VS Code 1.133 Lets Claude and Copilot Share One Session

VS Code 1.133 Arrives With a Two-Provider Model Picker

Microsoft released Visual Studio Code 1.133 on 12 August 2026, with the headline feature being a restructured model picker that displays Anthropic and Copilot models side-by-side in two distinct groups. Previously, a developer running a Claude session in VS Code had to commit to a single agent host configuration — either routing through a GitHub Copilot subscription or through a direct Anthropic API key. Switching between providers required manually reconfiguring the agent host and restarting the session. In 1.133, both groups appear in the same picker view and the developer can select a model from either without leaving the session.

How the Dual-Group Picker Works

The model picker in VS Code 1.133 shows Anthropic models and Copilot models as two labelled groups within the same dropdown. Selecting a model from the Anthropic group routes the next turn through the developer's configured Anthropic API key and bills accordingly. Selecting a model from the Copilot group routes the next turn through the developer's GitHub Copilot subscription. The provider switch happens between turns: a conversation that starts on a Claude Opus 5 model via Anthropic can switch to a Copilot-hosted model for the next turn, with billing following the model selected at each individual turn.

This is not an attempt to blend the two providers — each model in each group still runs entirely through its respective backend. The change is that the developer no longer has to pre-commit to one provider for the lifetime of a session. The practical effect is the ability to start a task on a Copilot-included model for exploratory work, then switch to a more capable Anthropic model for the steps that require it, all without opening a new session or changing configuration.

GitHub Sign-In No Longer Required for Claude Sessions

VS Code 1.133 adds an experimental setting, chat.agentHost.allowSignedOutWhenUsable, that allows the Agents window to open without GitHub sign-in for Claude-hosted sessions. Before this change, the VS Code Agents window required GitHub authentication before it could be opened, creating friction for developers who work with Claude exclusively through an Anthropic API key or whose machines cannot reach github.com reliably. The new setting lifts that dependency for the Claude agent host when it is functional with the user's existing configuration.

The setting is experimental in 1.133 — not enabled by default — and requires a manual change in VS Code settings. It reflects feedback from teams working in restricted network environments and from developers in markets where GitHub connectivity is less predictable than Anthropic API connectivity.

Chat Sticky Scroll and HTML Preview Reloads

Two additional quality-of-life improvements ship in 1.133. Chat sticky scroll anchors the most recent message to the bottom of a long conversation, avoiding the need to scroll back to the active exchange as a session grows. Automatic HTML preview reloads update a local HTML file preview in real time as the agent edits it, so developers working on frontend changes can watch the live result without triggering a manual refresh.

Why Provider Flexibility Matters for Engineering Teams

The model picker change in VS Code 1.133 reflects how professional development teams actually use AI: they hold multiple subscriptions to different providers because no single provider is best for every task. GitHub Copilot subscriptions are frequently held at the organisation level for all developers; Anthropic API keys are often held individually or at the team level for higher-capability use cases. A developer working on a complex multi-step task might need Copilot for quick inline suggestions and a frontier Claude model for architectural reasoning within the same session.

The previous single-provider-per-session model imposed an unnecessary choice. The 1.133 picker removes it, aligning VS Code's AI integration with how teams actually budget for and use AI assistance: opportunistically, mixing providers as the task demands rather than committing to one at the start of the working day.

What This Means for Software Teams in India

For engineering teams in India using VS Code as their primary IDE — a substantial share of the developer population — the 1.133 update reduces a real configuration burden. Teams that run GitHub Copilot at the organisational level and separately maintain Anthropic API access for higher-capability tasks can now use both in the same workflow without session-switching overhead. The GitHub sign-in workaround is also relevant in enterprise environments across India where GitHub access may be proxied or restricted by corporate network policy.

For teams evaluating which AI provider handles specific tasks best before committing to a workflow, the ability to switch providers within a single session is also a practical evaluation tool — no context is lost between model comparisons.

The Bottom Line

Visual Studio Code 1.133, released 12 August 2026, introduces a dual-group model picker displaying Anthropic and Copilot models side-by-side, letting developers switch AI providers between turns within a single session. Anthropic-group models bill against an Anthropic API key; Copilot-group models use the Copilot subscription. A new experimental setting — chat.agentHost.allowSignedOutWhenUsable — removes the GitHub sign-in requirement for Claude sessions. Chat sticky scroll and automatic HTML preview reloads complete the release. The update reflects the reality that professional development teams hold subscriptions to multiple AI providers and should not have to pre-commit to one per session.