The latest stable VS Code release is now live. VS Code 1.139 was released on September 23, 2026, bringing an experimental way for Agent Host sessions to work inside Dev Containers on remote projects.
The important detail is where this happens: from the desktop Agents Window, agent sessions can now run inside a project’s Dev Container when the project is hosted through SSH, Tunnel, or WSL hosts. The feature is gradually rolling out and remains experimental.
AI Agents Can Now Work Inside Remote Dev Containers
From the desktop Agents Window, VS Code 1.139 agent sessions can now run inside a project’s Dev Container when the project is on an SSH, Tunnel, or WSL host. With the experimental capability enabled, developers can select Use Dev Container for an eligible remote project. The feature is controlled by the chat.agentHost.devContainer.enabled setting
This is an Agent Host capability, not a blanket change affecting every AI coding extension installed in VS Code. Agent Host can work with supported agent harnesses through adapters, including Copilot and Claude.
For a Dev Container session, the Agent Host runs inside the container while the Agent’s Window remains on the developer’s machine, giving the agent access to the container’s tools and dependencies.
That means the agent can work in the same environment the project already uses for development rather than requiring those project dependencies to be installed directly on the laptop or remote host.
There Are Specific Requirements
Microsoft isn’t treating this as a one-click remote feature yet. Developers need:
- Docker installed and running on the machine containing the project.
- The Docker CLI is available on that machine’s PATH.
- A Dev Container configuration at .devcontainer/devcontainer.json or .devcontainer.json.
- A supported SSH, Tunnel, or WSL remote project.
- The experimental chat.agentHost.devContainer.enabled setting is enabled if the capability hasn’t been rolled out to the user yet.
Microsoft says the feature is rolling out gradually, so it may not be available automatically to every VS Code 1.139 installation.
Another limitation is that Agent Host Dev Container sessions cannot currently be combined with New Worktree.
Why VS Code 1.139 Remote Container Support Matters
The value becomes clearer in a real development workflow.
A developer could keep a project on a remote Linux machine, connect through SSH, open its Dev Container, and start an Agent Host session. The agent then operates inside the container containing the project’s configured dependencies and development tools. This can reduce the friction of reproducing a remote project’s environment locally.
The workflow effectively becomes:
Remote project → Dev Container → Agent Host → build/test → developer review
The architecture also separates the agent’s working environment from the interface. The Agents Window stays on the developer’s computer, while the Agent Host for the Dev Container session runs within the project container.
VS Code Also Makes Large Agent Lists Faster
The other notable improvement targets developers managing many agent sessions.
VS Code 1.139 introduces a centralized catalog with lightweight session and chat metadata, rather than repeatedly opening each conversation database to build the session list.
Existing sessions created before VS Code 1.139 are migrated automatically in the background. Importantly, full conversation data remains in the individual session/chat databases; only lightweight metadata is centralized.
Microsoft’s test used approximately 645 sessions and produced two different improvements:
| Operation | Before | After | Improvement |
| Initial listing | 1.3 sec | 0.1 sec | ~12x faster |
| Refresh | 0.6 sec | 0.15 sec | ~4x faster |
So the widely quoted 12× figure applies to the initial session listing, not both operations. Refresh performance improved by roughly four times in the same test. Developers with far fewer sessions should not expect the same magnitude of improvement.
Session Management Gets Cleaner
The release also introduces Compact View for session lists. Rows can automatically expand when a session requires input or approval, helping surface sessions that need attention. Users can also disable “Empty Groups” in Filter Sessions to hide empty custom groups and the empty Chats section.
The Dev Tunnel Security Warning Matters
Remote agent sessions also make Microsoft’s existing Dev Tunnel security guidance particularly important. Microsoft warns that if a Dev Tunnel permits anonymous access, anyone who discovers its URL can reach the machine and start agent sessions. With auto-approval enabled, the risk is greater because those sessions could potentially trigger AI-assisted command execution using the user’s credentials.
This is not a new VS Code 1.139 vulnerability. It is a broader security consideration around Agent Host and Dev Tunnel configurations that becomes especially relevant when agents are allowed to operate on remote machines. Microsoft says developers should ensure Dev Tunnels require authentication through a GitHub or Microsoft account. That makes access control just as important as the new remote workflow itself.
What Developers Need to Know
Before testing the feature, here’s the short version:
| Requirement | Detail |
| Release | VS Code 1.139 Stable – September 23, 2026 |
| Interface | Desktop Agents Window |
| Remote hosts | SSH, Tunnel, and WSL |
| Container | Docker + supported Dev Container configuration |
| Setting | chat.agentHost.devContainer.enabled |
| Status | Experimental, gradual rollout |
| Limitation | Cannot currently combine with New Worktree |
| Security | Authenticate Dev Tunnels; avoid anonymous access. |
The feature is therefore more specific than “VS Code now lets AI agents work remotely.” It enables supported Agent Host sessions to run inside the project’s actual Dev Container, while the developer continues managing the session through the desktop Agents Window.
Why VS Code 1.139 Matters
VS Code 1.139 is moving agent workflows closer to the environments developers already depend on. The combination of remote development, Dev Containers, and Agent Host means an agent can work with the project’s configured dependencies instead of treating the local machine as the default development environment.
At the same time, the experimental status, gradual rollout, New Worktree limitation, and Dev Tunnel authentication requirements show that Microsoft is still refining how these remote agent workflows should operate safely.
Final Thoughts
VS Code 1.139 makes remote, containerized agent workflows more practical by letting Agent Host sessions run alongside the project’s actual development environment.
The container becomes part of the agent workflow.