Why is Copilot not allowing a mode switch to ASK (providing a solution which can be manually applied_ - seems to be in agent mode only

[paulmanners]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Copilot in GitHub

Body

Copilot seems to be currently in some sort of agent mode where changes are being applied automatically to files. I used to ask questions and copilot would provide a solution that I could then apply manually. Is there a way to switch to this mode - and back to the current mode if required? The mode switcher in the chat window shows ASK - and clicking it shows two options - Agent and Configure Custom Agent. Selecting the Agent option has no apparent affect - The chat shows 'ASK'. I used to ask questions and copilot would provide a solution that I could then apply manually. Is there a way to switch to this mode - and back to the current mode if required? Has some change been implemented in copilot recently (this has only started happenening today).

[DevChiniwala]

This is happening because of the recent updates to the GitHub Copilot extension (especially in VS Code), which introduced Copilot Edits (Agent mode).

Copilot now has distinct "modes" and panels for interacting. If changes are automatically being applied to your files, you are likely in the Copilot Edits view or using the inline editor, rather than the standard Copilot Chat.

Here is how you can switch back to the classic manual "Ask" mode:

1. Use the Standard Chat Panel instead of Copilot Edits There are now two different Copilot icons in your Activity Bar (the sidebar):

Copilot Chat: (Standard chat bubble icon) - This is the classic mode. It will answer your questions and provide code blocks that you can manually copy or click "Apply" on.
Copilot Edits: (Icon with a pencil/sparkles) - This is the Agent mode that automatically edits multiple files in your workspace.

If you can't find the regular chat, open your Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P on Mac or Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows) and type View: Show Copilot Chat.

2. Be careful with Inline Chat vs. Chat Panel

If you press Cmd+I / Ctrl+I, you are opening the Inline Chat, which is specifically designed to modify the file you are currently looking at.
To just ask general questions without it touching your code, always use the dedicated Chat Panel on the sidebar.

3. Resetting the Chat context If you are in the standard Chat panel and it's still acting like an agent, try clearing the session by clicking the + (New Chat) button at the top of the chat panel. Make sure the dropdown at the top doesn't have an "@workspace /agent" command actively running.

Stick to the standard Copilot Chat view (and avoid the Copilot Edits view) and you'll be back to the classic manual copy-paste workflow!