Perform code maintenance tasks using GitHub Copilot Agent
Microsoft Learn
Last updated March 6, 2026
This learning path focuses on one demanding part of a developer's job — keeping an existing codebase healthy — and shows how to accelerate it with the GitHub Copilot Agent in Visual Studio Code. Across six modules it covers consolidating duplicate logic, refactoring large functions into smaller pieces, simplifying tangled conditionals, and implementing broad code improvements. Two modules apply the Agent to security work: resolving GitHub issues such as SQL injection and path traversal, and remediating secret-scanning alerts by replacing hard-coded secrets with secure configuration patterns.
What you'll learn
- Identifying and consolidating duplicate logic with the Copilot Agent
- Refactoring large functions and simplifying complex conditionals
- Implementing improvements to code quality, reliability, and performance
- Resolving GitHub issues such as SQL injection and path traversal
- Remediating secret-scanning alerts by removing hard-coded secrets
Frequently asked questions about Perform code maintenance tasks using GitHub Copilot Agent
Who is Perform code maintenance tasks using GitHub Copilot Agent for?
Developers maintaining real codebases who want to use the GitHub Copilot Agent for refactoring, cleanup, and common security fixes.
Is Perform code maintenance tasks using GitHub Copilot Agent free?
Yes — Perform code maintenance tasks using GitHub Copilot Agent is completely free to take.
What are the prerequisites for Perform code maintenance tasks using GitHub Copilot Agent?
An active GitHub Copilot subscription (a limited free tier exists, but you need a Copilot-enabled GitHub account) and around a year of coding experience; some C# and Visual Studio Code familiarity recommended.
Do you need to code for Perform code maintenance tasks using GitHub Copilot Agent?
Yes — Perform code maintenance tasks using GitHub Copilot Agent involves hands-on coding.
Why we suggest this course
For developers who spend real time on refactoring and cleanup rather than greenfield builds, this path targets exactly that work, including the security fixes that often get deferred. It treats Copilot's Agent mode as a tool for steadily improving code you already own — reducing duplication, taming complexity, and closing common vulnerabilities. One thing to know: it requires an active GitHub Copilot subscription (a limited free tier exists, but you need a Copilot-enabled GitHub account) and assumes around a year of coding experience, with some C# and Visual Studio Code familiarity recommended.