GitHub Copilot weekly releases , August 31

GASep 4, 2026VerifiedAdded Sep 22, 2026

This week, GitHub Copilot expands model choice and content protections, while VS Code adds new ways to manage agent sessions and get pull requests merge-ready. GitHub Copilot, general Claude Fable 5.1 is available to Copilot Pro+, Max, Business, and Enterprise users. Gemini 3.8 Flash is rolling out to Copilot Pro, Pro+, Max, Business, and Enterprise users.

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Read GitHub's release notes

https://github.blog/changelog/2026-09-04-github-copilot-weekly-releases-august-31

Summaries of vendors' own notes. Product names and logos belong to their owners; logos via logo.dev.

More GitHub Copilot releases

GitHub CopilotSep 4, 2026

GPT-6 Astra is generally available in GitHub Copilot

GPT-6 Astra from OpenAI is now available in GitHub Copilot. OpenAI’s latest general-purpose model, GPT-6 Astra, is designed for long-horizon, autonomous coding and agentic tasks.

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GitHub CopilotSep 3, 2026

Upcoming deprecation of selected GitHub Copilot models

We will deprecate the following models across all GitHub Copilot experiences (including Copilot Chat, inline edits, ask and agent modes, and code completions) on October 2nd, 2026: Model Deprecation date Suggested alternative Gemini 3.5 Flash 2026-10-02 Gemini 3.8 Flash Gemini 3.6 Flash 2026-10-02 Gemini 3.8 Flash Kimi K2.7 Code 2026-10-02 Kimi K3 Claude...

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GitHub CopilotSep 3, 2026

Gemini 3.8 Flash is now available in GitHub Copilot

Gemini 3.8 Flash, Google’s latest Flash model, is now available in GitHub Copilot. In our early testing, Gemini 3.8 Flash performed strongly on complex terminal-based coding tasks and demonstrated rigorous validation and persistent recovery from actionable failures.

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GitHub CopilotSep 3, 2026

Reopening Copilot Business and Enterprise signups

We’re gradually reopening sign-ups for Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise customers paying by credit card or PayPal over the next couple of weeks. If you’ve been waiting to get started with Copilot, select the plan that fits your needs. If your preferred option isn’t available yet, check back soon.

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GitHub CopilotSep 2, 2026

Enterprise-managed settings support any default model

You can now set your preferred GitHub Copilot model as the default for new conversations through enterprise-managed settings. This lets you choose the default model that best fits your workflows. You can also customize the default by enterprise team, assigning a different default model based on team membership.

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GitHub CopilotSep 2, 2026

Content exclusions generally available in Copilot app and CLI

The GitHub Copilot app and Copilot CLI now respect content exclusion policies configured by enterprise, organization, and repository administrators. Copilot won’t use excluded files as context, helping you protect sensitive code across agentic workflows. This is available for Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise customers.

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GitHub CopilotSep 1, 2026

Set an expiration date for individual user budgets

You can now set an optional expiration date on an individual user budget, and GitHub removes the budget on that date. This capability is generally available. The user then falls back to the next budget that applies to them (i.e., their cost center per-user budget or otherwise your universal budget).

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GitHub CopilotSep 1, 2026

Copilot code review can now approve pull requests

Copilot now tells you when a pull request is ready to approve, and admins can authorize it to sign off on approval. The ability for Copilot to approve is off by default and configurable at the enterprise, organization, and repository level. The approval assessments will now appear as a part of the overview comment in every Copilot review.

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Also shipped on Sep 4, 2026

Snowflake SnowflakeSep 4, 2026

SAS to Snowflake migration (Preview)

The Snowflake AIM Agent for Data Warehouses now supports migrating SAS workloads to Snowflake. This capability covers AI-assisted assessment of SAS codebases and AI-based code conversion of SAS programs to Snowflake SQL, including loading SAS dataset files ( .sas7bdat ) into Snowflake tables.

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Google Cloud LookerSep 4, 2026

The Semantic Search feature is now generally available

The Semantic Search feature is now generally available. Looker (original) only changes

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Google Cloud LookerSep 4, 2026

Now available in preview, the Admin Assistant helps you use natural language to manage Looker roles

Now available in preview, the Admin Assistant helps you use natural language to manage Looker roles.

PreviewBISource

Google Cloud Gemini EnterpriseSep 4, 2026

Gemini Enterprise: Monday federated data store (GA)

Connecting a Monday data source with Gemini Enterprise using data federation is generally available (GA). You can use the Gemini Enterprise app assistant to search across your Monday boards, items, updates, and docs, and get answers grounded in that content without needing to ingest the data. For more information, see Set up a Monday data store .

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Google Cloud Gemini EnterpriseSep 4, 2026

Gemini Enterprise: Create and manage projects

You can create and manage projects in the Gemini Enterprise web app to build a dedicated knowledge base for your own work or to collaborate with your team. Within a project, you can upload files and chat privately with the assistant to get answers grounded in your project files and web search. This feature is generally available (GA).

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Google Cloud Gemini EnterpriseSep 4, 2026

Gemini Enterprise: New data stores and support for new actions (Preview)

The following data stores are available in Public Preview in Gemini Enterprise: CoinDesk Relativity Streak (actions supported) Superhuman Mail You can search and read data from these data stores, and perform actions using natural language.

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