Iteration Plan for October 2025 #271045

This plan captures our work in October 2025. This is a 5-week iteration. We will ship in early November.

Endgame

• November 4, 2025: Endgame begins
• November 7, 2025: Endgame done

The endgame details for this iteration are tracked here.

Plan Items

Below is a summary of the top level plan items.

Legend of annotations:

Accessibility

• Accessibility issues, see query Megan Rogge (@meganrogge) Anthony Kim (@anthonykim1) team

Workbench

• Support JSON file as a policy backend on Linux vscode#148945 Paul (@pwang347) joshspicer

Code Editor

• Allow using LSP in the Monaco Editor vscode#262872 Henning Dieterichs (@hediet)

Notebook Editor / Jupyter Notebooks

• Support next/previous find matches (F3) in notebook vscode#235762 Dinesh Chandnani (@dineshc-msft)
• 🏃 Inline Chat V2 for notebooks improvement vscode#259903 Aaron Munger (@amunger)

Source Control

• SCM: Support single repositories only vscode#245346 Ladislau Szomoru (@lszomoru)
• SCM: Improve Repositories view vscode#271097 Ladislau Szomoru (@lszomoru)
• Git: Support deep link to continue working on PR in VS Code vscode#271101 Alex Ross (@alexr00)

Settings

• Configuration: Advanced settings support vscode#270142 Sandeep Somavarapu (@sandy081)

Languages

Python

• 🏃 Roll out Python Environments Extension as bundled by default with the Python Extension vscode-python-environments#190 Eleanor Boyd (@eleanorjboyd)
  • 🏃 Add Support for Python Environments Extension API in the Python Debugger vscode-python-debugger#835 Eleanor Boyd (@eleanorjboyd)
  • ✋ 🏃 Create setting to toggle using uv for venvs and support new uv specific environment tag from PET vscode-python-environments#938 Eleanor Boyd (@eleanorjboyd)

Terminal

• Ship shell-agnostic terminal intellisense by default in stable vscode#226562 Megan Rogge (@meganrogge) Daniel Imms (@Tyriar)
• Take ownership of terminal-links, terminal-find, terminal-layout, terminal-sticky-scroll, terminal-local-echo, terminal-external vscode#261683 Anthony Kim (@anthonykim1)
  • Exiting out of alt buffer brings the scroll to the top vscode#224750 Anthony Kim (@anthonykim1)
  • Unify timeout setting under terminal.integrated.shellIntegration to use in runCommand vscode#270813 Anthony Kim (@anthonykim1)
• 🏃 Ramp up on terminal-process Anthony Kim (@anthonykim1)
  • 🏃 Investigate issues integrating conpty on Windows 25H2 vscode#243584, vscode#241978 vscode#274372 Anthony Kim (@anthonykim1) Daniel Imms (@Tyriar)
  • ✋ 🏃 Investigate issues around cwd and remotes Investigate all cwd/remote issues #272892 Anthony Kim (@anthonykim1) Daniel Imms (@Tyriar)

API

• 🏃 API proposals: query Matt Bierner (@mjbvz) Alex Ross (@alexr00)
• 🏃 API finalization: query Matt Bierner (@mjbvz) Alex Ross (@alexr00)

AI

Chat

• 🏃 Support for CoT tokens vscode#257104 Justin Chen (@justschen) Karthik Nadig (@karthiknadig) Joanna Oikawa (@jo-oikawa)
• 🏃 Review and address Chat UX feedback from social channels vscode#26703 Justin Chen (@justschen) Joanna Oikawa (@jo-oikawa) Benjamin Pasero (@bpasero) Isidor Nikolic (@isidorn)
• Improvements to Auto model selection vscode#265906 Logan Ramos (@lramos15)
• Model picker models should be cached for reload vscode#268856 Logan Ramos (@lramos15)
• 🏃 Improve chat empty state with context clearing and active tasks vscode#270465 Elijah King (@eli-w-king) Isidor Nikolic (@isidorn) Benjamin Pasero (@bpasero)
• Add context menus for welcome prompts vscode#266374 Ben Villalobos (@benvillalobos) Elijah King (@eli-w-king) Eleanor Boyd (@eleanorjboyd)
• 🏃 Chat: Support contributable chat context resources vscode#271104 Alex Ross (@alexr00)
• 🏃 Chat: Improve model management UI vscode#270143 Sandeep Somavarapu (@sandy081)

MCP

• Support Client Id Metadata Document auth flow vscode#270811 TylerLeonhardt
• Support MCP registry endpoint as org-policy to allow-list MCP vscode#272247 Sandeep Somavarapu (@sandy081)

Prompt, Instruction and Mode Files

• Identify and close gaps needed to implement multi-step modes such as TDD vscode#261542 Harald Kirschner (@digitarald) Martin Aeschlimann (@aeschli) roblourens Joanna Oikawa (@jo-oikawa)
  • Chat modes can define handoffs to the next mode/prompt vscode#272211 Harald Kirschner (@digitarald) Martin Aeschlimann (@aeschli) Bhavya U (@bhavyaus)
  • Enable runSubagent tool for spawning isolated agent loops by default vscode#270841 Harald Kirschner (@digitarald) roblourens
  • Built-in Plan Mode vscode#272211 Harald Kirschner (@digitarald)
• Improve /save for reusable prompts vscode#262163 Martin Aeschlimann (@aeschli)

Inline Chat

• None.

Tools and tools management

• Improve pre-selection of tools vscode#263272 Connor Peet (@connor4312) yufanhuang-ms
• Improve editing model to correctly reflect file renames vscode#263275 Connor Peet (@connor4312)
• Support post-tool call approvals for inspecting incoming context vscode#270618 Connor Peet (@connor4312)

Terminal/task tools

• Implement tree sitter-based parser for terminal auto approve vscode#261794 Daniel Imms (@Tyriar)
• Shell-specific instructions vscode#262386 Daniel Imms (@Tyriar)
• Fix terminal tool hanging when zsh+powerlevel10k is used vscode#271897 Daniel Imms (@Tyriar)
• Redirection file write detection vscode#272984 Daniel Imms (@Tyriar)
• Run in terminal: Show terminal inline inside the chat view vscode#257468 Megan Rogge (@meganrogge)

NES / Completions

• Offer completions from the chat extension vscode#272672 Benjamin Christopher Simmonds (@benibenj) Alexandru Dima (@alexdima) Dirk Bäumer (@dbaeumer) Christof Marti (@chrmarti)
• Trigger NES when switching files vscode#268115 Ulugbek Abdullaev (@ulugbekna)
• Explore offering next cursor location predictions vscode#271269 Ulugbek Abdullaev (@ulugbekna)
• 🏃 Explore UX for next cursor location or cross-file next edits vscode#271133 Benjamin Christopher Simmonds (@benibenj) Henning Dieterichs (@hediet) Lee Murray (@mrleemurray)
• Create an npm package which contains NES as a library vscode-copilot-chat#216 Christof Marti (@chrmarti)
• 🏃 Explore Optimistic Next Edit Suggestions vscode-copilot-chat#222 Christof Marti (@chrmarti)
• 🏃 Revive TypeScript context provider experiment vscode#255373 Dirk Bäumer (@dbaeumer)

Integrations

• 🏃 Improve GH Coding Agent (aka Padawan) integration vscode#270856 Osvaldo Ortega (@osortega) Peng Lyu (@rebornix)
• 🏃 Integrate GH Copilot CLI vscode#270852 Peng Lyu (@rebornix) Don Jayamanne (@DonJayamanne)
• Support Agent/Mode/Model picker for new session creation vscode#270855 joshspicer
• 🏃 Chat Sessions: Support single view vscode#270945 Benjamin Pasero (@bpasero) Osvaldo Ortega (@osortega)
• 🏃 Chat session provider/editor api vscode#256396 Matt Bierner (@mjbvz) roblourens

Electron

• 🏃 Support a better Windows update flow vscode#249239 Robo (@deepak1556)
• Deprecate macOS 11.0 vscode#268375 Robo (@deepak1556)

Engineering

• 🏃 Engineering: Restructure project npm dependencies vscode#252171 Robo (@deepak1556)
• 🏃 Engineering: ESM restore support for ASAR vscode#228064 Robo (@deepak1556)
• 🏃 Explore leveraging Playwright MCP to "record a demo" as part of pull request review vscode#272529 TylerLeonhardt

Documentation

• Add support info to Copilot docs vscode-docs#895 Nick Trogh (@ntrogh)
• Consolidate built-in chat modes content (agent/edit/ask) vscode-docs#8952 Nick Trogh (@ntrogh)
• 🏃 Test-driven development user guide vscode-docs#8951 Nick Trogh (@ntrogh) Harald Kirschner (@digitarald)
• 💪 Working with large codebases user guide vscode-docs#8932 Harald Kirschner (@digitarald) Nick Trogh (@ntrogh)
• 💪 Refresh Source Control overview vscode-docs#8964 Nick Trogh (@ntrogh)

Website

• None

Deferred

• Update Profiles UI to include AI features vscode#270130 Sandeep Somavarapu (@sandy081) Elijah King (@eli-w-king)
• Support MCP metadata verion updates vscode#271137 Sandeep Somavarapu (@sandy081)
• Link MCP servers with Marketplace extensions vscode#271138 Sandeep Somavarapu (@sandy081)
• 🔴 Unify the intent prompts by reusing the edit mode Johannes Rieken (@jrieken)
• Explore task-oriented workflow for chat/agent sessions vscode-pr#8076 Matt Bierner (@mjbvz)
• 🏃 Allow configuring font family, font size and line height via syntactic tokens vscode#263545 Aiday Marlen Kyzy (@aiday-mar)
• ✋ Support to approve agent mode confirmations from desktop notifications vscode#251621 Benjamin Pasero (@bpasero)
• ✋ Remove all hard-coded styles with variables vscode#248725 Lee Murray (@mrleemurray)
• Improve rendering of prompt file usage in Chat vscode#253014 Martin Aeschlimann (@aeschli) Justin Chen (@justschen)
• Support Copilot Chat in web vscode#245860 Benjamin Pasero (@bpasero)
• 💪 Explore anchored quick widget for mouse interactions to attach context vscode#238095 TylerLeonhardt
• Suggest to user to move app to /Applications on startup vscode#213909 Robo (@deepak1556)
• 💪 Opt-in to LLM-based approval vscode#253267 Daniel Imms (@Tyriar)
• 💪 Explore offering inline completions in the chat input box vscode#255818 Aiday Marlen Kyzy (@aiday-mar)
• 💪 Explore rendering unaccepted files in SCM vscode#254456 Aiday Marlen Kyzy (@aiday-mar) Ladislau Szomoru (@lszomoru)
• STest cache explorer vscode#255803 João Moreno (@joaomoreno)
• Explore moving notebook tools into core vscode#260234 Don Jayamanne (@DonJayamanne) Aaron Munger (@amunger)
• 💪 Improve width of ToC, and overall the width of a docs page that's available vscode-docs#8485 Hawk Ticehurst (@hawkticehurst)
• Explore Builtin create pull request tool / integration in Copilot Chat vscode#255387 Alex Ross (@alexr00)
• 💪 Support generating copilot-setup-steps.yml vscode#260225 Osvaldo Ortega (@osortega)
• 🏃 Terminal tool UX refresh vscode#257468 Daniel Imms (@Tyriar) Joanna Oikawa (@jo-oikawa)
• Improve how the terminal tool deals with multiple terminals vscode#253263 Daniel Imms (@Tyriar)
• 💪 Re-routing of calls to terminal tool to appropriate native tools vscode#253884 Daniel Imms (@Tyriar)
• Explore layouts for Chat session + Multi File Diff vscode#260226 joshspicer
• Build "Diagnose with AI" flow for Python Environment Extension vscode-python-environments#592 Eleanor Boyd (@eleanorjboyd)
• 🏃 Support Mermaid diagram rendering in Chat vscode-copilot-release#7440 Matt Bierner (@mjbvz)