VS Code Copilot Extension is Open Source

🎙️ On this episode, we’re joined by Burke Holland from the Visual Studio Advocacy Team for a deep dive into the newly open-sourced VS Code Copilot Extension. 💡 Burke shares his expert insights on using Copilot Custom Modes to guide the AI model’s behavior—helping you reduce costs and optimize both output and chat interactions. 🔥 He also introduces “Beast Mode”, now integrated into VS Code Insiders—and yes, it’s available TODAY! 🚀 To wrap up, discover what’s next for the project and how you can contribute to this exciting open-source initiative. ✅ Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:04 VSCode Copilot Extension is Open Source 02:34 How to Contribute for the VSCode Copilot Extension Projects 06:41 Overview of VSCode Extension 13:50 Burke's Beast Mode - a Custom Agent Mode 21:18 Customize your copilot instructions 22:33 What's Next / How to Get Started ✅ Resources: Find the latest info about the open-source VS Code Copilot Chat Extension project at: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-copilot-chat and https://code.visualstudio.com/ Use Chat Modes in VS Code: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/customization/custom-chat-modes Awesome Copilot: https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot Burke's Beast Mode: https://burkeholland.github.io/posts/beast-mode-3-1/ Beast Mode 3.1 GIST gist.githubusercontent.com/burkeholland/88af0249c4b6aff3820bf37898c8bacf/raw/f2bf4380b2dd886f1344544f8125c5ea10854a9c/beastmode3.1.chatmode.md GPT 4.1 Prompting Guide https://cookbook.openai.com/examples/gpt4-1_prompting_guide GPT 5 Prompting Guide https://cookbook.openai.com/examples/gpt-5/gpt-5_prompting_guide 📌 Let's connect: Jorge Arteiro | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorgearteiro Burke Holland | https://www.linkedin.com/in/burkeholland/ Subscribe to the Open at Microsoft: https://aka.ms/OpenAtMicrosoft Open at Microsoft Playlist: https://aka.ms/OpenAtMicrosoftPlaylist 📝Submit Your OSS Project for Open at Microsoft https://aka.ms/OpenAtMsCFP New episode on Tuesdays!