In this episode, James interviews Ben and Peng from the VS Code team to discuss orchestrating multiple AI agents within Visual Studio Code. The conversation provides actionable advice for integrating Copilot agents into daily development workflows.

Orchestrating Multiple AI Agents in VS Code: Insights from Ben & Peng

Host: James (VS Code Team) Guests: Ben & Peng (VS Code Product Team)

Overview

This episode dives deep into recent advancements in AI-powered development within Visual Studio Code (VS Code). Specifically, the team discusses:

The evolution from Copilot Free to complex AI agent orchestration inside VS Code
How the new agent sessions UI enables parallel workflows
The architectural and practical differences between local, background, and cloud agents
Ways developers can leverage agents for greater productivity

Key Discussion Points

Agent Flavors

Interactive Local Agents: For contextual, chat-based problem solving
Background Agents: For long-running, delegated tasks
Cloud Agents: For scalable and resource-intensive operations hosted in the cloud

Why Orchestration Matters

Developers can now run multiple agent sessions in parallel for different tasks
The UI treats each agent session like an inbox item to triage, increasing developer productivity
Output artifacts can include code, tests, screenshots, video, and more, improving review and feedback loops

Practical Tips

Build context and clarify intent through local chat agents before delegating
Harden projects by integrating linting and automated tests, improving agent reliability
Expect more than just code completions: agent results can be documentation, test cases, or other media

Workflow Insights

Use parallel session management to break down complex tasks
Triage agent outputs just like reviewing email or pull requests
Adopt best practices for using cloud resources efficiently when working with cloud agents

Future Directions in VS Code

Expect the VS Code environment to further enhance agent and Copilot integration
Improved user experience for session management, feedback, and workflow customization

Resources & Links

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro & Team Introductions
00:05:00 Agents History & Evolution
00:10:00 Agent Types: Local, Background, Cloud
00:16:00 UX & Session Management
00:22:30 Testing, Artifacts, and Code Review
00:28:00 Using Sessions Today
00:37:00 Wrap-up

For more, subscribe to the VS Code Insiders Podcast or follow the VS Code team on their social channels.