GitHub Copilot for JetBrains Adds Default Model and MCP Server Controls
GitHub's Copilot for JetBrains update lets enterprise admins set a default agent model and lets users stop MCP servers from auto-starting. IDE 2025.1 is dropped.
GitHub announced an update to Copilot for JetBrains on October 10 that puts more control in the hands of admins and users. Enterprise administrators can now use managed settings to choose any available Copilot agent model as the default for new conversations. The explicit model picker choice is preserved, so developers can still override the starting model.
On the MCP side, a new setting lets you disable automatic server startup for Copilot and Claude. GitHub says the point is control over when configured tools become active.
The rest is chat and diagnostics cleanup. Diagnostic intention menus now have a Fix action that opens inline chat and asks Copilot to repair the issue, using agent mode when available and ask mode otherwise. Chat messages are grouped by turn with controls for jumping between them, and user messages can be copied or edited. Signed-in accounts get clearer labels, a simpler status display and a Switch Account action. GitHub also lists reliability fixes covering language server startup, model and provider switching, MCP configuration, customization refreshes, file changes and worktrees.
The breaking change: support for JetBrains IDE 2025.1 has ended. You need 2025.2 or later to run the plugin.
The post gives no plugin version number and does not say which agent models admins can pick from. Feedback goes through the in-IDE options or the GitHub Copilot for JetBrains IDEs issues repository.
My take: the MCP off-switch is the line item worth your time. Tools that start themselves are tools you have to audit. Check your IDE version before you update.
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Sources
- New controls and chat improvements in Copilot for JetBrains, The GitHub Blog
Meanwhile at the anchor desk
Enterprise admins now get to pick the starting model for an entire organization. That is real power, and it comes with a settings page. I adore it.
Admins can set any available agent model as the default, and the post does not say which models those are. A control with no stated options is a dial without numbers.
