Visual Studio Weekly: AI Agents Go Deep Into the IDE

The IDE Just Got Smarter — And More Opinionated Visual Studio's February 2026 update (v18.3) doesn't just add features. It changes how AI fits into your workflow. Custom agents are now first-class citizens, Copilot testing for .NET hit GA with natural language prompts, and specialized agents like WinForms Expert bring domain knowledge directly into the IDE. This isn't about incremental polish — it's about making AI feel native to how you actually work. If you've been treating Copilot as a glorified autocomplete, this release is your wake-up call. The February update positions Visual Studio as an agentic platform, not just a code editor with chat bolted on. GitHub Copilot Testing for .NET: From Preview to Production The testing agent is now GA , and the biggest improvement is how you talk to it. Instead of rigid command syntax, you can use natural language: @Test generate unit tests for my core business logic @Test my current changes @Test class Foo, targeting 80% coverage The agent gen