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Switching Modes

Switching Modes

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What it does

Lets you switch between what an Agent can do. Can it only answer questions? Can it edit your code? Or can it do almost anything?

Why it’s useful / When to use it

Sometimes you want to have a conversation. Sometimes you want to let copilot take the wheel.

How to use it

Click the dropdown and select which option you want:

  • Ask - Copilot will only answer questions

  • Agent - Copilot can talk to MCP services, read the web, edit code, and a lot more.

  • Edit - Copilot can edit your code

Ask (Default Mode)

“Ask” is the general-purpose Copilot Chat interaction.

  • You type natural language prompts like:

    “Explain this function.”
    “What does this regex do?”
    “Can you optimize this loop?”

  • Copilot uses your current file and selection as context to answer the question.

  • It gives conversational, one-off answers, much like ChatGPT, but scoped to your code.

  • Ideal for quick help, clarifications, or lightweight suggestions.

Agent Modes

Agent Modes are task-focused assistants that go beyond casual chatting.

Each agent has a dedicated purpose, like:

  • Fix Agent (using /fix) - Automatically repairs broken code or syntax errors

  • Tests Agent (using /test) - Generates or improves unit tests

  • Explain Agent (using /explain) - Breaks down logic into human-readable summaries

  • Docs Agent (using docs) - Generates documentation for functions and classes

Adding the context block @workspace in front of the agent will ensure that the Copilot answers questions related to your workspace.

You choose the agent from a dropdown menu (in the Copilot Chat panel), and then enter a command or let the agent suggest tasks automatically.

Agent Mode:

  • May run across multiple files if needed

  • May perform more involved actions, like editing files or inserting blocks of code

  • Sometimes splits large jobs into discrete “tasks”

Custom Chat Modes

Custom chat modes enable you to customize your AI agent for different behaviors. The three default modes are Ask, Edit and Agent, to add additional modes click the mode dropdown list and select Configure Modes… and add a new one.

https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/chat/chat-modes

Beast Mode

Beast Mode is a custom GitHub Copilot chat mode designed to act like a disciplined AI agent inside VS Code. Instead of responding casually or cutting corners, Beast Mode follows a strict workflow: it plans thoroughly, does research when needed, investigates code deeply, creates todo lists, implements changes incrementally, and tests rigorously before considering the task complete.

Think of it as flipping Copilot into an “agent mindset”, meticulous, autonomous, and thorough.

The default Copilot chat modes are general-purpose. Beast Mode gives you a specialized workflow when you want Copilot to behave less like a suggestion engine and more like a careful teammate who:

  • Breaks down problems step by step.

  • Uses sequential todo lists to track progress.

  • Runs research loops (fetching docs, looking up libraries, etc.).

  • Writes code only after planning and investigating.

  • Tests changes thoroughly before calling a task “done.”

It’s especially useful for complex debugging, new library integrations, or multi-step feature work where rigor matters.

✏️ How to Set It Up

  1. Create a .chatmode.md file

  1. Paste in the beast-mode source https://gist.github.com/burkeholland/88af0249c4b6aff3820bf37898c8bacf