under 'Partner Agents'. Subsequently, organization-level settings must also be configured under 'Settings' → 'Copilot' → 'Coding agent,' where 'Partner Agents' can be enabled. These multi-layered controls ensure centralized enablement, policy management, and comprehensive audit logging, giving businesses granular oversight of AI agent usage.

How can developers initiate and manage sessions with Claude and Codex within GitHub and VS Code?

Developers can initiate sessions with these agents in multiple ways. On GitHub (web and mobile), they can open the 'Agents' tab in an enabled repository or use the agents dropdown in the main header. In VS Code (version 1.109 or later), 'Agent sessions' can be opened from the title bar or Command Palette, offering 'Local' for interactive help, 'Cloud' for autonomous tasks on GitHub, or 'Background' for asynchronous local tasks (Copilot only). Requests are entered, an agent is chosen, and sessions run asynchronously with live progress and detailed logs, ensuring transparency and control.

Are there any additional costs or subscriptions required to use Claude and Codex with GitHub Copilot?

No, there are no additional subscriptions or costs required for existing Copilot Business and Copilot Pro users to access Claude and Codex. GitHub has integrated these powerful AI coding agents directly into the existing Copilot subscription. Each coding agent session currently consumes one 'premium request' during its public preview phase. This ensures that users can immediately leverage the enhanced capabilities of these advanced AI models without incurring extra fees, maximizing the value of their current Copilot investment.

How does GitHub ensure the security and governance of sensitive code when using these external AI models?

GitHub places a strong emphasis on security and governance. Claude and Codex operate within GitHub’s enterprise controls, utilizing a unified platform with shared context and memory, but crucially, all activity is subject to centralized enablement, policy management, and audit logging via the generally available Agent Control Plane. This ensures that usage of these external AI models adheres to organizational policies and provides transparency and traceability. Agents access repository data only as permitted, and all output is presented as draft, reviewable artifacts, allowing developers to maintain control and oversight of their code.

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