Visual Studio 18.9.0 - GitHub Copilot: add Ollama models + adjust model thinking effort
Authorised Territory demonstrates how to configure GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio 2026 (18.9.0), focusing on adding Ollama-backed local models and tuning the model “thinking effort” setting to control how much reasoning the model applies during responses.
Overview
The video walks through GitHub Copilot configuration inside Visual Studio 18.9.0, covering:
- How to add and use Ollama models with GitHub Copilot in the IDE
- How to adjust the model “thinking effort” setting to influence response behavior
What this is useful for
- Trying local/alternative models (via Ollama) from within Visual Studio’s Copilot experience
- Tuning Copilot’s response style by changing how much reasoning effort it applies