GitHub just launched a new 'mission control center' for developers to delegate tasks to AI coding agents
The new pop-up tool from GitHub means developers need not "break their flow" to hand tasks to AI agents
GitHub is making it easier for software developers to make use of AI agents – and manage them like co-workers toiling in the background.
The company’s new "agents panel" allows developers to delegate tasks to the AI-powered Copilot from any page on github.com via a prompt, rather than navigating over to GitHub Issues – a process it says is "breaking your flow."
Earlier this year, GitHub unveiled a new coding agent designed to tackle "low-to-medium complexity” tasks. The aim with the new "mission control" tool is to help developers better manage AI.
A pop-up panel will allow developers to work with such AI agents more easily by delegating coding tasks and tracking progress wherever a developer is working in GitHub, with the Copilot agent working in the background before tagging the user for review when complete.
"If the past year has underscored anything, it’s that AI agents are becoming a bigger part of developers’ day-to-day workflows," staff product manager Tim Rogers wrote in a blog post.
"Copilot coding agent works like a member of your team, and it’s received a great response from developers so far," Rogers added. "But we know that not all of your work lives in GitHub Issues."
Previous to this Agents panel tool, developers using Copilot could allocate work for agents either by assigning an issue, using the pull requests extension for Visual Studio Code, or by triggering tasks from compatible apps that integrate with GitHub via the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
How GitHub’s new ‘mission control’ tool works
The new Agents panel is essentially a popup overlay that lets a developer trigger work by the Copilot agent, track existing tasks and review pull requests, all without leaving their current work setting, wherever that may be on the GitHub website.
To access the panel, click the "agents" button in the right of the navigation bar.
"You can start a new Copilot task from the new Agents panel with a simple prompt," Rogers noted.
"Just open the panel from any page on GitHub, describe your goal in natural language, and select the relevant repository. Copilot will then take it from there and start creating a plan, drafting changes, running tests, and then preparing a pull request."
The new feature is available on GitHub today in a public preview for all paid Copilot subscribers, the post added.
Make sure to follow ITPro on Google News to keep tabs on all our latest news, analysis, and reviews.
MORE FROM ITPRO
- What Thomas Dohmke’s departure means for GitHub
- GitHub just launched a new free tier for its Copilot coding assistant
- Everything you need to know about GitHub Models
-
Businesses need to boost cyber resilience, here’s howIn depth The government’s recently released Cyber Security Breaches Survey shows gaps in firms’ resilience. How can companies improve their approach?
-
How can resellers use AI to enhance, not risk, their trusted advisor statusIndustry Insights AI is seductive, but data shows people like buying from genuine people
-
Will AI ring the death knell for open source?In-depth With projects facing fresh challenges in the AI era, the path forward remains murky
-
‘The biggest barrier to growth is not access to technology, it is access to the right people’: Demand for developers with AI skills has surged 597% – but enterprises are still struggling to find the right talentNews Hiring is shifting away from traditional software development toward specialized roles to integrate, govern, and scale AI systems
-
Forward deployed engineers are big tech’s latest gambit to drive AI adoptionNews With Microsoft and AWS placing their faith in forward deployed engineers, enterprises will gain a helping hand with tricky AI adoption projects
-
Agentic AI 'breaks the traditional SaaS seat licensing model' – now it’s up to vendors to ditch 'legacy dashboards' and build with agents in mindNews Incumbent software vendors will need to work harder than ever to compete with agile, AI-focused disruptors
-
Surging AI costs could exceed developer salaries by 2028 – analysts say context engineering could be the key to optimizing token consumptionAnalysis With AI costs rising and enterprises racking up huge bills, engineering leaders need to take drastic measures to limit costs
-
The UK is betting big on the power of open source AINews The government wants to encourage open source developers to help improve public services
-
Asana wants every enterprise to have an AI ‘chief of staff’News The new Asana Dash tool was built to help guide and support teams through projects
-
Enterprises are shipping huge volumes of untested AI-generated code – experts warn it will cause major security issues and have huge financial repercussionsNews With speed routinely prioritized over quality, organizations often respond by taking shortcuts
