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Using Claude Opus 4.6 in Github Copilot
The model selection in Github Copilot got richer with the addition of Claude Opus 4.6. The Model capability along with the addition of agents makes it a powerful combination to build complex code which requires many hours or days. Claude Opus 4.6 is better in coding skills as compared to the previous models. It also plans more carefully, performs more reliably in larger codebases, and has better code review as well as debugging skills to catch its own mistakes. In my current experiment, I used it multiple times to review its own code and while it took time (understandably) to get familiar with the code base. After that initial effort on the evaluation, the suggestions for fixes/improvements were on dot and often even better than a human reviewer (me in this case). Opus 4.6 also can run agentic tasks for longer. Following the release of the model, Anthropic published a paper on using Opus 4.6 to build C Compiler with a team of parallel Claudes. The compiler was built by 16 agents from scratch to get a Rust-based C compiler which was capable of compiling the Linux kernel. This is an interesting paper (shared in resources). Using Claude Opus 4.6 in Agentic Mode In less than an hour, I built a document analyzer to analyse the content, extract insights, build knowledge graphs and summarize elements. The code was built using Claude Opus 4.6 alongwith Claude Agents in Visual Studio Code. The initial prompt built the code and in the next hour after a few more interactions - unit tests were added and the UI worked as expected specifically for rendering the graphs. In the second phase, I converted the capabilities into Agents with tools and skills making the codebase Agentic. All this was done in Visual Studio using Github Copilot. Adding the complexity of Agentic execution was staggered across phases but the coding agent may well have built it right in the first instance with detailed specifications and instructions. The Agent could also fix UI requirements and problems in graph rendering from the snapshot shared in the chat window. That along with the logging was sufficient to quickly get to an application which worked as expected. The final graph rendering used mermaid diagrams in javascript while the backend was in python. Knowledge Graph rendering using mermaid What are Agents? Agents perform complete coding tasks end-to-end. They understand your project, make changes across multiple files, run commands, and adapt based on the results. An agent runs in the local, background, cloud, or third-party mode. An agent takes a high-level task and it breaks the task down into steps. It executes those steps with tools and self-corrects on errors. Multiple agent sessions can run in parallel, each focused on a different task. On creating a new agent session, the previous session remains active and can be accessed between tasks via the agent sessions list. The Chat window in Visual Studio Code allows for changing the model and also the Agent Mode. The Agent mode can be local for Local Agents or run in the background or on Cloud. Additionally, Third Party Agents are also available for coding. In the snapshot below, the Claude Agent (Third Party Agent) is used. In this project Azure GPT 4.1 was used in the code to perform the document analysis but this can be changed to any model of choice. I also used the ‘Ask before edits” mode to track the command runs. Alternatively, the other option was to let the Agent run autonomously. Visual Studio Code - Models and Agent Mode The local Agentic mode was also a good option and I used it a few times specifically as it is not constrained by network connectivity. But when the local compute does not suffice, the cloud mode is the next best option. Background agents are CLI-based agents, such as Copilot CLI running in the background on your local machine. They operate autonomously in the editor and Background agents use Git worktrees to work in an isolated environment from your main workspace to prevent conflicts with your active work. How to get the model? The model is accessible to GitHub Copilot Pro/Pro+, business, and enterprise users. Opus 4.6 operates more reliably in large codebases, offering improved code review and debugging skills. The Fast mode for Claude Opus 4.6, rolled out in research preview, provides a high-speed option with output token delivery speeds up to 2.5 times faster while maintaining comparable capabilities to Opus 4.6. Resources https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-opus-4-6 https://www.anthropic.com/engineering/building-c-compiler https://github.blog/changelog/2026-02-05-claude-opus-4-6-is-now-generally-available-for-github-copilot https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/agents/overviewIntegrate Agents with Skills in Github Copilot
The past year saw the rise of Agentic workflows. Agents have a task or goal to accomplish and build context, take actions using tools. Tools while affective in surfacing the requisite sources and actions can easily increase in numbers causing context bloat, high token consumption. Agent Skills was proposed in a recent Anthropic paper to address the above challenges. Agent Skills are now supported in Visual Studio Code (Experimental) and can be used with Github Copilot. It works across Copilot coding agent, Copilot CLI, and agent mode in Visual Studio Code Insiders. Copilot coding agent is available with the GitHub Copilot Pro, GitHub Copilot Pro+, GitHub Copilot Business and GitHub Copilot Enterprise plans. The agent is available in all repositories stored on GitHub, except repositories owned by managed user accounts and where it has been explicitly disabled. An Agent Skill is created to teach Copilot on performing specialized tasks with detailed instructions while also being repeatable. At its core, Agent Skills are folders which contain instructions, scripts, and resources that the Copilot automatically loads when relevant to the query. On receiving a prompt, Copilot determines if a skill is relevant to your task and it then loads the instructions. The skills instructions are executed along with any resources included in the directory structure relevant to the specific skill. One guideline would be to encapsulate into a skill anything which is being done repeatedly. In the example below, we have a skill for creating a github issue for a feature request using a specific template (the template will be referenced by the skill based on the type of issue to be created). The SKILL.md file is very detailed in all the instructions required for supporting multiple github issues related actions. The description is key to understanding the Skill and when the Agent requires a specific Skill, the appropriate instructions are loaded. The loaded Skill is then executed in a secure code execution environment. A further option provided by Agent Skills is reusing the generated code by storing it in the filesystem to avoid repeated execution. In Visual Studio Code, enable the "chat.useAgentSkills" setting to use Agent Skills prior to the run. An Agent can have nested agents which is used to detail sub agents (Nested Agents is also enabled in settings as shown below) and thus decouple functionality. Any prompt in the chat will now have the option to pick from the Agent Skills in addition to the tools available. We can write our own skills, or use those which are shared by others - anthropics/skills repository or GitHub’s community created github/awesome-copilot collection. While skills are very powerful, using shared skills needs to be done with discretion and from a security perspective only use skills shared by trusted sources. Resources https://github.blog/changelog/2025-12-18-github-copilot-now-supports-agent-skills/ https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/customization/agent-skills
Azure Web App Deployment Failed: 429 Throttling & Policy Errors (Student Subscription)
Hello, I am trying to complete a university lab requiring an Azure Web App (Python 3.9/3.10/3.11 / Linux) running on an App Service Plan to test autoscaling features. I am using an "Azure for Students" subscription. I am unable to deploy the resource regardless of the region I choose. Here is what I have tried: Region : France Central I get a Throttling error : "App Service Plan Create operation is throttled for subscription [My-Sub-ID]. Code: 429" Region : Switzerland North I get a Policy error : "Resource was disallowed by Azure Policy... The objective of this policy is to ensure that your subscription has full access to Azure services with optimal performance." Region : Canada Central / Switzerland North : I attempted to create a new Resource Group and App Service Plan in these regions, but I am still facing deployment failures or throttling issues. I simply need to deploy a Web App with a plan that supports Autoscale. Which region is currently open/unthrottled for Student Subscriptions to create an App Service Plan? Is there a specific workaround to bypass this 429 error for a lab environment? Thank you for your help.
How about Websoft9 application hosting Platform
Websoft9 is One-click hosting for any website or application with 300+ customizable templates, including popular options like WordPress and Odoo. Do you have use it on https://marketplace.microsoft.com/en-us/product/virtual-machines/websoft9inc.websoft9
Metered Billing Accelerator
Hi! I want to implement a central instance of the Metered Billing Accelerator (https://github.com/microsoft/metered-billing-accelerator) so my Metered Billing Marketplace Offer apps. I've reviewed the YouTube videos but they are quite old and certain things changed since the recording in Azure. Does anyone here know how to install und use it? BR AlexApp Not Able to Wheel Scroll in Popup Window
We are working to finish off our transition from Citrix to Azure. We are working through final issues now and are stuck with an issue on wheel scrolling in a popup window. One of our applications will launch and open a session in the browser. It is only approved for Internet Explorer and will start a session in whichever browser you are using. The original screens users are on when the application opens users have no issues with wheel scrolling. But after they make the selection of the department they need to work in, a window will popup that they would work in for that area of the application. Wheel scrolling will not work in this popup window. Users can still use the side scroll bar. But this is severely affecting users productivity. Running into a wall at this point. Application vendor is advising this is an adjustment we need to make in our Azure environments, just as they would (and did years ago) for Citrix. Unfortunately our vendor can't speak to Azure at all and nobody can advise on the change to Citrix, so that I can try to mimic in Azure. That is even if it would be similar options to mimic. We're willing to look into all options at this point.
Unable to send pro-active messages to users on Microsoft Teams
I have built an application to send pro-active messages to users on Microsoft Teams. I am using C# Bot Framework SDK. The application is designed to support users from different tenants [Application Type: multi-tenant] and I have tested the same in the past by installing the app to users belonging to a different tenant than that where the Azure Bot Service is hosted and where the App is registered. Please note that the App doesn't require any API permission but just needs to be installed by the user. After the recent changes made by Microsoft on July 31, 2025, I am no longer able to create an Azure Bot Service having App Type as multi-tenant. We plan to publish this application to the Microsoft Teams store. I got to know from the GitHub Issue - https://github.com/OfficeDev/Microsoft-Teams-Samples/issues/1747 that once the application is certified by Microsoft it will be multi-tenant. Therefore, I created the Azure Bot Service and App Registration with App Type as single-tenant as multi-tenant option was no longer available. In the single-tenant configuration, I tested it by installing the application to user belong to the same tenant where the Azure Bot service is hosted and the App is registered. The code started to return an unauthorized exception. Neither I was not able to send out a Welcome Adaptive message card when the Bot application was installed by the user nor I was able to send out a pro-active message to the user. I had raised a question in the Microsoft Learn Question and Answer Forum and was asked by the Moderator to post it as a thread in the Microsoft Tech Community. I have mentioned the details in the question along with the attempts that I made to resolve the issue. Kindly go through the details mentioned in the question - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5565284/unable-to-send-pro-active-messages-to-users-on-mic I’d really appreciate any help or guidance you can provide on resolving this issue. Thank you in advance for your time and support!How to use the newly launched MCP Registry
The newly launched Model Context Protocol (MCP) Registry in preview is as an open catalog for publicly available MCP servers. This is key in providing discoverability of MCP servers and standardization of this process. The Registry serves as a source of truth for MCP Servers and has also published a process for adding MCP servers. The MCP Registry also allows to register public and private sub-registries. This is an interesting addition and bears some semblance to DNS in its design. The public sub-registry can be likened to a MCP marketplace for servers while a private sub-registry would be suitable for enterprises with stricter privacy and security requirements. Accessing Data The Registry data can be accessed through the API provided. No authentication is required for read only access. The base URL is https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io GET /v0/servers - List all servers with pagination GET /v0/servers/{id} - Get full server details including packages and configuration For instance, the following curl query can be used to get the list of servers curl --request GET \ --url https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers \ --header 'Accept: application/json, application/problem+json' The details on usage is in the github link here Publishing Servers This requires authentication and the client package to be installed After installing the mcp-publisher client, the server.json file has be populated with the MCP server details to be added. Authentication can be done using github or DNS verification. The last step is to publish the server. The github link here has the complete set of steps for adding servers. More details can be found in the link here.Implementing Zero-Trust Network Security for Azure Web Apps Using Private Endpoints
Author: Sai Min Thu Date: 7.9.2025 Lab Objective: To demonstrate how to completely remove public internet access from an Azure App Service Web App and secure it within a private virtual network using Private Endpoints, adhering to a zero-trust network model. In today's threat landscape, the principle of "never trust, always verify" is paramount. While Azure Web Apps are publicly accessible by default, many enterprise scenarios require workloads to be isolated from the public internet to meet strict compliance and security requirements. This guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough of configuring an Azure Web App to be accessible only through a private network connection via an Azure Private Endpoint. We will: Establish a foundational resource group and virtual network. Deploy a basic web application. Implement core security controls by creating a Private Endpoint and integrating with Private DNS. Enforce network isolation by applying access restrictions. Validate the security configuration. Documents Details: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ci17PsPCILbP8JVZMMLkjAolHK3pomgT-RE76InEkqA/edit?usp=sharing
