Copilot January: agents in VS Code, VS UX boosts, and CLI ACP/MCP updates
GitHub is pushing Copilot deeper into agent workflows: VS Code v1.109 adds multi‑agent session management, Claude agent support, MCP‑powered tool integrations, memory/indexed code search, and terminal command sandboxing, while Visual Studio gains colorized and partially‑acceptable completions plus Markdown preview improvements ([changelog](https://github.blog/changelog/2026-02-04-github-copilot-in-visual-studio-code-v1-109-january-release/)[^1], [VS update](https://github.blog/changelog/2026-02-04-github-copilot-in-visual-studio-january-update/)[^2]). On the CLI, v0.0.402 ships ACP server agent/plan modes, plugin lifecycle fixes, and MCP server cleanup, alongside a community request for a post‑update "What’s New" summary; GitHub’s tutorial shows how to add custom instructions and a copilot‑setup‑steps workflow so agents can safely improve mature repos ([release](https://github.com/github/copilot-cli/releases/tag/v0.0.402)[^3], [issue](https://github.com/github/copilot-cli/issues/1277)[^4], [tutorial](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/tutorials/coding-agent/improve-a-project)[^5]). [^1]: Adds: VS Code changelog with multi‑agent management, Claude agent preview, MCP integrations, memory/indexing, and terminal sandboxing. [^2]: Adds: Visual Studio update detailing colorized completions and partial acceptance UX. [^3]: Adds: Copilot CLI v0.0.402 notes on ACP modes, plugin lifecycle, and MCP server shutdown. [^4]: Adds: Community feature request to show a concise post‑update "What’s New" in Copilot CLI. [^5]: Adds: Official guide to using Copilot coding agent with custom instructions and setup steps in repos.