In an effort to make VS Code an open-source AI editor, the GitHub Copilot Chat extension source code now is available on GitHub under an MIT license. The open-sourcing not only allows developers to explore and contribute to the project, but also enables understanding of the implementation of chat modes, custom instructions, and AI integrations, as well as the creation of improved AI tools, Microsoft said. The effort also enables participation in the future of AI-assisted coding, according to the company.
VS Code 1.102 also brings several chat mode improvements. Developers can specify which language model should be used for a chat mode, use custom modes to tailor chat for specific tasks, automatically approve selected terminal commands, and edit and resubmit previous chat requests. Also, the editor for chat modes, prompts, and instruction files now supports completions, validation, and hovers for all supported metadata properties.
Finally, as for the editor experience, VS Code on Windows now supports using the accent color as the window frame border if enabled in Windows settings. The sparkle toggle in the Settings editor has been modified to act as a toggle between the AI and non-AI search results. And a new “Tasks: Rerun All Running Tasks” command allows developers to quickly rerun all currently running tasks. This is useful for workflows involving multiple concurrent tasks, allowing developers to restart them all at once without stopping and rerunning each individually, Microsoft said.
