You want to start a cloud session on one Copilot surface and continue on another. Which environment should you choose?
Why D is the answer
A cloud sandbox
GitHub recommends a cloud sandbox when you want to continue a session across supported surfaces.
In detail
- A cloud sandbox lets you start on one surface and continue on another.
- Choose the environment before you start the session.
Use case
An illustrative scenario, not a real incident.
A developer starts a session on GitHub.com and wants to pick it up elsewhere. A cloud sandbox is GitHub's recommended choice for moving between surfaces.
See it in different ways
sequenceDiagram participant D as Developer participant A as Copilot cloud agent participant G as GitHub D->>A: Task A->>G: Opens a branch and pull request G-->>D: Asks for review D->>G: Approves or asks for changes
flowchart TD
Q{"Must the session move between surfaces?"}
Q -->|"Yes"| A0["Cloud sandbox"]
Q -->|"No"| A1["Choose by your other needs"]Key point: Use a cloud sandbox to continue across surfaces.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. A GitHub Actions-based session that is pinned to a self-hosted runner
- Pinning to a self-hosted runner ties the session to that setup.
- B. A remote custom environment that requires a separate login for each surface
- A separate login per surface is the opposite of continuing smoothly.
- C. A local editor session with no connection to GitHub at all
- A session with no connection to GitHub cannot move to another surface.