Gain experience with an AI-based pair programmer right now!
Instructor: Tim Warner - Microsoft MVP, MCT
Duration: 4 hours (4 x ~55 minute segments with breaks)
Platform: O'Reilly Live Training (ON24)
- 📧 Email: tim@techtrainertim.com
- 🌐 Website: TechTrainerTim.com
- 🐦 Bluesky: @techtrainertim.bsky.social
- 💼 LinkedIn: Timothy Warner
- 🎥 YouTube: @TechTrainerTim
- 📚 O'Reilly: Timothy Warner
- GitHub Copilot subscription tiers (Free, Pro, Pro+, Business, Enterprise)
- VS Code setup and extension configuration
- Code completions (inline suggestions, ghost text, multi-line)
- Chat interface basics (
Ctrl+Iinline, sidebar chat) - Chat participants (
@workspace,@terminal,@vscode,@github) - Slash commands (
/explain,/fix,/tests,/doc,/new,/newNotebook) - Context awareness and file references (
#file,#selection,#changes) - Prompt engineering fundamentals
- Responsible AI foundations
- Chat modes (Ask vs Edit vs Agent)
- Copilot Edit mode for controlled multi-file refactoring
- Working sets and file context management
- Custom instructions (
.github/copilot-instructions.md) and path-scoped instructions (.github/instructions/*.instructions.md) - Prompt files (
.github/prompts/*.prompt.md) - Model selection strategy (GPT-5.2, Claude Opus 4.5/4.6, Gemini 3 Flash/Pro)
- Debugging workflows and iteration loops
- Next Edit Suggestions (predictive editing, long-distance NES)
- Vision for Copilot (screenshot/mockup to code)
- Agent Mode in VS Code (Plan mode, Autopilot mode, sub-agent delegation: Explore, Task, Code Review, Plan)
- GitHub Copilot Coding Agent (async PR creation via GitHub Actions; delegate via VS Code, GitHub web, Mobile, CLI)
- GitHub Copilot CLI — GA Feb 25, 2026 (
gh copilot— terminal-native agentic coding, built-in GitHub MCP server) - Custom Agents (
.github/agents/*.agent.md— formerly "chat modes"; specify tools, MCP servers, instructions per agent) - Agent Skills (
.github/skills/[name]/SKILL.md— teach Copilot your patterns; project or personal~/.copilot/skills/) - Model Context Protocol (MCP) server integration (OAuth, enterprise governance)
- GitHub Copilot Extensions (Perplexity, Docker, Sentry, Azure)
- Copilot Memory (Pro/Pro+ — persistent repository-level context; shared across Coding Agent, Code Review, CLI)
- Testing workflows and TDD
- Migration scenarios (language ports, framework upgrades)
- GitHub Copilot Spaces — GA (persistent context hubs, public/org sharing)
- Organization-level custom instructions
- Copilot Code Review with agentic features (CodeQL, ESLint, hand-off to Coding Agent, data residency)
- Enterprise MCP governance (admin allowlists)
- Content exclusions and IP filtering
- Audit logs and usage analytics
- Security best practices (secret detection, vulnerability scanning)
- Policy enforcement and compliance guardrails
- ROI measurement and productivity metrics (Copilot Metrics API)
- IDE expansion: JetBrains, Eclipse, Xcode, Visual Studio 2026 (find_symbol, enterprise MCP, proxy support)
- GH-300 Certification exam overview (7 domains, updated Jan 2026; covers Agent Mode, MCP, Spaces, CLI)
| Model | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GPT-5.2 | Reasoning, novel problem-solving | GA across all plans |
| GPT-5.1 | General-purpose coding | GA across paid tiers |
| GPT-5 mini | Everyday completions | Included model; no premium request consumption |
| Claude Opus 4.5/4.6 | Code understanding, complex debugging | GA; premium multiplier |
| Claude Sonnet 4/4.5/4.6 | Balanced code tasks | GA across paid tiers |
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | Fast lightweight tasks | Low-cost option |
| Gemini 3 Flash/Pro | Fast tasks, boilerplate | Speed-optimized |
| Gemini 3.1 Pro | Enhanced reasoning | Latest Gemini |
Deprecated Feb 17, 2026: Claude Opus 4.1, GPT-5, GPT-5-Codex -- migrate to Opus 4.5/4.6 or GPT-5.1/5.2
- Copilot CLI GA (Feb 25, 2026) -- Terminal-native agentic coding with built-in GitHub MCP server, now production-ready
- Model deprecations (Feb 17, 2026) -- Claude Opus 4.1, GPT-5, GPT-5-Codex removed; use Opus 4.5/4.6 or GPT-5.1/5.2
- Claude Opus 4.6 / Sonnet 4.6 -- Latest Anthropic models available across paid tiers
- Long-distance NES (Feb 26, 2026) -- Next Edit Suggestions predict edits anywhere in file, not just near cursor
- Enterprise MCP governance -- Admin allowlists for org-approved MCP servers (VS Code and VS 2026)
- Custom Agents --
.agent.mdfiles replace.chatmode.md(same functionality, new terminology) - Agent Skills -- Teach Copilot repeatable workflows via SKILL.md (project or personal, across CLI, VS Code, Coding Agent)
- Copilot Memory expanding -- Now shared across Coding Agent, Code Review, and CLI (Pro/Pro+ early access)
- Agentic Code Review -- LLM + CodeQL/ESLint with hand-off to Coding Agent; Enterprise Cloud data residency
- GH-300 exam overhaul (Jan 2026) -- 7 domains with new weighting; now covers Agent Mode, MCP, Spaces, CLI
- VS Code v1.109 (Jan 2026) -- Claude agent support in preview, faster streaming, improved reasoning
- VS Code v1.110 cycle -- Native browser integration for agents (page interaction, screenshots, console logs)
| Tier | Price | Premium Requests | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | 2,000 completions + 50 chats | Basic completions and chat |
| Pro | $10/mo | 300/mo | All models, unlimited completions |
| Pro+ | $39/mo | 1,500/mo | All premium models, Memory |
| Business | $19/user/mo | 300/user/mo | Org management, audit logs, IP indemnity, Coding Agent |
| Enterprise | $39/user/mo | 1,000/user/mo | Fine-tuned models, knowledge bases, advanced security |
- GitHub account (Free tier includes Copilot with 2,000 monthly completions)
- Visual Studio Code with GitHub Copilot extension
- Basic understanding of Git and GitHub
- Familiarity with at least one programming language
- GitHub Copilot Product Page
- Official Documentation
- GitHub Copilot Quickstart
- GitHub Copilot What's New
- GitHub Changelog
- Supported AI Models
- GH-300 Study Guide
- GitHub Copilot Certification
- MS Learn Path: Copilot Fundamentals Part 1
- MS Learn Path: Copilot Fundamentals Part 2
MIT License - See LICENSE for details