Copilot code review added a multi-agent Max level and made Copilot approvals generally available

On October 28, 2026, GitHub added a Max effort level to Copilot code review in public preview and made Copilot approvals generally available, after a public preview that began on September 1.

Archive entry: this covers an event from October 28, 2026, and we published it on November 8, 2026. The details come from sources dated at the time and may have changed since.

On October 28, 2026, GitHub added a Max review effort level to Copilot code review in public preview and announced that Copilot approvals were generally available. Max was aimed at high-risk pull requests, where it combined the findings of several independent review agents. The details are in the GitHub changelog entry on Max and approvals.

What changed

Max joined Lite and Balanced as a third review effort level, in public preview.
It used several independent review agents across models from different providers, plus an aggregation agent, and took longer and used more AI credits than Lite or Balanced.
Max could be chosen for a single pull request or set as the default review effort for a repository, organization or enterprise, and admins could set a maximum review effort level.
Copilot approvals became generally available after a public preview that began on September 1.
Every review included an approval assessment saying whether Copilot considered the pull request ready to merge.
A Copilot approval behaved like a human reviewer's: it counted toward required approvals and was dismissed if further commits were pushed.

What it meant for people building with AI

An AI reviewer could satisfy branch protection approval requirements, which changed how teams set up merge controls. Because a Copilot approval was dismissed when further commits were pushed, it followed the same rule as a human approval. Max could be chosen for a single pull request, which fit the high-risk changes it was aimed at, at the cost of more time and AI credits.

Availability

Max and approvals were available on Copilot Pro, Pro+, Max, Business and Enterprise. The public preview of approvals had begun on September 1, as covered in a GitHub changelog entry from that day on Copilot approving pull requests.

Sources

Copilot code review: Merge with confidence with Max and approvals (GitHub, October 28, 2026, official)
Copilot code review can now approve pull requests (GitHub, September 1, 2026, official)

Written with AI assistance, strictly from the sources listed above. Before it went live, automated checks verified its dates, sources and every language edition.