Visual Studio Code just shipped one of its more interesting updates in a while. VS Code 1.137 landed on September 9, 2026, and its two headline features let you talk to your coding agent out loud and put it on a schedule so it works while you’re doing something else entirely.
If you’ve spent the last year typing every single prompt to Copilot by hand, this release is aimed squarely at you.
- Release date: September 9, 2026
- Two headline features: Automations (scheduled agent tasks) and Voice Mode (spoken commands)
- Who’s affected: Anyone using GitHub Copilot’s agent mode inside VS Code
- Cost: Both features are free to try, but Voice Mode needs an eligible GitHub Copilot plan
- Status: Automations is in Preview, Voice Mode is Experimental — expect rough edges
What’s New in VS Code 1.137
Every recent VS Code release has added some flavor of AI agent improvement, but VS Code 1.137 is the first one built around the idea that you shouldn’t have to sit there watching the agent work. According to the official VS Code release notes, the update bundles two preview-stage features alongside a handful of smaller quality-of-life fixes.
Coverage from outlets like Neowin and Windows Report confirmed the same core story: Microsoft wants Copilot’s agent mode to run more like a background service and less like a chat window you babysit all day.
It also lines up with where the rest of the industry is heading. Every major coding assistant is racing to let agents run longer, act on their own, and check back in only when something needs your attention — VS Code 1.137 is Microsoft’s clearest step in that direction yet.
Automations Can Finally Put Your Coding Agent on a Timer
Automations, still in Preview, lets you schedule recurring agent jobs instead of kicking them off manually every time. You turn it on through the chat.automations.enabled setting, and Microsoft is rolling it out gradually rather than flipping it on for everyone at once.
There are a few built-in templates to get you started, and you can also write your own custom prompt and schedule.
- Catching up on what changed in a repo overnight
- Triaging new issues as they come in
- Scanning for bugs on a recurring basis without you asking
This matters because it turns Copilot from a tool you actively drive into one that checks in on your codebase for you, closer to how a junior teammate would flag things before you even open your laptop.
Voice Mode Lets You Talk to Your Agent Instead of Typing
Voice Mode is the more experimental of the two features. It lets you speak to a coding agent, interrupt it mid-task, redirect what it’s doing, or ask a quick clarifying question without breaking your flow to type it out.
You enable it through the agents.voice.enabled setting, and it supports microphone and voice customization. Per Microsoft’s own release notes, the feature requires an eligible GitHub Copilot individual plan, so it isn’t available to everyone who installs the update.
If you’ve already moved to GitHub Copilot’s unified agent experience, Voice Mode slots in as another way to drive the same agent — just with your voice instead of your keyboard.
Automations vs. Voice Mode: What Each One Actually Needs
| Feature | Automations | Voice Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Preview | Experimental |
| How you turn it on | chat.automations.enabled setting | agents.voice.enabled setting |
| What it needs | Gradual rollout, no special plan mentioned | Eligible GitHub Copilot individual plan |
| Best for | Recurring, unattended checks | Live, hands-free steering |
The Smaller Upgrades Hiding in This Release
The two big features get the headlines, but a few smaller changes are worth knowing about too.
- You can now review GitHub issues and pull requests directly inside the Agents window, no browser tab required — though it needs the GitHub Pull Requests extension plus an experimental setting turned on.
- Quick chats can now turn into full workspace sessions. Attach a project partway through a conversation and the agent keeps everything you already discussed.
- Diff editors got smarter layouts, and binary files — including images — now show up properly inside multi-file diffs instead of just showing “binary file changed.”
None of these are dramatic on their own, but together they cut down on the tab-switching that eats up a surprising amount of a developer’s day. A previous vulnerability scare with GitHub Copilot’s CLI is a good reminder to review what any agent does before you let it run unattended, automations included.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is VS Code 1.137?
It’s the September 2026 update to Visual Studio Code, built around two new AI agent features: scheduled Automations and spoken Voice Mode, plus several smaller editor improvements.
How do I enable Voice Mode in VS Code?
Turn on the agents.voice.enabled setting in VS Code. You’ll also need an eligible GitHub Copilot individual plan, since Microsoft ties the feature to Copilot access rather than making it fully free.
Does Automations cost extra to use?
Microsoft’s release notes don’t list a separate paid tier for Automations. It’s rolling out gradually as a Preview feature, so availability may vary depending on your VS Code version and update channel.
Is Voice Mode available by default?
No. It’s off by default and labeled experimental, meaning it can change or break between updates. You have to manually flip the setting on to try it.
Whether you’re steering GitHub Copilot or something like Claude Code, the direction is the same: less typing, more delegating, and agents that keep working after you’ve closed the laptop. Automations and Voice Mode are both rough around the edges right now, and that’s fine for a Preview and an Experimental feature. Turn on Automations first if you only try one thing — a coding agent that quietly triages your issues overnight is a bigger time-saver than one you can talk to.
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