Request: Enable Claude Opus 4.1 and Claude Opus 4 in Agent Mode for Pro+ Users

[MarceloRicF]

Hello GitHub Copilot Team and Community,

Issue Summary

As a GitHub Copilot Pro+ subscriber ($39/month), I have access to Claude Opus 4 and Claude Opus 4.1 models in Chat and Edit modes, but these advanced Opus models are NOT available in Agent mode - where they would provide the most value.

Current Limitation

• ✅ Agent mode: Claude Sonnet 4 and Claude 3.5 Sonnet available
• ❌ Agent mode: Claude Opus 4 and Claude Opus 4.1 NOT available
• ✅ Chat mode: All models available including Claude Opus 4.1
• ✅ Edit mode: All models available including Claude Opus 4.1

Why This Matters

Business Case

1. Incomplete Access: Pro+ plan advertises "Access to all models, including Claude Opus 4.1" but restricts the most advanced Opus models from the most complex feature (Agent mode)
2. User Expectation: Paying $39/month creates expectation of premium capabilities across ALL modes
3. Competitive Disadvantage: Tools like Continue.dev and Cursor already offer full Claude Opus 4/4.1 access in Agent mode

Technical Impact

• Complex multi-file refactoring requires Claude Opus 4/4.1's advanced reasoning
• Architectural decisions benefit from Claude Opus 4.1's superior capabilities
• Large codebase analysis where Claude Opus models' performance improvements matter most
• Critical debugging sessions requiring maximum AI capability

Request

Enable Claude Opus 4 and Claude Opus 4.1 in Agent mode for Pro+ users.

Suggested Implementation

1. Add Claude Opus 4 and Claude Opus 4.1 to Agent mode model selector
2. Apply existing premium request quotas (30x for Pro+)
3. Maintain current fallback mechanisms
4. Optional: Add model performance indicators in Agent UI

Community Impact

This would:

• ✅ Improve Pro+ value proposition
• ✅ Reduce customer churn to competitors
• ✅ Increase developer productivity for complex tasks
• ✅ Better justify premium pricing
• ✅ Enhance GitHub ecosystem retention

Alternative Workaround

Currently, I'm forced to use Continue.dev for Agent mode with Claude 4 models, which defeats the purpose of paying for GitHub Copilot Pro+.

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Question for the community: Are other Pro+ users experiencing this limitation? Would you also benefit from Claude 4 models in Agent mode?

Question for GitHub team: Is there a technical reason why these models are limited to Chat/Edit modes, or is this a product decision that could be reconsidered?

Thank you for considering this enhancement!

#CopilotPro+ #AgentMode #Claude4 #FeatureRequest

[Debangi2004]

While Agent mode is limited, you can still use Chat mode for complex architecture and refactoring. Open the relevant files manually and paste key snippets into Claude Opus 4.1 — it's not perfect, but it helps reduce hallucinations.

Since you're already paying for Claude, Continue.dev is a solid workaround right now. It offers Claude Opus 4 in agent-style workflows with better multi-file awareness and context. And If you're open to switching editors, Cursor (a VSCode fork) has native support for Claude Opus and GPT-4 across all workflows — chat, edit, refactor, multi-file. It's the most complete “agent” feel out there.

[MarceloRicF]

Thank you for the feedback and alternative suggestions!

Important Correction: You're absolutely right about Claude Sonnet 4 - I need to correct my original post. After double-checking, Claude Sonnet 4 IS available in Agent mode.

The accurate limitation is:

• ✅ Agent mode: Claude Sonnet 4 available, Claude 3.5 Sonnet available
• ❌ Agent mode: Claude Opus 4 and Claude Opus 4.1 NOT available
• ✅ Chat/Edit modes: All models available including Claude Opus 4.1

So the specific request should be: Enable Claude Opus 4 and Claude Opus 4.1 in Agent mode for Pro+ users.

Regarding your suggestions:

1. Chat mode workaround: You're right that manually copying files to Chat mode works, but it's quite inefficient for large refactoring projects and breaks the agent workflow.

2. Continue.dev: Exactly my current workaround! It does provide excellent Claude Opus 4.1 access with proper multi-file context, which is why I mentioned it as competition to GitHub Copilot.

3. Cursor: Good suggestion! Though I prefer staying in the main VS Code ecosystem since I have many customizations and extensions.

The core issue remains: Pro+ users pay $39/month for "access to all models" but the most advanced models (Claude Opus 4/4.1) are artificially restricted from Agent mode, forcing us to use workarounds or competitors.

Thanks again for the correction and suggestions! 🙏

[MarceloRicF]

Thank you very much!

[paleo]

In “Ask” mode I feel like I'm the agent and Claude Opus gives me orders.

[BuddhaSource]

I am disappointed to know that the Pro+ doesn't have 4.1 Opus in agent mode. This was the only reason for the upgrade. Is there any ETA for agents?

[sudamerushabh]

This is very disappointing that despite being such huge organization with backing of Microsoft, you guys are still doing this. I also upgraded to 39$ plan for using opus 4.1 in agent mode and then got to know this.
Atleast you should have highlighted it in the plan instead of hiding it in some verbose.

[EmperorBeezie]

I am disappointed to know that the Pro+ doesn't have 4.1 Opus in agent mode. This was the only reason for the upgrade. Is there any ETA for agents?