<h1>Introducing Custom Agents and Agent HQ in Visual Studio Code</h1>
<p>Visual Studio Code has recently made significant updates to its platform, as reflected in the transition from chat modes to custom agents. This update acknowledges the enhanced capabilities and personalization options available to users, allowing the development of personalized agents tailored to specific coding needs.</p>
<h2>Custom Agents</h2>
<p>Formerly known as chat modes, custom agents now provide developers the opportunity to create AI agents with unique instructions and formatting choices. These agents can be configured for various tasks, such as conducting research with features that produce structured output, including overviews, explanations, and citations. Users can define custom rules and leverage built-in modes like the new plan mode, which decomposes complex tasks into actionable steps.</p>
<h2>Agent HQ</h2>
<p>With the release of VS Code 1.106, the new Agent HQ provides a consolidated interface for managing AI coding sessions. Whether for local or cloud environments, developers can oversee their custom agents more efficiently. This centralized management tool also includes a new plan agent, enhancing productivity by systematically breaking down and solving intricate challenges.</p>
<h2>Enhanced Features</h2>
<p>The October 2025 (version 1.106) update brings several other improvements. Terminal IntelliSense now comes as a default feature, alongside enhanced MCP server management with organization-level policies. The update also introduces subagents, which can execute specialized tasks in the background without disturbing the main chat context, returning only the necessary final results.</p>
<p>Security for AI delegation has seen significant advancements, complemented by improved integration with GitHub Copilot and Copilot CLI. Additional enhancements include better source control graph features, notebook search capabilities, consolidated authentication management, and refined command palette search functionality.</p>
<p>Overall, these updates to Visual Studio Code aim to provide a more streamlined and efficient coding environment, empowering developers with personalized tools and enhanced management capabilities.</p>


Collections

VS Code 1.106 introduces custom agents (formerly chat modes) that let developers create personalized AI assistants with unique instructions and formatting. The new Agent HQ provides centralized management for AI coding sessions, while the plan agent breaks down complex tasks into actionable steps. Additional features include default Terminal IntelliSense, subagents for background tasks, enhanced MCP server management, improved GitHub Copilot integration, and better security for AI delegation.

VS Code Introduces Customizable AI Agents in the Editor