Turn conversations into code with GitHub Copilot in Microsoft Teams

Collaborative Coding: Your Context Lives Here

The most effective prompt might just be the conversation your team is already having. Traditionally, using a coding assistant has often required developers to juggle between discussions and various tools. This meant stepping away from the conversation, engaging with another application, and painstakingly piecing together the problem: recalling what transpired, what decisions were made, the relevant constraints, and the specific requirements for the project.

Now, with GitHub Copilot in Teams, you can go straight from discussing an idea to implementing it. Simply @mention GitHub Copilot when your team is set to take action. It can leverage the ongoing conversation along with repository details to grasp the request, execute the changes, and generate a pull request for review.

This updates the way we interact with coding assistants, making the process more collaborative and transparent. Instead of a single developer trying to recreate the request solo, team members can add context, correct any misunderstandings, refine their approach in real-time, and collectively assess the outcome.

Let’s delve into the new GitHub Copilot experience in Teams and see how it can enhance your development workflow:

Integrating GitHub Copilot in Teams Chat

GitHub Copilot is accessible within Teams channels, group chats, meeting chats, and one-on-one conversations. After installing the GitHub app and adding it to your chat, simply @-mention GitHub Copilot to involve it in your discussion and kick off a task. During the public preview, you can accomplish the following tasks with GitHub Copilot in Teams:

• Develop a feature based on ideas discussed in Teams
• Fix a reported bug
• Enhance test coverage or refine documentation
• Create or update a pull request

No more need to copy discussions into a command line interface. Forget rewriting them in a separate app or relying on one developer to translate team decisions into a detailed prompt. GitHub Copilot operates right where the context is already established, encouraging teamwork and collaboration.

Designed for Existing Workflows

GitHub Copilot in Teams functions seamlessly with your current GitHub permissions and repository policies. Branch protections and review requirements remain intact, meaning the responsibility for what gets merged stays with the team, ensuring that human oversight is present at every stage.

Get Started with GitHub Copilot in Teams

GitHub Copilot in Teams is currently available in Public Preview. To give it a try, make sure to install the GitHub app for Microsoft Teams. For more information, check the official documentation to get started!

Less time reconstructing context, more time making progress from your ongoing discussions.