Visual Studio Code 1.138

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Release date: September 16, 2026

Downloads: Windows: x64 Arm64 | Mac: Universal Intel silicon | Linux: deb rpm tarball Arm snap

Welcome to the 1.138 release of Visual Studio Code. This release helps agents work in your project's development environment, gives Codex sessions more flexibility, and keeps completed sessions organized.

These release notes were generated using GitHub Copilot and might contain inaccuracies.

Happy Coding!

VS Code is rolling out gradually to all users. Use Check for Updates in VS Code to get the latest version immediately.

To try new features as soon as possible, download the nightly Insiders build, which includes the latest updates as soon as they are available.

Agents

The agent host runs agent harnesses in a dedicated process based on the Agent Host Protocol (AHP), so you can connect to the same session from multiple VS Code windows. Learn more about its architecture and workflows in the agent host blog post.

Automations are now enabled by default and can be shared

Settings: chat.automations.enabled Open in VS Code Open in VS Code Insiders (Agents window only)

Automations are now enabled by default, making it easier to streamline repetitive tasks. You can also export and import automations to share them across different environments or with your team. Learn more about Automations in the VS Code docs.

Run agent sessions in local Dev Containers

Setting: chat.agentHost.devContainer.enabled Open in VS Code Open in VS Code Insiders (Agents window only)

Keep agent work aligned with your project's toolchain by running a session inside a local folder's Dev Container. The agent uses the environment and dependencies configured for the project instead of those on your local machine.

When the setting is enabled, local folders with a supported Dev Container configuration automatically show a folder menu with a Use Dev Container action. Select the action to run the agent session in the folder's Dev Container. Docker must be installed on your machine.

Screenshot showing the Use Dev Container action for a folder in the workspace picker.

Note: Local Dev Container sessions are rolling out gradually, so the setting might not be enabled by default for you yet. You can enable the setting manually to try the feature now.

Expanded Codex support in the agent host

Settings: chat.agentHost.codexAgent.enabled Open in VS Code Open in VS Code Insiders , chat.editor.codex.preferAgentHost Open in VS Code Open in VS Code Insiders

This release expands Codex support in the agent host, so you can keep the same coding session while changing where and how you work.

  • Choose your subscription: use Codex with a GitHub Copilot subscription or a ChatGPT subscription. If you sign in to both, switch between Copilot-backed and ChatGPT-backed models from the model picker without losing the current conversation.
  • Continue across apps: move the same Codex session between the ChatGPT app and VS Code instead of starting a new conversation.
  • Interact with desktop apps from VS Code: if the ChatGPT app is installed and configured for computer use, the Codex harness in VS Code can reuse that setup to interact with apps on your computer. This works with models from either your Copilot subscription or your ChatGPT subscription.
  • Use VS Code tools: Codex can use the full set of tools provided by VS Code, including built-in, extension, and MCP tools. With a ChatGPT-backed model, Codex can also use its image-generation tool directly in the session.

Screenshot showing a Codex session handed off from the ChatGPT app to VS Code and generating an image.

Continue Codex quick chats in a workspace

Last release, we introduced continuing quick chats in a workspace for Copilot sessions. This release extends the same flow to Codex, so starting project-specific work no longer means abandoning a workspace-less Codex quick chat. Ask Codex to attach a local folder, then choose whether to use the folder directly or create an isolated worktree.

After you confirm the change, the same chat and native Codex thread become a workspace session. The session retains its title, conversation history, current request, selected model, and permission mode. Codex then continues the request with access to the project files.

Workspace conversion is available for idle Codex quick chats in Interactive mode and supports single-root workspace targets. If the change is canceled or cannot be applied, the original workspace-less chat remains available.

On-demand agent SDK downloads

The Claude and Codex agents in the Agents window rely on an SDK that is not shipped with VS Code and is downloaded when you first need it. Previously, the offer to download it appeared only as part of signed-out account setup, so if you were signed in it would download at first message.

The offer now appears whenever the SDK is missing for transparency that a download is needed to continue.

Screenshot showing the Download the Claude Agent notification above the chat input in the Agents window, with a Download action and the Claude agent selected in the harness picker.

When models are already available for that agent, the notification presents two options: select Download or send a message to download the SDK as part of the turn. The wording updates in place if models become available while the notification is showing.

Create pull requests from agent sessions

Setting: chat.agentMerge.enabled Open in VS Code Open in VS Code Insiders (optional, for Agent Merge only)

Create pull requests from Agent Host sessions in the Agents window using one form to review and edit generated titles and descriptions, choose draft status, and configure available merge options. Create the pull request directly or send the request to your agent, with your preferred options remembered for next time.

Note: The Agent Merge option is experimental and is only available when the setting above is enabled.

Screenshot showing the Create PR form with editable title and description, draft and merge options, and a split button for creating the pull request.

Keep completed sessions organized (Preview)

Settings: chat.agentSessions.archiveNudge.enabled Open in VS Code Open in VS Code Insiders , chat.agentSessions.autoMarkAsDoneMergedSessionsAfterDays Open in VS Code Open in VS Code Insiders , chat.agentSessions.autoDeleteArchivedMergedSessionsAfterDays Open in VS Code Open in VS Code Insiders , sessions.markAsDoneConfetti Open in VS Code Open in VS Code Insiders (Agents window only)

Keep finished work out of the way while preserving the conversation for later. When all of an inactive session's pull requests have merged, the Agents window can suggest marking the session as done. A first-use guide shows you where to find Mark as Done in the sessions list.

Enable chat.agentSessions.archiveNudge.enabled Open in VS Code Open in VS Code Insiders to show these suggestions.

Screenshot showing a suggestion to mark a session as done after its pull request has merged.

To automate cleanup, mark inactive sessions as done after their pull requests merge, and optionally delete them after a separate grace period. Both automatic-cleanup settings are disabled by default.

When all pull requests for a session are merged, select Configure Automatic Cleanup in the Mark as Done suggestion to open both settings without enabling them.

Enable sessions.markAsDoneConfetti Open in VS Code Open in VS Code Insiders to show a confetti animation when you mark a session as done. The animation respects your reduced-motion preference.

See which sessions need attention (Preview)

Setting: sessions.showApplicationBadge Open in VS Code Open in VS Code Insiders (Agents window only)

See when agent sessions need your attention without switching back to VS Code, with a badge on the macOS dock, Linux launcher, or Windows taskbar. The badge highlights sessions with new results, requests for input, or pull request checks that need attention.

Enable the preview setting above to show the badge.

Screenshot showing the application icon on the Windows taskbar with a badge indicating one session needs attention.

Unified workspace and repository picker (Experimental)

Setting: sessions.chat.unifiedWorkspacePicker.enabled Open in VS Code Open in VS Code Insiders (Agents window only)

Start agent work from one searchable list of local folders, GitHub repositories, Cloud repositories, and remote targets. Remote connection actions remain available from the Remote entry.

Screenshot showing the unified workspace picker with local folders, repositories, and remote options.

Selecting Work in Repository uses a cloud-first workflow. A GitHub repository that is not already local is selected immediately with the Cloud harness, without a clone prompt. If you later choose a local harness, VS Code prompts you to clone the repository and preserves the cloud selection if you cancel.

Customize chat backgrounds by color theme (Experimental)

Settings: chat.agentSessions.preferredDarkBackgroundImageLayout Open in VS Code Open in VS Code Insiders , chat.agentSessions.preferredLightBackgroundImageLayout Open in VS Code Open in VS Code Insiders (Agents window only)

The Agents window can show a decorative chat background behind your sessions, either a pattern of built-in VS Code icons or an image of your own, chosen separately for dark and light color themes.

Screenshot showing the Codicons pattern used as the chat background in the Agents window, with the agent response staying readable on top of it.

Previously, the image was per theme kind but its layout was not, so right-aligning your dark background and then left-aligning your light one left both of them aligned left. Layout is now stored per theme kind alongside the image, and switching between a dark and a light theme restores that theme's placement. The two new settings replace chat.agentSessions.backgroundImageLayout.

Clearing a background also moved. Chat: Set Background... now leads with No Background, which clears the background for the color theme you are currently using and leaves the other one alone.

Response and request surfaces are opaque, so higher-contrast backgrounds do not reduce the readability of agent responses.

Screenshot showing a custom photo used as the chat background in the Agents window, with an agent response remaining readable as an opaque bubble on top of it.

Chat

Improved Voice Mode session awareness (Experimental)

Navigate and monitor parallel agent work without leaving Voice Mode. Voice Mode can find recent agent sessions, switch between them by label, and report each session's status.

Deprecated features and settings

New deprecations in this release

  • chat.agentSessions.backgroundImageLayout is replaced by chat.agentSessions.preferredDarkBackgroundImageLayout Open in VS Code Open in VS Code Insiders and chat.agentSessions.preferredLightBackgroundImageLayout Open in VS Code Open in VS Code Insiders , so that the Agents window chat background layout can be set separately for dark and light color themes.
  • Chat: Clear Background is removed. Choose No Background in Chat: Set Background... to clear the background for the current color theme.

Thank you

Contributions to vscode:

Contributions to vscode-chat-customizations-evaluation:

Issue tracking

Contributions to our issue tracking:

We really appreciate people trying our new features as soon as they are ready, so check back here often and learn what's new.

If you'd like to read release notes for previous VS Code versions, go to Updates on code.visualstudio.com.