Copilot agent REST API enters public preview for Business and Enterprise users

GitHub said on May 13 that Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise users can now start Copilot cloud agent tasks through a REST API in public preview. The company described the release in a changelog post published that day. GitHub said the API lets customers trigger background coding work programmatically rather than only through GitHub’s interface. The company said Copilot cloud agent runs in its own development environment, where it can make code changes, validate them and open a pull request for review. ### Which customers can use the new API now? GitHub said the new Agent tasks REST API is available to Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise users in public preview. The May 13 changelog entry names those two paid tiers and does not list the individual Pro plans for this specific API announcement. GitHub’s broader cloud agent documentation says the underlying cloud agent feature is also available on Copilot Pro and Pro+, but the API preview announcement is narrower. (github.blog) The documentation GitHub published for Copilot cloud agent management also shows enterprise- and organization-level controls around where the agent can be used. Those controls include enterprise policy settings, organization permissions and repository selection for enabled repositories, according to the REST API documentation. ### What does GitHub say the API actually does? (github.blog) GitHub said the API can be used to “programmatically start” Copilot cloud agent tasks. In the changelog post, the company said the agent works in the background in its own development environment and can make and validate code changes before opening a pull request. That description matches GitHub’s separate cloud agent documentation, which says the service can research a repository, plan changes and create pull requests for a developer to review. (docs.github.com) GitHub’s existing user documentation says teams can already start cloud agent sessions from GitHub Issues, Copilot Chat, the agents panel on GitHub and Visual Studio Code. The new API adds another entry point, giving companies a way to launch the same kind of background work from scripts, internal tooling or other automated systems. That last point is an inference from the documented ability to start tasks through a REST interface, not a separate GitHub statement about customer usage. (github.blog) ### How does this fit with GitHub’s recent cloud agent rollout? GitHub has added a series of cloud agent controls and features in recent weeks. On April 15, the company said enterprise administrators and AI managers could selectively enable Copilot cloud agent for specific organizations by using custom properties. On April 23, GitHub added cloud agent fields to usage metrics, and on April 27 it said the service would start consuming GitHub Actions minutes for code review beginning June 1, 2026, according to the changelog listing for Copilot updates. (github.blog) GitHub’s enterprise management documentation says AI Controls gives administrators a centralized place to manage and monitor AI policies and agents across an enterprise. The REST endpoints published in GitHub Docs extend that management model with programmable controls for enterprise owners and organization administrators. (github.blog) ### Where can developers and admins find the details? GitHub published the release in its changelog on May 13 under the headline about starting Copilot cloud agent tasks through the REST API. GitHub Docs also lists REST API endpoints for Copilot cloud agent management and broader Copilot administration. The company’s cloud agent documentation includes separate pages for starting sessions, customizing agents and managing enterprise policies. (docs.github.com) GitHub’s next documented milestone for the surrounding cloud agent rollout is June 1, 2026, when Copilot code review will begin consuming GitHub Actions minutes, according to the company’s changelog. The May 13 API release remains in public preview as of GitHub’s latest changelog entry and documentation pages reviewed on May 14. (github.blog 1) (github.blog 2)