Summary
On October 7, 2026, GitHub made local sandboxing for Copilot generally available at no extra cost. Powered by the Microsoft eXecution Container (MXC), it confines the tools and commands Copilot runs on a developer's machine with OS-native limits on files, network, and credentials across Windows, macOS, and Linux, and lets organizations enforce policies developers cannot weaken.
What changed
Local sandboxing for GitHub Copilot moved from preview to GA, covering the Copilot CLI, the Copilot app, and VS Code Agent Host sessions. It uses MXC to apply one sandbox policy via native OS controls on Windows, macOS, and Linux, extensible to local MCP and language servers, and organizations can require it and set non-weakenable policies.
Why it matters
A defined, enforceable execution boundary is the precondition for adopting more autonomous local agents safely; by making sandboxing free and org-enforceable, GitHub lowers the security barrier to running agentic coding workflows on developer machines regardless of which model Copilot uses.
Evidence excerpt
Local sandboxes give developers a secure execution boundary for agentic workflows on their own machines.