Allison announces a public preview of the Auto model selection feature for GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio, allowing developers to let Copilot automatically choose the optimal model based on their plan and preferences.

Auto Model Selection for GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio: Public Preview

GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio introduces a new Auto option in the model picker, enabling Copilot to automatically select the optimal AI model for your workflow. This enhancement is now available to all Copilot plans, streamlining the coding experience within Visual Studio.

How Auto Model Selection Works

  • Dynamic Model Routing: The Auto option currently directs requests to several AI models, such as GPT-5, GPT-5 mini, GPT-4.1, Sonnet 4.5, and Haiku 4.5, determined by your subscription type.
  • Transparency: Simply hover over any model response to see which AI model Copilot used for your prompt.
  • User Control: You can toggle between Auto and specific models, retaining flexibility in your workflow.
  • Policy Respect: Auto mode adheres to your existing user model settings, ensuring compliance with your organizational or personal preferences.

Premium Request Discounts

  • Premium request usage with Auto depends on the model selected. Refer to GitHub’s billing documentation for details.
  • Subscribers with Copilot Pro, Pro+, Business, and Enterprise plans receive a 10% discount on model multipliers when using Auto (e.g., if a 1x multiplier model is chosen, only 0.9 premium requests are deducted).

Getting Started with Auto

  • Individual Users: Access Copilot Chat in Visual Studio and choose Auto from the model picker.
  • Business/Enterprise Users: An administrator must enable the Editor preview features policy before Auto becomes available. More details are in the auto model selection documentation.

Roadmap and Feedback

The Auto feature currently optimizes for model availability, but future updates will focus on task-specific intelligence. User feedback during this preview phase will play a significant role in shaping upcoming improvements. Participate in ongoing discussions or share your thoughts in the community conversation.

Disclaimer: The UI and features discussed are in public preview and may change before general availability.

This post appeared first on “The GitHub Blog”. Read the entire article here