Copilot Cloud Agent Runner Controls v2026.04

TL;DR

• Organization admins can now set default runners for Copilot cloud agent across all repos
• Lock runner settings to prevent repository-level overrides
• Replaces per-repo copilot-setup-steps.yml configuration with org-wide policy

New

• Organization-level runner defaults — Set a default runner (GitHub-hosted, large, or self-hosted) that applies automatically to all repositories without individual configuration.
• Runner lock enforcement — Lock the runner setting so repositories cannot override the organization default, ensuring consistent execution environments.

What Changed

• Previously, Copilot cloud agent runners were configured per-repository using copilot-setup-steps.yml. This required manual setup in each repo and made org-wide policy enforcement impossible. Organization admins now control runner assignment at the org level, eliminating configuration sprawl and enabling guardrails.

Why This Matters

• Enforce consistent performance tiers across teams — use large runners or self-hosted runners by default without asking every team to reconfigure.
• Secure access to internal resources — lock agents to self-hosted runners that have network access to your infrastructure.
• Reduce configuration burden — no need to replicate runner settings across dozens of repositories.

For details, see Configuring runners for GitHub Copilot cloud agent in your organization in the GitHub Docs.

Update via GitHub organization settings under Copilot administration.

Source: GitHub Changelog