Dylan Birtolo announces significant updates to GitHub Copilot CLI, including model selection improvements, image support, and enhanced UI for developers.

GitHub Copilot CLI: Enhanced Model Selection, Image Recognition, and Streamlined UI Improvements

Author: Dylan Birtolo

GitHub Copilot CLI has just received a series of significant updates since its public preview launch, enhancing both developer productivity and usability. Below are the key highlights from this release:

Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.5 Support

  • The CLI now supports Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4.5 AI model, bringing advanced coding and real-world agent capabilities.
  • This model is available for Copilot Pro, Pro+, Business, and Enterprise users during the public preview phase.

Flexible Model Selection

  • Developers can now choose which AI model powers their CLI session with a new inline /model command.
  • The currently selected model is prominently shown in the interface for workflow transparency.

Image Recognition Input

  • By using the @ symbol with images, users can directly include images as model input.

Shell Command Execution

  • Prepending input with ! executes the command directly in the shell without invoking the AI model.
  • Improved path extraction and PowerShell parsing for accurate permission prompts and safer execution.

Improved UI and Navigation

  • Smarter input handling limits and scrolls long input to maintain a clean workspace.
  • Enhanced file operation timeline and better navigation through scrollbars and session pickers.
  • Streamlined layout with removed extra UI borders and more readable Markdown by excluding # prefixes.

Robust Permission Controls

  • Fine-grained permissions: use glob patterns in --allow-tool and --deny-tool to specify command restrictions.
  • Developers gain precise control integrating Copilot CLI securely into build, test, or deployment workflows.

Rich Usage Statistics & Context Awareness

  • /usage command provides session usage metrics: premium requests, session duration, code edits, and token consumption per model.
  • Early truncation warnings when nearing context/token limits.

Better Enterprise and Authentication Support

  • Per-subscription API endpoints now comply with GitHub network access management best practices.
  • Improved error feedback when organizational policies or permissions (like missing Copilot Requests) block the CLI.
  • User listing commands are now robust across all authentication modes.

Getting Started

  • To upgrade, run npm install -g @github/copilot@latest.
  • Feedback is welcome via /feedback in the CLI or GitHub Issues.
  • Try Copilot CLI and explore its documentation for deeper integration.

Resources

These updates further streamline the developer experience and strengthen security and permission controls for teams relying on Copilot CLI in their workflows.

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