Does GitHub Copilot support periodic status updates and scheduled monitoring for long-running tasks?

[supakit1]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Product Feedback

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Copilot in GitHub

Body

In Claude Code, when an agent is working on a long-running task, it can provide periodic status updates until the task is completed. This allows users to see what the agent is currently doing, whether it is making progress, encountering an issue, or waiting for input, without having to ask for an update manually.

Claude Code can also be configured to run scheduled or cron-based checks, allowing it to monitor a long-running job periodically and report its status.

Does GitHub Copilot, including Copilot CLI, Copilot coding agent, or agent mode in VS Code, provide similar capabilities?

Specifically, I am looking for

1. Periodic progress updates during long-running tasks
2. Heartbeat or intermediate status messages while a tool call is still running
3. Scheduled or cron-based checks to monitor background jobs
4. Notifications when a task is blocked, requires user input, fails, or completes
5. The ability to monitor tasks that may run for several hours or even multiple days

I am aware that GitHub Copilot supports agent hooks such as preToolUse and postToolUse. However, postToolUse is triggered only after a tool call finishes, so it may not provide progress updates while a long-running command is still executing.

Is this functionality currently supported? If so, could someone share the recommended configuration or documentation? If not, is there an existing feature request or roadmap item that tracks it?

[github-actions[bot]]

💬 Your Product Feedback Has Been Submitted 🎉

Thank you for taking the time to share your insights with us! Your feedback is invaluable as we build a better GitHub experience for all our users.

Here's what you can expect moving forward ⏩

• Your input will be carefully reviewed and cataloged by members of our product teams. 
  • Due to the high volume of submissions, we may not always be able to provide individual responses.
  • Rest assured, your feedback will help chart our course for product improvements.
• Other users may engage with your post, sharing their own perspectives or experiences. 
• GitHub staff may reach out for further clarification or insight. 
  • We may 'Answer' your discussion if there is a current solution, workaround, or roadmap/changelog post related to the feedback.

Where to look to see what's shipping 👀

• Read the Changelog for real-time updates on the latest GitHub features, enhancements, and calls for feedback.
• Explore our Product Roadmap, which details upcoming major releases and initiatives.

What you can do in the meantime 💻

• Upvote and comment on other user feedback Discussions that resonate with you.
• Add more information at any point! Useful details include: use cases, relevant labels, desired outcomes, and any accompanying screenshots.

As a member of the GitHub community, your participation is essential. While we can't promise that every suggestion will be implemented, we want to emphasize that your feedback is instrumental in guiding our decisions and priorities.

Thank you once again for your contribution to making GitHub even better! We're grateful for your ongoing support and collaboration in shaping the future of our platform. ⭐

[radres]

dont know of a built in way for the blocked / needs input / done part. a partial workaround for copilot cli: add an MCP server that can reach your phone, and tell the agent to use it when it gets stuck or finishes. i built callmemcp.com for this, the agent calls your iphone, reads the question or status aloud and you answer by voice. it can text progress updates too. no cron style monitoring or heartbeats during a running tool call, and you need an iphone plus a paid subscription.