Visual Studio Code 1.138 lets agents run in a local Dev Container, an environment with the project’s tools and dependencies. This requires Docker, and the setting can be enabled manually if it is not enabled by default yet.

The same Codex session can now move between the ChatGPT app and VS Code, and people signed in to both accounts can switch between models available through Copilot and ChatGPT subscriptions without losing the current conversation. Codex can use VS Code’s built-in tools, extension tools, and MCP tools, which connect to a model through the Model Context Protocol.

A preview feature can automatically mark inactive sessions as done after their pull requests merge and can optionally delete them after a separate grace period.

Claim check:

  • Visual Studio Code 1.138 lets agents run sessions in a local folder’s Dev Container, using the environment and dependencies configured for the project rather than those on the local machine. (confirmed by the publication itself: evidence; «Keep agent work aligned with your project’s toolchain by running a session inside a local folder’s Dev Container. The agent uses the environment and dependencies configured for the project instead of those on your local machine.»)
  • Running an agent session in a Dev Container requires Docker, and the setting can be enabled manually if it is not enabled by default yet. (confirmed by the publication itself: evidence; «Docker must be installed on your machine. Note : Local Dev Container sessions are rolling out gradually, so the setting might not be enabled by default for you yet. You can enable the setting manually to try the feature now.»)
  • In this release, the same Codex session can move between the ChatGPT app and Visual Studio Code, and people signed in to both accounts can switch between models available through Copilot and ChatGPT subscriptions without losing the current conversation. (confirmed by the publication itself: evidence; «Choose your subscription : use Codex with a GitHub Copilot subscription or a ChatGPT subscription. If you sign in to both, switch between Copilot-backed and ChatGPT-backed models from the model picker without losing the current conversation. Continue across apps : move the same Codex session between the ChatGPT app and VS Code instead of starting a new conversation.»)
  • Codex in Visual Studio Code can use the editor’s built-in tools, extension tools, and MCP tools. (confirmed by the publication itself: evidence; «Codex can use the full set of tools provided by VS Code , including built-in, extension, and MCP tools.»)
  • A preview feature can automatically mark inactive sessions as done after their pull requests merge and can optionally delete them after a separate grace period. (confirmed by the publication itself: evidence; «To automate cleanup, mark inactive sessions as done after their pull requests merge, and optionally delete them after a separate grace period. Both automatic-cleanup settings are disabled by default.»)

Primary sources:

score 62.8 out of 100 · kind: release