# VS Code 1.146 — the Local agent harness is deprecated, Copilot harness stays

> VS Code 1.146 starts a three-month countdown to remove the Local harness and adds tools for managing many agent sessions at once.

- Org: Microsoft
- Date: 2026-11-11
- Category: tool
- Source: https://code.visualstudio.com/updates/v1_146
- Canonical page: https://ai-tldr.dev/releases/microsoft-vscode-1-146/

## In short

VS Code 1.146 deprecates the Local agent harness, which will be removed in February 2027, so agent sessions move to the Copilot harness. It also adds an Inbox for agent sessions, skills from MCP servers and a /code handoff from Copilot CLI.

## What it is

Visual Studio Code 1.146, released on November 11, 2026, deprecates the Local agent harness and says it will be removed in February 2027. The Copilot harness, the default for new sessions since VS Code 1.143, becomes the only harness going forward. The release also adds an experimental Inbox mode, inline session actions, chat windows and skills supplied over MCP.

## How it works

The Copilot harness runs on the Copilot SDK and the Agent Host, which lets sessions keep running in the background. Inbox mode (setting `sessions.list.inboxEnabled`) puts sessions that need your attention above the Working, Ready to merge, On hold and Done groups. With skills over MCP (`chat.agentHost.mcpSkills.enabled`), an MCP server can hand skills to the model after you approve them the first time you connect.

## Why it matters

Teams that still pin the Local harness, including through the enterprise-managed `vscode.temporaryDefaultToLocalHarness` setting, have until February 2027 to move. For developers running several agents in parallel, the Inbox and inline actions such as Address Comments cut the time spent opening each session to check on it.

## Who it's for

VS Code and GitHub Copilot users, platform admins

## Try it

Update VS Code, then check that the harness picker shows Copilot

## Quick facts

- Release date: November 11, 2026
- Deprecated: Local agent harness (removal in February 2027)
- Default harness: Copilot (Copilot SDK + Agent Host)
- Experimental: Inbox mode, inline session actions, /code handoff
- Preview: Skills over MCP, chat windows, model comparison

## FAQ

### Do I need to do anything about the VS Code Local harness deprecation?

Microsoft says most VS Code users need no new action, because the Copilot harness has been the default for new sessions since VS Code 1.143. Anyone who still uses the Local harness should move fully to the Copilot harness before February 2027, when the Local harness and the enterprise-managed vscode.temporaryDefaultToLocalHarness setting are removed.

### How do I move a Copilot CLI session into VS Code?

In VS Code 1.146, typing /code in Copilot CLI (or /code-insiders for Insiders) closes the CLI and opens the same session in the VS Code Chat view for that folder. The feature is experimental and needs Copilot CLI 1.0.107 or later with experimental features turned on. To go back, run the copilot --resume command the CLI prints.

### Can MCP servers give skills to the VS Code agent?

Yes, as a preview in VS Code 1.146. With chat.agentHost.mcpSkills.enabled turned on, an MCP server can supply skills to the model automatically. The first time you connect to a server that offers skills, VS Code asks you to allow them into the model's context, so nothing is added without your approval.

### What is model comparison in VS Code 1.146?

Model comparison, a preview in VS Code 1.146, lets you add a judge and a synthesizer to compare outputs from several models and can include Copilot Fusion. An experimental setting, sessions.chat.compareAgents.tools.enabled, lets an agent discover models, launch comparisons and read the results itself.

## Links

- [Release Notes](https://code.visualstudio.com/updates/v1_146)
- [GitHub Release](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.146.0)