Commercial transition
Previous stateBefore the 1 September 2026 public preview, Copilot code review did not provide the administrator-enabled pull-request approval capability that can count toward a repository's required-approvals rule.
→New stateEvery Copilot code review includes an approval assessment, but that assessment alone does not satisfy merge requirements. Administrators can separately enable actual Copilot approvals at enterprise, organization or repository level; when enabled, an approval counts toward the required-approvals rule and later commits dismiss it like a human approval.
Who is affected
Copilot Pro, Pro+, Max, Business and Enterprise users and repository administrators governing pull-request approval requirements where Copilot code review is used.
Action required
Keep the approval feature disabled unless the repository's review policy permits AI approvals; if enabling it, review enterprise, organization and repository policy inheritance and verify branch-protection approval semantics.
Evidence boundary
GitHub proves a public-preview, administrator-controlled approval capability. The routine approval assessment is not itself a merge approval, actual Copilot approval remains off by default, and the source does not establish General Availability.
Timeline
- Copilot pull-request approvals entered public preview
GitHub added admin-gated Copilot approvals that can count toward repository required-approval rules.
Official sources
- Copilot code review can now approve pull requestsGitHub · 2026-09-01 · Official GitHub Changelog