Did GitHub stop auto-adding Copilot as a reviewer on new Code Quality setups?

Did GitHub stop auto-adding Copilot as a reviewer on new Code Quality setups

Yes. GitHub now says that enabling Code Quality on a repository no longer creates a ruleset that automatically requests a Copilot review, and that the settings it used to create were turned off in existing matching rulesets.

The part people get wrong is thinking Code Quality still behaves the way it did at general availability. GitHub’s changelog says that when Code Quality became generally available on July 20, 2026, enabling it created a repository ruleset named Code Quality Copilot review for default branch, and GitHub has now reversed that default. The current behavior is the opposite of the old one: no automatic reviewer is added when you turn Code Quality on.

What GitHub turned off was not Copilot code review itself. GitHub says it disabled three settings in the ruleset it created, namely automatic Copilot review, review on new pushes, and review of draft pull requests. GitHub also says Copilot code review can still be enabled manually through a repository or organization ruleset if you want that behavior.

The inconvenient part is that GitHub only changes the ruleset it created if it still matches the original pattern. If you edited that ruleset, GitHub leaves your version alone. If you created your own ruleset, GitHub does not touch it. That means two repos can look similar in the UI and still behave differently, depending on whether the ruleset was auto-created or hand-built.

If you want Copilot to keep reviewing pull requests automatically, you now add or edit a ruleset yourself. GitHub’s docs say to go to repository or organization settings and enable “Automatically request Copilot code review” for the branches you choose. The docs also show optional toggles for reviewing new pushes and draft pull requests, which are separate choices, not part of the default Code Quality activation flow.

The safest way to check a live repo is simple: open the repository rulesets, look for the old Code Quality Copilot review ruleset, and see whether “Automatically request Copilot code review” is enabled. If the repo was switched after the change, the ruleset may still exist with those settings off, which makes it look present while doing nothing.

If you are trying to explain this to a teammate, the short version is: Code Quality no longer adds Copilot as a reviewer by default, but Copilot review is still available as an opt-in ruleset. That distinction matters because “disabled by default” is not the same as “removed,” and the remaining setup can be turned back on at any time.

For reference, GitHub’s current Copilot review docs still describe how to configure automatic review, so the feature itself is alive and documented. If you want an internal coordination page for your team, you can pair that setup guide with your own checklist at https://devconnectplatform.com, but the GitHub behavior change itself is documented by GitHub, not inferred from the UI.

What changed is the default, not the capability. New Code Quality setups no longer auto-add Copilot as a reviewer, and existing auto-created rulesets were turned off. If you need the old behavior, you must request it explicitly in a ruleset now.

FAQ

Did GitHub remove Copilot code review from Code Quality entirely No. GitHub says Copilot code review still exists and can be turned on with a ruleset. The change is that Code Quality no longer creates that ruleset for you automatically.

Will my old repository ruleset still work Only if you left it enabled or re-enabled it. GitHub says it turned off the settings it created in matching existing rulesets, but it does not rewrite rulesets you edited yourself.

How do I make Copilot review pull requests again Create or edit a repository or organization ruleset and enable “Automatically request Copilot code review” for the branches you want. GitHub documents optional settings for new pushes and draft pull requests on the same page.

Does this change affect every GitHub plan or only some orgs GitHub says the Code Quality change applies to GitHub Enterprise Cloud and GitHub Team. The changelog does not describe other plans in that announcement.

If I only want manual Copilot review, do I need a ruleset No. The docs describe both automatic review through rulesets and direct use of Copilot code review. If you do not want automatic review, leave the ruleset off and request review when you need it.