GitHub combines notifications and Copilot in its Teams app

GitHub says the combined app is intended to let teams turn issues into fixes without leaving their conversation.[1] Notifications can be delivered in Teams channels, group chats and private chats.[1] A user can @mention the app in a conversation to turn an update into action.[1] To get started, GitHub says users should mention @GitHub, then follow prompts to connect their GitHub account and select a repository.[1] This links the team’s discussion with the relevant GitHub work rather than requiring a fresh request from scratch.[2]

Microsoft says Copilot uses the issue or pull request linked in a notification, along with the thread conversation, to understand the task.[2] It can reproduce a bug, run tests, implement a fix and prepare a pull request for review.[2] GitHub describes the workflow as @GitHub investigating the issue, fixing the bug and creating a pull request.[1] Microsoft says teams can also use the workflow for feature implementation, test coverage and documentation updates.[2] These capabilities describe work prepared for review, not a change that bypasses the team’s review process.[2][1]

GitHub says teams review, test and merge the fix after the pull request is created.[1] That makes the handoff important: Copilot can take on implementation steps, while the team retains the stated review, testing and merge steps.[2][1] Microsoft says starting with the linked issue and thread lets teams delegate work to Copilot without rebuilding the request from scratch.[2] Microsoft also says product and engineering teams at Microsoft are already using the GitHub app in Teams to build products.[2]

GitHub says the new app was previously called GitHub notifications.[1] Users who already have GitHub notifications installed should update it to the latest version, and GitHub says existing notification capabilities will continue to work after the update.[1] The legacy GitHub app will be renamed “GitHub (deprecated)” and retired on November 16.[1] Users of that legacy app should install the consolidated app to continue using Copilot in Teams.[1]