Feature · archived
GitHub
GitHub deprecated six models — Gemini 3.1 Pro, Claude Opus 4.5, Claude Opus 4.6, Claude Sonnet 4.5, Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Raptor Mini — across most GitHub Copilot experiences
left 1 Sept 2026
Quick answers
- Is it true that GitHub Copilot deprecates Gemini 3.1 Pro, Claude Opus 4.5/4.6, Claude Sonnet 4.5/4.6 and Raptor Mini?
- Yes — and the date has already passed (1 Sept 2026). On 1 September 2026 GitHub removed six models from most GitHub Copilot experiences — Copilot Chat, inline edits, ask and agent modes, and code completions.
- When did it take effect?
- 1 Sept 2026 (already passed). Verified against the vendor's own announcement.
- What should I use instead?
- Point any workflow, integration, or configuration that names one of the deprecated models at its suggested replacement: Gemini 3.1 Pro → Gemini 3.7 Flash, Claude Opus 4.5 or 4.6 → Claude Opus 4.7 / 4.8 / 5, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or 4.6 → Claude Sonnet 5, Raptor Mini → MAI-Code-1.1-Flash.
What this means for you
On 1 September 2026 GitHub removed six models from most GitHub Copilot experiences — Copilot Chat, inline edits, ask and agent modes, and code completions. The deprecated models and GitHub's suggested replacements are: Gemini 3.1 Pro → Gemini 3.7 Flash; Claude Opus 4.5 → Claude Opus 4.7, 4.8 or 5; Claude Opus 4.6 → Claude Opus 4.7, 4.8 or 5; Claude Sonnet 4.5 → Claude Sonnet 5; Claude Sonnet 4.6 → Claude Sonnet 5; and Raptor Mini → MAI-Code-1.1-Flash. For most people this is a quiet swap — the deprecated option simply disappears from the model picker in VS Code and on github.com and a newer model takes its place, and GitHub says no action is required to remove the old models. It matters to anyone who named one of these models by hand: a workflow, CI step, integration, or script that selects a Copilot model through the API, or an enterprise policy that allow-lists specific models. Those references stop resolving to a live model after the date. One exception: GitHub says Claude Sonnet 4.6 remains available to individual GitHub Copilot subscribers on annual plans.
Where to go
Point any workflow, integration, or configuration that names one of the deprecated models at its suggested replacement: Gemini 3.1 Pro → Gemini 3.7 Flash, Claude Opus 4.5 or 4.6 → Claude Opus 4.7 / 4.8 / 5, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or 4.6 → Claude Sonnet 5, Raptor Mini → MAI-Code-1.1-Flash. Enterprise administrators may need to enable the alternative models through their Copilot model policies in Copilot settings, then confirm each appears in the Copilot Chat model selector in VS Code and on github.com so their users can pick it. Individuals who simply choose a model from the Copilot menu need do nothing. Enterprise customers with questions are directed to their GitHub account manager.
- Gemini 3.7 Flash — GitHub's named replacement for Gemini 3.1 Pro
- Claude Opus 4.7, Claude Opus 4.8, or Claude Opus 5 — replacements for Claude Opus 4.5 and 4.6
- Claude Sonnet 5 — replacement for Claude Sonnet 4.5 and 4.6
- MAI-Code-1.1-Flash — replacement for Raptor Mini
GitHub has retired a batch of models you could pick inside Copilot. In an official changelog post, GitHub says that as of 1 September 2026 it has deprecated six models across most GitHub Copilot experiences — Copilot Chat, inline edits, ask and agent modes, and code completions.
The deprecated models and GitHub’s suggested replacements are:
| Deprecated model | Suggested replacement |
|---|---|
| Gemini 3.1 Pro | Gemini 3.7 Flash |
| Claude Opus 4.5 | Claude Opus 4.7, Claude Opus 4.8, or Claude Opus 5 |
| Claude Opus 4.6 | Claude Opus 4.7, Claude Opus 4.8, or Claude Opus 5 |
| Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| Raptor Mini | MAI-Code-1.1-Flash |
For most people this is a quiet swap. GitHub states that no action is required to remove the deprecated models — the menu simply stops offering them and the newer models take their place. If you choose a Copilot model from the picker in VS Code or on github.com and don’t think about it beyond that, there is nothing to do. GitHub notes one exception: Claude Sonnet 4.6 is still available to individual GitHub Copilot subscribers on annual plans.
The people who need to act are the ones who wrote a model’s name down somewhere. If a workflow, a CI step, an integration, or a script selects one of these models by identifier through the Copilot API, or if an enterprise policy allow-lists specific models, that reference stops pointing at a live model after 1 September. GitHub’s guidance is to update those workflows and integrations to use the supported replacement models.
Enterprise administrators have one extra step: Copilot Enterprise administrators may need to enable the alternative models through their model policies in Copilot settings, then verify each one shows up in the Copilot Chat model selector in VS Code and on github.com so their users can actually pick it. Customers with concerns are pointed to their GitHub account manager. This is a model-lifecycle deprecation, not a service shutdown — there is no data to export and no feature going away, only a set of named models being replaced by their successors on a fixed date.
Entry changelog
- — last reviewed.
- — Entry created from GitHub's official changelog post (31 August 2026). Effective date 1 September 2026, the six deprecated model names, their suggested replacements, the affected Copilot surfaces, and the Claude Sonnet 4.6 annual-plan exception are all quoted directly from the announcement. No detect: fingerprint added — the announcement lists display names (with spaces and version numbers), not code identifiers, and the replacement names must never be fingerprinted; a guessed model id would be a false alarm.
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