VS Code’s AI Secrets Just Went Open Source -You Won’t Believe What’s Next!

What Just Happened?

The VS Code team is leaning hard into open source. Here’s what went down:

Copilot Chat Goes Open Source The GitHub Copilot Chat extension, your AI buddy for writing, debugging, and refactoring, is now available under the MIT license. You can fork it, tweak it, and build your AI pair programmer AI Features Move to the Core Tools like code completions, smart fixes, and context-aware suggestions are being integrated directly into VS Code’s core , making them faster, cleaner, and available without extensions or subscriptions. New AI Capabilities Incoming Look out for Copilot Edits (for precise tweaks) and Multi-Context Prompting (MCP), which delivers smarter, project-aware suggestions. Open for the Community Staying true to its “open, collaborative, and community-driven” ethos, Microsoft is inviting devs worldwide to build, share, and extend AI capabilities in VS Code. This builds on VS Code 1.100’s recent AI enhancements and ties into Microsoft’s larger AI strategy, where, according to CEO Satya Nadella, 30% of their code is now AI-generated.

Why This Is a Game-Changer

This isn’t just a tech flex, it’s a big win for developers across the board:

  • No More Paywalls: With Copilot Chat open-sourced, you can access powerful AI coding support without a GitHub Copilot subscription.
  • Innovation Unleashed: The MIT license opens the door for custom plugins and AI tooling tailored to your workflow, tech stack, or favorite language.
  • Smoother, Smarter Coding: better context without relying on third-party extensions. MCP ensures that VS Code understands your full project, not just one file.
  • Level Playing Field: Whether you’re a solo developer, part of a startup, or contributing to open source, access to these AI tools puts cutting-edge development in everyone’s hands.
  • Future-Ready Skills: With AI now contributing to a significant chunk of code at companies like Microsoft and Google, getting comfortable with AI-assisted coding is more essential than ever.

A Few Things to Watch

  • It’s a Gradual Rollout: The open-source transition begins with Copilot Chat. Full core integration will happen over the next few months.
  • Mind the Bugs: AI code isn’t flawless; studies show 5.2% of AI-suggested packages may contain vulnerabilities. Always review what you ship.
  • Learn as You Go: Advanced features like MCP might feel overwhelming at first, but with community docs and tutorials, the learning curve won’t stay steep for long.

How to Get Started

Here’s your dev-ready action plan:

  • Clone the Copilot Chat Repo: Once live on GitHub, fork it and start customizing or contributing.
  • Update to VS Code 1.100: Get the latest version to unlock new AI tools like Copilot Edits and blazing-fast suggestions.
  • Prototype Smarter: Pair VS Code with no-code or low-code tools like NativeBridge.io to rapidly mock up apps, then enhance them using VS Code’s AI features.
  • Join the Community: Follow @code on X (formerly Twitter), contribute on dev.to or GitHub, and share your plugin ideas with the world.
  • Stay Vigilant: Treat AI-generated code the same way you treat any code: test it, review it, and be cautious in production.

What’s Next?

Microsoft is teasing even deeper GitHub integrations, smarter agent-driven development workflows, and a more vibrant AI plugin ecosystem. Imagine VS Code becoming the hub where AI agents don’t just assist but actively write, test, and ship your code with you.

This move marks a new chapter for developers everywhere , no matter where you’re coding from or what you’re building. It’s not just about writing code faster; it’s about building smarter, more collaboratively, and more openly than ever before.

So, will you fork Copilot Chat? Build the next viral AI plugin? Or reimagine your dev workflow entirely?

The future is open source. And it starts now.