Copilot is not editing code anymore!

[AgomferAustral]

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Hi to all!

Copilot, using the agent mode with Claude 4, stopped modifying code. On the chat window, it seems working fine, but my code was unmodified. I was working on jupyter notebooks files.

I tried to uninstall vscode and install it again but it's working in the same way.
I also uninstalled the copilot extension, but ... copilot still remains in the vscode windows! Even after reboot!
It not allows me to change modes (to ask or edit).

Any ideas? Thanks!

MacOS 15.6
VSCode 1.103

[amer-5]

Hi @AgomferAustral,

It’s also possible that your Copilot trial or subscription expired. When that happens, editing features stop working even if the extension appears installed. You can check your subscription status in your GitHub account under Settings → Billing & plans.

[pradev007]

It’s a known bug with the latest Copilot update, try switching modes or clearing workspace chats as a temporary fix until it’s patched

[jihanurrahman33]

Hi @AgomferAustral,

This usually isn’t a “global Copilot is broken” issue — it’s a mix of agent permissions, where edits are allowed (notebooks vs files), and extension conflicts. Try the steps below (in order) to get edits working again.

---

1) Make sure the agent you’re using can edit

In the Copilot Chat panel:

• Open the model/agent dropdown and pick GitHub Copilot (not a third-party agent).
• Click the gear ⚙️ in the chat header and ensure “Allow edits to files” (or similar wording) is enabled for that agent.
• Start a new chat after changing this.

Some agents (e.g., Claude) may reply in chat but won’t apply workspace edits depending on your setup/policy. The built-in GitHub Copilot agent is the safest bet for edits.

---

2) Test edits in a normal text file first (not a notebook)

Edits are most reliable in standard editors (e.g., *.py, *.ts, etc.).
Try:

1. Open a simple test.py.
2. Use Inline Chat (⌘I / Ctrl+I) and ask: “rename function foo to bar”.
3. Click Apply in the inline diff.

If this works in a file but not in .ipynb, the issue is notebook-specific (see next step).

---

3) About Jupyter notebooks

Notebook edit support is more limited. Depending on your VS Code + Jupyter + Copilot versions, edits in *.ipynb may not apply.

Workarounds:

• Use Inline Chat inside a cell (cursor in the cell code, then ⌘I/Ctrl+I).
• If edits still don’t apply, ask Copilot to “propose patch” and copy/paste into the cell.
• If possible, keep code in a *.py module and import it from the notebook — then let Copilot edit the *.py file.

Also make sure the Jupyter extension is up to date and that the notebook is Trusted (look for the shield badge / trust indicator).

---

4) Check Workspace Trust & permissions

• VS Code status bar → Manage (gear) → Workspace Trust → ensure the folder is Trusted.
  Untrusted workspaces can block file edits from extensions.

---

5) Look for extension conflicts

Tools like Continue, Cline, Codeium, or other AI assistants can intercept edit commands.

• Run Command Palette → “Developer: Show Running Extensions”.
• Temporarily disable other AI/code-action extensions and reload.
• Try edits again.

---

6) “I uninstalled Copilot but it still shows up”

Check all the places VS Code can install extensions:

• User vs Remote (Dev Containers / SSH / WSL) vs Workspace Recommended.
• In the Extensions panel, open the … menu → Install Location / Show Built-in.
• Uninstall both: GitHub Copilot and GitHub Copilot Chat in every context (Local + Remote).
• Turn off Settings Sync temporarily so it doesn’t auto-reinstall.
• Reload the window (Developer: Reload Window) or restart VS Code, then reinstall clean.

On macOS you can also check the extensions folder:

~/.vscode/extensions/

(delete only the github.copilot* folders if they linger after uninstall).

---

7) Collect a quick diagnostic if it still won’t edit

• Help → Toggle Developer Tools → Console: try an edit and copy any red errors.
• Output panel → dropdown: GitHub Copilot / GitHub Copilot Chat: look for errors when you attempt an edit.
• Try VS Code Insiders with only the two Copilot extensions enabled. If Insiders works, the fix will likely roll to Stable soon.

---

TL;DR

• Use the GitHub Copilot agent and enable “allow edits”.
• Verify edits work in a normal *.py/*.ts file with Inline Chat.
• Notebooks have limited edit support; use inline chat in a cell or edit a linked *.py.
• Ensure Workspace Trust, update Jupyter, and disable conflicting AI extensions.
• If all else fails, share DevTools/Output logs — they pinpoint the blocker.

MacOS 15.6 / VS Code 1.103 is fine for edits; the usual culprits are the agent permission, notebook limitations, or an extension conflict.

[PRIYAtechky]

Hi 👋,

It looks like the issue is related to cached extensions and settings that weren’t fully removed when you uninstalled VS Code and GitHub Copilot. Here are some steps you can try:

1. Completely remove Copilot extension data

   • Open VS Code.
   • Go to Extensions (⇧⌘X) → Search "Copilot".
   • Click the gear icon ⚙️ → Uninstall.
   • After uninstalling, manually delete any remaining Copilot files:
     • ~/.vscode/extensions/github.copilot-*

2. Clear VS Code cache & state

   • Quit VS Code.
   • Delete these folders:
     • ~/Library/Application Support/Code/
     • ~/Library/Caches/com.microsoft.VSCode/
     • ~/Library/Application Support/Code/CachedData/

3. Reinstall VS Code fresh

   • Download the latest stable version: https://code.visualstudio.com/
   • Install again.

4. Reinstall GitHub Copilot

   • Go to Extensions → search GitHub Copilot → Install.
   • Make sure you also install GitHub Copilot Chat if you need agent mode.

5. Check Notebook Compatibility

   • Ensure you are using Jupyter extension (ms-toolsai.jupyter) and that it’s updated.
   • Sometimes Copilot agent mode behaves differently in .ipynb files compared to .py.

6. Fallback

   • If the problem persists, try disabling Insider Builds of VS Code (if enabled) and switch to stable.

🔧 After this clean reinstall, Copilot should allow mode switching and edit suggestions again.

---

✅ Tip: You can also check the official Copilot troubleshooting guide here: GitHub Copilot Docs.

[Ifaz2611]

Hey AgomferAustral,

Thanks for reaching out — I totally get how frustrating this is. You're trying to get some coding help, Copilot looks like it's working, but nothing actually changes in your file, especially in Jupyter notebooks. And then on top of that, it won’t go away even after uninstalling? That’s super annoying, and honestly, it’s happened to a lot of people — you’re not alone.

Let me walk you through what’s probably going on, in plain terms:

First: Are you actually using Copilot?
You mentioned "agent mode with Claude 4" — that’s a bit of a red flag. GitHub Copilot (the one from GitHub/MS) doesn’t use Claude at all. That’s a different AI made by Anthropic. So if you’ve installed something like “Claude for VS Code” or another AI agent tool, that might be what you're really using — not Copilot.

So double-check:

Open your Extensions in VS Code (Cmd+Shift+X)
Look for anything with GitHub Copilot, Claude, Code Agent, or AI Assistant
Uninstall all of them for a sec
Then reinstall only “GitHub Copilot” from the official marketplace. Sometimes these tools overlap and confuse each other.

Why won’t Copilot go away after uninstalling?
Sometimes VS Code doesn’t fully clean up extensions, especially if they added panels or views. Even after uninstalling, the UI can stick around until you:

Fully restart VS Code
Or clear the extension cache
You can try this:

Quit VS Code completely

Jupyter Notebooks are tricky
Here’s the thing: Copilot doesn’t edit code directly inside .ipynb files very well yet. It can suggest code in chat, but when you hit “Apply” or “Edit”, it often just… does nothing. This is a known limitation.

Try this test:

Open a regular .py file
Type a comment like # sort a list of dictionaries by age
Ask Copilot to help
If it works there but not in your notebook, that’s the issue — notebook support is still catching up.

For now, your best bet is:

Use Copilot Chat to generate code
Copy and paste it into your notebook cell manually
It’s not as smooth as full agent-style editing, but it works.

Can’t switch modes?
Yeah, that’s another common pain point. The “edit mode” vs “chat mode” toggle isn’t always obvious or available — especially in notebooks or older versions.

Make sure:

You’re on the latest VS Code (1.103 is recent, so good!)
You have the latest Copilot extension
You’re signed in (check the bottom bar)
Then try:

Cmd+Shift+P → Type “Copilot: Chat”
Or highlight code and right-click → “Ask Copilot”
But again — true agent-style editing (where AI rewrites blocks of code automatically) isn’t fully live in VS Code yet. Tools like Cursor or JetBrains IDEs are ahead on that front.

Bottom Line
You’re not doing anything wrong. This stuff is still evolving, and it’s easy to get caught in a messy setup with multiple AI tools fighting each other.

Try this:

Clean uninstall all AI extensions
Restart VS Code
Reinstall only GitHub Copilot
Test in a .py file first
Accept that notebooks are still a bit limited
And if you really want that “AI agent” experience (think: Claude or Cursor), you might want to try Cursor.sh — it handles Jupyter-style workflows better right now.

[Hasan2411]

Ugh, I feel you. I thought I broke VS Code for a second when Copilot wouldn’t go away after uninstalling. Had to delete the extensions folder manually — thanks for the tip! Still weird that it doesn’t just ‘work’ in notebooks like it does elsewhere

[NIMADITH-LMH]

Hi @AgomferAustral,
This sounds like an issue with how Copilot integrates into VS Code rather than your setup specifically. A few things you could try:

Make sure you’re on the latest GitHub Copilot and Copilot Chat extensions (older versions sometimes cause conflicts).

In Jupyter notebooks, Copilot’s inline editing can be limited — you’ll usually get suggestions in the chat but not direct code edits. It works more reliably in .py files.

To fully remove the extension, go to Extensions → Copilot → Uninstall, then also clear the extension cache at:

MacOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/github.copilot-*

After clearing, reinstall the extension and sign back into GitHub.

If it still doesn’t work, I’d suggest opening an issue through the GitHub Copilot feedback form
since it may be a bug with Claude agent mode.

[AgomferAustral]

Thanks, Nimadith! It's working now! Sorry for the delay to respond!