VS Code Insiders Podcast Autopilot Mode with Justin Chen
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Mar 16, 2026 Justin Chen, a VS Code software engineer focused on chat UI/UX and agent tooling. He discusses Autopilot’s hands-off automation and approval modes. They cover chat decluttering with shimmers and collapsed tool calls. They explain the input bar split, the new permissions picker, and how plan mode can hand off to Autopilot.
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Collapsed Shimmers Reduce Chat Clutter
- VS Code chat now collapses detailed reasoning and tool-call output into shimmery expandable containers to reduce clutter.
- Justin says this keeps the chat feeling alive while hiding repetitive tool-read entries and removing noisy check marks for consistency.
Input Toolbar Split Shows Session Context
- The chat input toolbar was split into two toolbars to separate session-level controls from per-request controls.
- Justin explains the split helps show the agent harness (local/copilot/CLI/cloud) and the new permissions picker without cluttering the input box.
Use Default Approvals For Configured Safety
- Use Default Approvals to follow your configured auto-approve settings and pattern-based edit/terminal rules when you want fine-grained control.
- Justin points to settings like edit auto-approved patterns and safe terminal commands (cd, cat, grep) that default approvals respect.