GitHub Copilot app for Beginners: Run several agents at once

Running multiple AI agents on the same project seems like pure chaos, with too many cooks in your development kitchen. But with the GitHub Copilot app, these agents work separately and don’t interfere with each other, allowing you to get more done in less time.

Think of parallel agent sessions like a trip to the laundromat. You can start multiple loads of laundry at the same time, in their own machines. You can set each washer with its own settings, and it won’t impact the other loads. Most importantly, you don’t have to wait for one to finish before you can start another one.

Let’s look at how it works.

Agent sessions, Git worktrees, and context

An agent session is a task you’ve given Copilot, start to finish.

In the GitHub Copilot app, you can manage several sessions through the sessions view. Each card shows its title and how far along the agent is in completing its task.

Each session runs independently of the others. That means you can start a new session whenever you want, and the ones already running won’t be disturbed.

But here’s where the real magic happens. Each agent session in the GitHub Copilot app can run on its own Git worktree. Since each session is isolated, they can run in parallel, all at the same time.

That means you spend your time reviewing and making decisions rather than watching your agents at work.

Plus, each session keeps its own context, so you can switch between them freely. Each picks up exactly where you left it, and you never have to re-explain what you were doing. Less context switching means you feel less scattered.

What this looks like

Let’s look at an example repository, tailspin-toys. There are three things I want to do to this project today: add funded sort, perform an accessibility review, and run some tests on this project.

The first step is to ask Copilot to build the funded sort feature. Just as it gets started, open a new session and ask Copilot to perform an accessibility review. As that gets under way, start prompting Copilot to run some tests in a third session.

In the session view, you can keep track of all of these as they progress and review the results as they finish. Or you can step away entirely, grab a cup of coffee, and know your work is happening without you babysitting it.

Get started

Ready to feel the power of parallel agent sessions?

Try starting two small tasks at the same time in the GitHub Copilot app. It’s a low-stakes way to watch your tasks progress independently.

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