GitHub sets October 19 deprecation date

GitHub will deprecate selected models used across GitHub Copilot on October 19, 2026, according to a company announcement published on September 18. The change will cover all GitHub Copilot experiences, rather than being limited to a single interface or development workflow.

GitHub’s notice does not list the model names in the supplied announcement. Instead, it directs customers to its documentation on supported models for additional information about the models available in Copilot. The company is asking users to update their workflows and integrations to supported models before the October deadline.

Change applies across Copilot experiences

The deprecation will affect Copilot Chat, inline edits, ask mode, agent mode and code completions. This means the selected models will no longer be part of the supported model set for the Copilot experiences covered by the announcement after the deprecation takes effect.

By naming both interactive and coding-focused features, GitHub is describing a broad product change. Copilot users may encounter the affected models in different parts of their development workflow, while organizations may have integrations or internal processes that depend on particular model selections. GitHub’s guidance is to move those workflows and integrations to supported models before October 19.

Suggested alternatives for business customers

GitHub says suggested alternative models are automatically enabled for Copilot Enterprise and Copilot Business customers under default model enablement. That automatic access applies unless an administrator has turned off the global default or explicitly disabled the model.

The announcement does not identify the suggested alternatives or describe how they compare with the models being deprecated. It does, however, explain what administrators should do when the global default has been disabled: access to the alternative models can be enabled through their model policies in Copilot settings.

Once an alternative model is enabled, users will see it in the Copilot Chat model selector in supported GitHub Copilot experiences. The model selector therefore serves as the point where users can access models made available by their organization’s settings.

Administrators should review model policies

The policy settings described by GitHub place much of the transition process with Copilot Business and Enterprise administrators. Organizations that rely on global defaults may receive the suggested alternatives automatically, while organizations that have changed those defaults may need to review their model policies and enable access manually.

GitHub’s notice does not say that administrators must remove the deprecated models themselves. It explicitly states that no action is required to remove the models after they have been deprecated. The recommended preparation is instead to ensure that workflows, integrations and user access are aligned with supported models before the deadline.

Enterprise customers can contact account teams

GitHub Enterprise customers with questions or concerns are encouraged to contact their account team for assistance. The announcement does not provide further details about migration support, compatibility considerations or any changes to individual customer configurations.

GitHub also directs users to documentation covering supported Copilot models and invites them to share feedback through the GitHub Community. Until the deprecation date, customers can use those resources and their organization’s Copilot settings to identify the supported models available to them and prepare affected workflows.

Sources

• GitHub ChangelogUpcoming deprecation of selected GitHub Copilot models in mid-October