GitHub Copilot Ask Mode: conversational assistance in the IDE
Not every IDE implements GitHub Copilot Chat. Editors such as VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, and Visual Studio provide a dedicated panel for conversational interactions, while others, such as Neovim, do not, since they lack a user interface to display a chat window.
Where it is supported, GitHub Copilot Ask Mode allows you to use natural language questions to interact with your code base. You can request explanations of complex logic, generate tests, draft documentation, or even get guidance on configuration files, all without breaking your workflow. Copilot Ask Mode is particularly useful when you need context-aware help, want to understand unfamiliar code, or need to automate repetitive documentation and test-generation activities.
How Copilot gathers context
When you use GitHub Copilot Chat features, the IDE shares relevant parts of your workspace with the service to help generate meaningful responses. This may...
