GitHub Copilot Code Review Can Now Approve Pull Requests — Off by Default

GitHub announced on September 1 that Copilot code review can approve pull requests. Approvals are disabled by default and controlled at the enterprise, organization, and repository level. Public preview.

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GitHub announced on September 1, 2026 that Copilot code review can now approve pull requests ¹. It is in public preview for the GitHub Copilot Pro, Pro+, Max, Business, and Enterprise plans ¹.

Every Copilot review now carries an approval assessment in its overview comment. The assessment alone does not count toward merge requirements — it is surfaced so you can decide how to act on it ¹
Approval itself is off by default. When enabled, Copilot can submit an approval that counts toward the repository’s required-approvals rule ¹
If new commits are pushed after Copilot approves, its approval is dismissed just like a human reviewer’s, and you can request a fresh review ¹

Control sits at three levels — enterprise, organization, and repository — and at the repository level admins can also choose which file paths Copilot is allowed to approve ¹. This follows the expansion in late August to bot-authored and very large PRs, widening what Copilot review touches. Whether an AI approval should count toward required approvals is a question about how the review process itself is designed.

Sources

Copilot code review can now approve pull requests - GitHub official changelog (September 1, 2026)