Copilot CLI Gains Remote Handoff

GitHub added remote access to Copilot CLI on April 13, letting developers keep a live terminal session going from the web or GitHub Mobile. (github.blog) The feature starts with `copilot --remote` when a session launches or `/remote` after a session is already running. GitHub said the command streams session activity to GitHub in real time and shows a link plus a QR code for the second device. (github.blog, docs.github.com) From the second device, users can view output, answer permission prompts, send follow-up instructions, switch between plan, interactive, and autopilot modes, or stop the session entirely. GitHub said actions stay synchronized between the local terminal and the remote view. (github.blog, docs.github.com) Copilot CLI is GitHub’s command-line version of Copilot, built for coding, debugging, and repository work inside a terminal window instead of an editor. GitHub moved the product to general availability on February 25, 2026, after a public preview that began in September 2025. (docs.github.com, github.blog) The new remote layer extends that setup from one machine to two screens. GitHub’s documentation says a developer can leave the command-line session running on one computer and continue monitoring or steering it from a browser or the GitHub Mobile beta app. (docs.github.com, github.blog) GitHub attached several limits to the rollout. Remote access works only when the working directory is a Git repository hosted on GitHub.com, the original machine stays online, and mobile access is limited to the latest beta release of GitHub Mobile through Apple TestFlight or Google Play. (docs.github.com) The company also tied the feature to account controls already used in Copilot CLI. GitHub said each remote session is private to the user who started it, and Business or Enterprise customers need administrators to enable both remote control and CLI policies before employees can use it. (github.blog, docs.github.com) GitHub’s docs say developers can also make remote access the default by adding `"remoteSessions": true` to the Copilot configuration file, then override that setting with `--no-remote` for a single session. The command-line flags take precedence over the saved setting. (docs.github.com) The release lands four days after version 1.0.24 of the open-source `github/copilot-cli` project noted a fix for how the `--remote` flag behaves during first-run session sync prompts. GitHub is positioning the broader feature as a way to keep a terminal workflow moving when the keyboard and the screen are no longer in the same place. (github.com, github.blog)