VS Code 1.124 makes agent sessions easier to queue, navigate, and govern
Visual Studio Code 1.124 sharpens the Agents window with background sessions, keyboard navigation, restored layouts, smarter Autopilot, browser history, and enterprise-managed Copilot plugin policies.
Visual Studio Code 1.124 is a developer-tool release focused on agent workflow throughput, not a new model launch. The official notes say the Agents window now supports background session sending, faster keyboard navigation across sessions, restored layouts after reloads, smarter Autopilot behavior, integrated browser history, and enterprise-managed Copilot plugin policies. For teams already using Copilot CLI, Copilot Cloud, or Claude agent sessions in VS Code, this release is mainly about controlling more parallel work without losing review discipline.
Key takeaways
- Background sessions let developers submit a new agent request and keep composing the next one instead of waiting for the first session to load.
- Session navigation adds a searchable picker, back/forward movement, previous/next commands, and direct session focus shortcuts.
- The Agents window now restores visible sessions, pinned state, active session, side-bar layout, and open editors after reloads.
- Autopilot is enabled by default, while organizations can still manage availability through policy-controlled settings.
- Enterprise Copilot plugin policies move closer to one shared control plane for VS Code and Copilot CLI.
Practical LinkLoot angle
VS Code is turning agent work into something closer to a queueable developer operations surface. The useful workflow is simple: split a backlog into small repository-scoped prompts, send low-risk tasks in the background, keep one active session for review, and use the Changes view to inspect generated edits before merging.
| Capability | Best use | Limitation to check | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background sessions | Queue small fixes, docs updates, or follow-up tasks | Started sessions appear after they commit, so track what actually launched | VS Code release notes |
| Session picker and shortcuts | Move through several active agent tasks quickly | Keyboard habits need team convention if pair-reviewing | VS Code release notes |
| Restored Agents window layout | Resume multi-session review after reloads | Confirm state restoration on your OS and remote setup | VS Code release notes |
| Advanced Autopilot | Let an agent decide whether to keep iterating | Preview behavior is bounded, but still needs human review | VS Code release notes |
| Enterprise plugin policies | Centralize approved Copilot plugin and marketplace access | Policy names and rollout path should be verified by admins | VS Code release notes |
The decision point for LinkLoot readers is whether agent sessions have become frequent enough to deserve an operating surface. If you only ask Copilot for occasional edits, the regular Chat view remains enough. If you already run several repo tasks in parallel, the 1.124 changes make VS Code more useful as a session board with review, browser, terminal, and policy controls nearby.
What to verify before you act
Check whether your installed VS Code build is 1.124 or later, because the release notes also list 1.124.1 and 1.124.2 follow-up updates. Confirm your organization policy for Autopilot and Copilot plugins before enabling broad agent autonomy; the release notes repeatedly mark several controls as organization-managed. Test background sessions on a non-critical repository first, then review the generated branch or worktree through the Changes view before merging. If your team depends on Copilot CLI plugins, compare VS Code behavior with the CLI policy file instead of assuming every plugin marketplace remains available.
Source check
The official VS Code 1.124 release notes confirm background sessions, session navigation, layout restoration, Autopilot changes, browser history, and enterprise-managed Copilot plugin policies. Releasebot independently tracks the same Visual Studio Code update and summarizes the agent-session, browser-history, and enterprise-policy changes. The VS Code Agents window documentation confirms the broader product model: a dedicated agent-first window for sessions across workspaces, supported by Copilot CLI, Copilot Cloud, and Claude agent sessions.
The release improves the Agents window with background sessions, keyboard navigation, restored layouts, smarter Autopilot, and enterprise plugin policy controls.
If you are building a broader agent workflow around editors, repos, browsers, and human review, pair this update with LinkLoot's guide to AI workflow automation.