Clarify and consolidate documentation for content exclusions for the different GitHub Copilot modes

[Nils-W]

Code of Conduct

• I have read and agree to the GitHub Docs project's Code of Conduct

What article on docs.github.com is affected?

https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/configure-content-exclusion/exclude-content-from-copilot#configuring-content-exclusion-for-your-repository (accessed on 29th January 2026)
https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/concepts/context/content-exclusion#availability-of-content-exclusion (accessed on 29th January 2026)

What part(s) of the article would you like to see updated?

Problem Description

The current documentation around GitHub Copilot content exclusion appears to be inconsistent and, in some cases, contradictory across different official sources. This makes it difficult to understand which Copilot tools and modes actually respect content exclusion rules.

Conflicting Documentation

Configure content exclusion (GitHub Docs)

https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/configure-content-exclusion/exclude-content-from-copilot#configuring-content-exclusion-for-your-repository

This page states that GitHub Copilot CLI, Copilot coding agent, and Agent mode in Copilot Chat in IDEs do not support content exclusion, and refers to additional documentation for clarification.

Content exclusion concepts and availability (GitHub Docs)

https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/concepts/context/content-exclusion#availability-of-content-exclusion

This page indicates that content exclusion is available in Copilot Chat for Visual Studio Code, but includes the following note:

• Content exclusion is in public preview on the GitHub website and GitHub Mobile.
• Content exclusion is currently not supported in Edit and Agent modes of Copilot Chat in Visual Studio Code and other editors.

Copilot Agent Mode (Microsoft Learn)

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/ide/copilot-agent-mode?view=visualstudio#frequently-asked-questions

This documentation states that Agent mode cannot access files and directories excluded through file exclusion, which suggests that content exclusion is respected by Agent mode, at least in Visual Studio.

Observed Behavior

When testing a simple scenario, content exclusion appeared to work across all Copilot modes, including those documented as unsupported. This may indicate:

• Partial or implicit support depending on the tool or environment
• Differences between file exclusion and content exclusion
• Outdated or incomplete documentation

For the testing scenario we added an GitLab Repository for the content exclusion in the GitHub Copilot Business content exclusion setting and tested for the ask, edit and agent mode in the VS Code Chat if the file can be explained. For all the modes the response said that no context was attached even when i manually drag and dropped the file into the chat window.

Requested Improvement

The documentation should be updated to clearly and explicitly describe:

• Which Copilot tools and modes support content exclusion
• Which modes do not support it, and in what way
• Whether behavior differs between:
  • Chat, Edit, and Agent modes
  • IDEs (VS Code, Visual Studio) and the GitHub website
• Any known limitations, caveats, or indirect behaviors that may cause content exclusion to appear to work even when it is not fully supported

A concise support matrix or table outlining Copilot mode vs. content exclusion behavior would greatly improve clarity and help users avoid incorrect assumptions.

Clear and accurate documentation is particularly important for business and enterprise users, as content exclusion is often a critical compliance and data-protection requirement. Organizations need to clearly understand which Copilot modes and tools can be safely used while content exclusion is enabled, and which modes may bypass or partially ignore these rules. Without this clarity, there is a risk of unintentional exposure of sensitive or proprietary information and uncertainty about whether Copilot usage complies with internal policies and regulatory obligations.

Related Issues and Pull Requests

• GitHub Docs issue: Update Content Exclusion Note about limitations #40951
• GitHub Docs pull request (closed): Clarify content exclusion support in Copilot modes #40952
• VS Code issue: Feature Request: Ignore specific folders/files in Copilot microsoft/vscode#278829
• VS Code Copilot release issue: Feature Request: Add ability to exclude files for agent mode microsoft/vscode-copilot-release#12711

Additional information

No response

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[Nils-W]

Example: Observed behavior of content exclusion in Agent mode

To illustrate the current ambiguity, I would like to provide a concrete example based on a small stress test of content exclusion.

I used the GitHub Copilot extension for Visual Studio Code and configured content exclusion on the server side to exclude the file upload_files.py.

I then issued the following prompt while using Copilot Chat in Agent mode:

The response indicated that the excluded file was not directly accessible, suggesting that Agent mode appears to respect content exclusion at least partially:

However, when using Agent tools, the content exclusion can be bypassed. For example, the agent suggested or executed a tool-based action:

After explicitly asking the agent to proceed with this approach, the previously excluded file could be read without restriction:

It would be very helpful if the documentation provided a clear overview of these caveats, for example:

• A compatibility matrix showing which Copilot modes and tools fully, partially, or do not support content exclusion
• Explicit notes describing scenarios where content exclusion can be bypassed indirectly (e.g., via agent tools or terminal access)

Such clarification would significantly improve transparency and help users - especially enterprise and compliance-focused teams -make informed decisions about which Copilot features can be safely enabled in their environments.