GitHub Copilot can now use desktop apps and run dynamic workflows

GitHub released two new Copilot features in preview on October 1, 2026. With computer use, Copilot can now act in desktop applications on your behalf. Dynamic workflows, programs that define how a task is carried out through automated steps and the work of one or more agents, arrived in Copilot CLI and the Copilot app. Both features are in public preview.

Copilot in desktop apps

According to GitHub's announcement, Copilot can read accessible app content and visual context, click controls, enter and edit text, press keys, scroll, drag, and move through workflows across applications. The feature works in Copilot CLI and in the Copilot app for macOS and Windows. GitHub's examples include summarizing browser notifications, updating a presentation and automating work in legacy software that has no API or command-line interface. For the best results, the company suggests describing the outcome you want, the applications involved and any constraints.

In the CLI, /computer on turns the feature on, /computer show shows its status and /computer off turns it off. In the Copilot app, it can be enabled from the Computer Use section of the settings or with the same command.

Per-app approval and organization settings

According to the announcement, Copilot asks for approval before it controls an application. You can later review or reset the apps you allowed automatic access to. On macOS, the system walks you through the required Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions. Organizations can turn the feature off entirely through managed settings.

Dynamic workflows

According to the page, dynamic workflows can run commands, tools or external services, carry out independent tasks in parallel, pass structured results between stages, ask the user for input where supported, and pause at checkpoints for review before resuming. Steps can run one after another, in parallel, or both. GitHub's examples include release checks with staged reviews, processing many changed files in parallel, verifying findings with a different model, scanning large codebases for patterns, planning before implementation, and long-running tasks that need to pause and resume. The company notes that quick, simple questions usually do not need a workflow.

Workflows are available on all Copilot plans. The Copilot app needs no setup; in Copilot CLI, experimental features must be turned on with the --experimental flag or the /experimental on command. GitHub notes that the feature is in preview and subject to change, and feedback can be sent with /feedback in the CLI.

Computer use lets Copilot click and type for you in the apps on your screen. It is wise to read approval requests carefully, to grant automatic access only to apps that truly need it, to keep windows with sensitive information closed, and to try the feature on low-stakes tasks first. Both features are in preview, so their behavior may change; to see how they hold up in practice, it is worth following evaluations from independent researchers as well.

Sources: GitHub: Copilot can now interact with desktop apps, GitHub: Dynamic workflows in Copilot CLI and the Copilot app.