GitHub in Teams: Which App Retires on November 16?
Two GitHub apps with nearly the same name post notifications into your Teams channels. Which one retires on November 16, and what do its users switch to?
- GitHub's consolidated Teams app combines notifications with Copilot tasks. Existing GitHub notifications users should update their app.
- The separate legacy GitHub app is scheduled to retire on November 16; those users need the consolidated app.
- Copilot requires a paid plan and enabled cloud sandboxes. Your team still reviews and merges the resulting pull requests.
The retirement date applies to the legacy app
GitHub's October 23 announcement brings repository notifications and Copilot into one Teams app. You can respond to an update by mentioning GitHub and requesting an investigation or code change.
The migration depends on which app your team already installed.
| Existing app | Migration path |
|---|---|
| GitHub notifications | Update to the latest version. Existing notification capabilities continue. |
| Legacy GitHub app | Install the consolidated GitHub app. The old app will become GitHub (deprecated) and is scheduled to retire on November 16, 2026. |
November 16 is therefore an app retirement, not a shutdown of all GitHub notifications in Teams.
Installing the app does not grant Copilot access
The integration prerequisites include a GitHub account, permission to install apps in the Teams workspace, and Microsoft Public Developer Preview enabled in the Teams client. Microsoft documents that preview participation is subject to administrator policy.
Copilot tasks require a paid Copilot plan and enabled cloud sandboxes. Organization or enterprise owners may need to allow both cloud sandboxes and Copilot cloud agent. The Teams integration remains in public preview as of October 26.
After installation, mention @GitHub to connect your account. If prompted, choose a default repository. That becomes the destination for issues and pull requests unless your request names another repository.
Subscribe first, then ask for the work
The channel commands separate notifications from coding requests:
@GitHub subscribe OWNER/REPO
@GitHub subscribe listReplace OWNER/REPO with the repository. The first command subscribes the channel; the second lists its subscriptions. You may be prompted to grant repository or organization access.
When an issue notification arrives, mention @GitHub with the task. GitHub describes a sequence in which Copilot investigates, proposes a fix and opens a pull request, followed by the team's review, testing and merge. A subscription command does not itself request a fix or a merge.
Shared-context pull requests use the app's identity
The agent uses the entire thread as context. Under the documented permissions model, direct-message actions use your linked personal account's permissions. In shared channels or group threads, artifacts are created under the app's identity.
Triggering changes requires repository write access. Participants can contribute input, but workspace guests and repository outside collaborators cannot start or steer a Teams Copilot session.
There is also a conditional approval change: if a repository uses rulesets and already requires at least one approval, a pull request created by Copilot in shared context needs one additional approval. This behavior is enabled by default. Include PR authorship and required approvals in your migration checks, alongside notification delivery.
Frequently asked questions
Is GitHub notifications retiring on November 16?
No. Its users should update the app. The announced retirement concerns the separate legacy GitHub app.
Does every Copilot pull request need two approvals?
No. The documented additional approval concerns shared-context app-authored PRs in repositories using rulesets that already require at least one approval.