GitHub Copilot makes local sandboxing generally available at no extra cost on 3 platforms

What GitHub announced

GitHub said on 7 October 2026 that local sandboxing for GitHub Copilot is generally available in Copilot CLI, the GitHub Copilot app and VS Code sessions that use Agent Host. Tools and commands that GitHub Copilot starts now run with restricted access to the filesystem, the network, credentials and other system capabilities. The limits come from policies that the developer or the organization defines.

The sandbox is built on Microsoft eXecution Container (MXC), a Microsoft project published on GitHub that turns one sandbox policy into native operating system controls on Windows, macOS and Linux. GitHub says teams can limit which files agent-run commands read or change, control access to the internet, local networks, Git credentials and GitHub CLI credentials, and apply the sandbox to local MCP and language servers where supported. Enterprise-managed settings can require sandboxing and stop developers from weakening the policy. GitHub notes that the policy applies to tool execution whatever model Copilot uses.

Where it runs and what it costs

GitHub says local sandboxing is included with Copilot at no additional cost. The documentation says it is off by default. In the CLI, /sandbox enable turns it on and the choice persists until /sandbox disable. In the app, repository settings set the default for new local sessions. Supported hosts are macOS 15 or later, Linux with bubblewrap 0.5.0 or later, and Windows with a recent Windows 11 update that supports sandboxing.

The documentation lists limits. Remote MCP servers are never sandboxed. Built-in file tools run inside the Copilot process, so they honour the settings only on a best-effort basis. On Windows, proxy rules depend on programs respecting proxy settings. Cloud sandboxes remain a separate public preview with usage pricing of $0.000024 per compute second, $0.000003 per GiB second of memory and $0.005 per GiB month of storage for stopped sessions.

Local models in Copilot CLI

In a second changelog entry the same day, GitHub said Copilot CLI version 1.0.94-0 can list supported models from a running local Ollama instance through /model, next to cloud models from Copilot. Discovery does not install Ollama or download models, and models must support tool calling and streaming. GitHub warns that picking a local model does not switch on offline mode or turn off telemetry; offline mode stays an explicit COPILOT_OFFLINE=true setting.

What changed and what to watch

Local and cloud sandboxes entered public preview on 2 June 2026, so the change for local sandboxes is a supported, generally available release without a new charge. It follows the 1 October launch of computer use in Copilot, which lets Copilot operate desktop apps; sandboxing covers commands and tools, not that screen control. GitHub also announced intelligent routing between local and cloud models but gave no availability date. Pricing for cloud sandboxes after preview is not stated. More coding tool updates are listed under AI Tools.

Questions people ask

Does GitHub Copilot local sandboxing cost extra?

No. GitHub says local sandboxing is included with GitHub Copilot at no additional cost. Cloud sandboxes are a separate public preview billed per compute second, memory and storage.

How do you turn on the Copilot sandbox in the CLI?

Run /sandbox enable in a Copilot CLI session. GitHub's documentation says the setting persists across sessions until you run /sandbox disable, and it is off by default.

Which operating systems support Copilot local sandboxing?

macOS 15 or later, Linux with bubblewrap 0.5.0 or later on the PATH, and Windows 11 with a recent update that supports sandboxing, according to GitHub's documentation.

Sources

1. Local sandboxing for GitHub Copilot now generally available (GitHub Changelog, 7 Oct 2026)
2. About cloud and local sandboxes for GitHub Copilot (GitHub Docs, 7 Oct 2026)
3. Discover local models in GitHub Copilot CLI (GitHub Changelog, 7 Oct 2026)
4. Cloud and local sandboxes for GitHub Copilot now in public preview (GitHub Changelog, 2 Jun 2026)