AI Coding & Developer Tools — September 23, 2026

Findings

1. [1] 2026-09-30 Visual Studio Code 1.140 (Insiders)

   Learn what's new in Visual Studio Code 1.140 (Insiders) Read the full article

2. [2] 2026-09-23 More ways to request and configure Copilot code reviews

   GitHub Copilot code review now offers additional personal configurations to an expanded set of Copilot plans and an enterprise-level default setting. These improvements are now generally available: A dedicated personal settings page for automatic review and your default review effort An enterprise-wide default review effort setting for organization-owned repositories ⚙️ Manage your personal review settings Previously, personal Copilot code review…

3. [3] 2026-09-23 Node 20 is no longer available in GitHub Actions

   This is the final notification that Node 20 is no longer available on GitHub Actions runners. Runners now use Node 24 for JavaScript actions. The temporary ACTIONS_ALLOW_USE_UNSECURE_NODE_VERSION opt-out is no longer available. If you maintain a JavaScript action, update its runs.using value to node24 and publish a new release as soon as possible. For details, see the metadata syntax for…

4. [4] 2026-09-23 Rendering huge pull requests in the GitHub Copilot app

   Broad refactors and migrations often have to land as one change. Stacked pull requests are a great way to split work into smaller changes, which makes reviews easier and helps teams ship with less risk. But some changes, like this… Dynamic block geometry covers everything whose height we can’t predict, such as review threads, drafts, and reply composers. Each one is a block identified by what it is rather than where it currently sits. It has a stable key that… That last rule has a sharp edge, and it bit us. “Don’t correct while the user is scrolling” was implemented as a guard on the last observed scroll, and programmatic scrolls refreshed that timestamp too. Toggling the file-tree sidebar changes… Probe the suspect seam. When a signal goes bad, add one narrow structured probe there, re-arm, re-read. (Editing the surface hot-reloads the live window and re-arms the autopilot, so a fresh capture is about one cycle away.) Remove the scaffolding.…

5. [5] 2026-09-23 Visual Studio Code 1.139

   Learn what is new in Visual Studio Code 1.139 Read the full article

6. [6] 2026-09-23 Local sandboxing in the GitHub Copilot app

   Local sandboxing helps reduce the potential impact of unintended commands by limiting access to files, network resources, and credentials on your machine. In the GitHub Copilot app, you configure it per project for local repository and working tree sessions. The project’s sandbox settings include: Filesystem: Additional read/write, additional read-only, and denied folder lists. Network: Outbound internet and local network settings.…

7. [7] 2026-09-23 Developers want more efficient software. Here’s what over 1000 GitHub users told us they need.

   Developers know efficient software matters, but many lack a clear way to find waste, measure an improvement, and make the case for fixing it. That is the central finding from a new survey of 1,039 GitHub users conducted by GitHub… The open source Daily Efficiency Improver workflow reviews a repository for opportunities across code, data, network, I/O, and frontend performance. It prioritizes changes that can be measured, runs the repository’s tests, and can open draft pull requests with the evidence…

8. [8] 2026-09-23 OpenTelemetry in the GitHub Copilot app

   Understand how Copilot agents perform and interact with models and tools. The GitHub Copilot app now supports OpenTelemetry (OTel) configuration through enterprise-managed settings. OTel is an open source observability framework. Administrators can use it to send agent activity data to their organization’s compatible monitoring tools. This helps teams: Analyze agent sessions: Follow the flow of a session, including requests to…

9. [9] 2026-09-23 New features and improvements in Copilot for JetBrains

   GitHub Copilot for JetBrains 1.18.0 brings AI-assisted tool approvals, more control over agent conversations, and shared skills and instructions for your organization. You can also review plans with the Codex agent and manage MCP tools with persistent controls. What’s new AI-assisted tool approvals AI-assisted tool approvals, called assisted approvals, are now in public preview for Copilot agent sessions. Low-risk tool…

10. [10] 2026-09-22 Faster C++ code intelligence with whole codebase indexing

    C++ code intelligence in GitHub Copilot CLI is now faster with support for whole codebase indexing. C++ repositories can contain millions of lines of code across deeply connected source files and headers. Without a reusable index, code-intelligence requests may need to rediscover project information as you navigate, making it slower to find a definition, locate references, or understand unfamiliar code.…

Sources

1. [1] Visual Studio Code 1.140 (Insiders)
2. [2] More ways to request and configure Copilot code reviews
3. [3] Node 20 is no longer available in GitHub Actions
4. [4] Rendering huge pull requests in the GitHub Copilot app
5. [5] Visual Studio Code 1.139
6. [6] Local sandboxing in the GitHub Copilot app
7. [7] Developers want more efficient software. Here’s what over 1000 GitHub users told us they need.
8. [8] OpenTelemetry in the GitHub Copilot app
9. [9] New features and improvements in Copilot for JetBrains
10. [10] Faster C++ code intelligence with whole codebase indexing