GitHub Copilot app adds diff, terminal, browser panels

GitHub is positioning the Copilot app as a single workspace for the full cycle of accepting AI-written code. The company notes that previously, developers had to bounce between an editor, a terminal window, and a web browser to review changes, run the code, and see the result. By embedding those three steps as side-by-side panels, GitHub is betting that the friction of tab-switching is what makes agent-made changes feel risky.

The app now walks a developer through a specific loop: check the diff, start the project from the terminal, open it in the browser, and iterate if needed. GitHub highlights the Pick & Polish tool within the browser panel, which lets a developer select an element and adjust it with the agent — a small feature that keeps the iteration inside the same session. Once satisfied, the developer can accept the change and create a pull request without leaving the app.

What the outcome hinges on is whether this integrated loop actually makes developers more willing to merge agent output. GitHub's stated goal is to replace the anxiety of reviewing AI code with a provable check — did it run, and does it work — and the panels are the mechanism for that proof. Whether teams adopt the app as their primary review surface, rather than continuing to verify elsewhere, is likely to depend on how well the panels handle real projects beyond the website example GitHub describes.