Microsoft Developer, joined by Burke Holland, explains the features of the newly open-sourced VS Code Copilot Extension, exploring Custom Modes, Beast Mode, and ways to optimize your AI-powered coding workflows.

Deep Dive into the Open-Sourced VS Code Copilot Extension with Custom Modes

Episode Overview

Join Burke Holland from the Visual Studio Advocacy Team for a detailed exploration of the open-sourced VS Code Copilot Extension. This session reveals how developers can take control of the Copilot AI experience directly in Visual Studio Code by leveraging Custom Modes and community-driven enhancements.

Key Highlights

  • Open Sourcing the Extension: The VS Code Copilot Extension is now open source. Developers can view and contribute to the project on GitHub.
  • Copilot Custom Modes: Learn to implement Custom Modes in Copilot, allowing you to tailor AI model behavior, optimize output quality, and control costs when using Copilot chat features. Learn more.
  • Introducing Beast Mode: The new “Beast Mode” chat extension, now integrated into VS Code Insiders, gives you powerful new options for prompt engineering and boosting productivity. Details and the 3.1 update are at Burke’s blog and Gist.
  • Prompting Guides: Advanced users can improve prompt engineering skills with official guidance for GPT-4.1 and GPT-5.
  • Get Involved: Discover how to contribute to this open-source project or even submit your OSS project to Open at Microsoft.

Resources

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