GitHub Copilot Fusion is generally available, picking and combining models for each task
GitHub made Copilot Fusion generally available on all Copilot plans: instead of choosing a model, users pick an effort level (Standard, High or Max) and Copilot decides which models to use and how they work together, with admins controlling which models it can call.
What happened
- GitHub announced general availability of Copilot Fusion on October 28, 2026, combining Project HydraFusion's multi-model orchestration with Copilot's automatic model selection.
- Users choose Fusion Standard, High or Max; per task, Copilot uses one model directly, a Cascade (a cheaper model drafts and a quality check can escalate) or a Critique (one model drafts, another reviews, the first revises).
- GitHub reports that Copilot Fusion Max scored 60 on the Artificial Analysis Coding Agent Index, within two points of Claude Code with Opus 5.5 Max, at about half the average API cost per task.
- Usage is billed per model at each model's standard rate, with a limited-time 30% discount for paid Copilot plans.
- It is available in VS Code, the GitHub Copilot app, Copilot CLI and JetBrains IDEs; routing to on-device models is a separate opt-in experimental preview.
Why it matters: Developers no longer have to guess which model fits each request, and teams can cut AI coding costs by letting simpler work go to cheaper models. Admins keep control because Fusion only uses models their policies allow.
Sources
- GitHub Changelog: Route and orchestrate models with GitHub Copilot Fusion github.blog
- GitHub Changelog: Copilot Fusion now supports selection of local models github.blog
Checked October 30, 2026 against the sources above. Claims about performance or benchmarks are the company's own unless stated otherwise.