VS Code 1.133 Is Here — And These 4 New Features Will Change How You Code

VS Code just dropped another update. 🚀

If you've been opening the editor every single day and feeling like something could be smoother, faster, or just a little less annoying — this release has a few answers.

VS Code 1.133 shipped on August 12, 2026, and while it's not the most massive release in history, the features it brings are genuinely useful. Especially if you're working with AI agents, long chat conversations, or building HTML files and wanting instant feedback.

So what actually changed? Let's break it down in plain, honest terms.

What Is VS Code 1.133?

VS Code (Visual Studio Code) is a free, open-source code editor made by Microsoft. It's one of the most popular tools for developers worldwide, and the team releases updates regularly with new features, fixes, and improvements.

Version 1.133 is the latest stable release. It focuses on three main areas: AI agent flexibility, a better chat experience, and a smarter live browser preview.

Nothing revolutionary on the surface — but when you're coding every day, small quality-of-life upgrades add up fast.

Why This Release Matters

Most developers don't celebrate small editor updates. You open the editor, see a "1.133 available" notification, click update, and move on.

But skipping the release notes is how you miss features that could save you 10 minutes every day.

Here's why 1.133 is worth your attention:

• If you use Claude or Copilot for AI-assisted coding, you now have more provider flexibility.
• If you have long AI chat conversations, you won't lose track of your prompts anymore.
• If you preview HTML locally, it now refreshes automatically on every save.
• And if GitHub authentication gets in your way, there's a new workaround for that too.

Small changes. Real impact.

The 4 New Features Worth Knowing

1. Mix Anthropic and Copilot Models in a Single Claude Session

This one is big if you use the Claude agent in VS Code.

Previously, your Claude session was tied to one provider — either your GitHub Copilot subscription or your own Claude API key. If you wanted to switch, you had to reconfigure the entire agent host. That was annoying.

Now, the model picker shows both groups at once. You can switch between Anthropic models (billed to your API key) and Copilot models (billed to your Copilot subscription) between turns — without touching any settings.

Think of it like switching between two toolkits mid-project without putting anything away first.

This is especially useful when you want to try a different model for a specific task or compare outputs without interrupting your workflow.

2. Open the Agents Window Without GitHub Sign-In

Setting: chat.agentHost.allowSignedOutWhenUsable

This is marked experimental, but it solves a real frustration.

Before this, opening the Agents window always showed a GitHub sign-in prompt — and you couldn't dismiss it. If your machine couldn't reach github.com, or you simply didn't need GitHub in your workflow, you were stuck staring at that screen.

If you already had Claude configured with an API key, you didn't need GitHub at all. But the editor forced you through the sign-in step anyway.

With this new experimental setting enabled, the Agents window opens without the GitHub sign-in gate. Authentication becomes per-agent or per-model instead of blocking the whole window.

Right now this only works for Claude. Copilot with custom model keys and Codex support is planned for future releases.

To enable it:

"chat.agentHost.allowSignedOutWhenUsable": true

3. Sticky Scroll for Chat Prompts

Setting: chat.stickyScroll.enabled

This is a simple feature, but once you use it, you'll wonder how you lived without it.

If you've had a long back-and-forth conversation in the VS Code chat panel — asking Claude or Copilot to debug, refactor, explain, generate, and review code — you know how fast it gets overwhelming. You scroll down to read a response, and suddenly you've lost track of which question that response was even answering.

Sticky scroll for prompts pins the last prompt you scrolled past to the top of the chat window. It shows you its position in the conversation, and you can click it to jump back or use the previous/next buttons to step through your prompts one by one.

It works the same way as sticky scroll in the code editor — but for your chat history. 👀

4. Auto-Reload HTML Files in the Integrated Browser

Setting: workbench.browser.autoReloadOnFileChange

If you've ever worked on a plain HTML file in VS Code and used the built-in browser preview, you know the pain. You save your file, switch to the preview, and... nothing changed. You have to manually reload it. Every. Single. Time.

This feature kills that friction.

Now, when you have a local HTML file open in the integrated browser, it refreshes automatically whenever the file changes on disk. Save your file, and the preview updates immediately — no manual reload needed.

You can toggle auto-reload per tab or set it globally using the setting above.

It's a small thing. But if you're doing any kind of front-end work or quick HTML prototyping, it's a genuine time-saver.

Benefits at a Glance

Comparison: Before vs. After 1.133

Using Claude with Multiple Providers

Before: Pick one provider. Want to switch? Reconfigure the agent host.

After: Both providers live in the same model picker. Switch mid-conversation. No reconfiguration needed.

HTML Preview Workflow

Before: Save → switch to preview → manually reload → check result → repeat forever.

After: Save → preview updates automatically. Done.

Long AI Chat Sessions

Before: Scroll through 40 turns of conversation and lose track of which prompt a response belongs to.

After: The prompt sticks to the top of the screen. You always know where you are.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of 1.133

✅ Enable sticky scroll early. If you use chat regularly, turn on chat.stickyScroll.enabled right now. You'll notice the difference immediately in longer sessions.

✅ Try the unsigned Agents window if GitHub is slowing you down. If you already use Claude via API key and GitHub sign-in is just friction, enable chat.agentHost.allowSignedOutWhenUsable and simplify your workflow.

✅ Use auto-reload for static HTML prototyping. It's not just for agent edits — your own saved changes trigger the reload too. Great for quick mockups and style experiments.

✅ Explore the mixed model picker. If you have both a Copilot subscription and a Claude API key, the new model picker makes switching between them genuinely easy. Test both on the same task and see which output suits you better.

✅ Update immediately if you want these features now. VS Code 1.133 is rolling out gradually. Use Help → Check for Updates in the editor to get it right away without waiting.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Ignoring experimental settings. Features labeled "experimental" are still real, working features — they're just not fully finalized. The Agents-window-without-sign-in setting works today for Claude. Don't dismiss it just because of the label.

❌ Forgetting to enable settings. A few features in this release (sticky scroll, auto-reload, unsigned agents) are not on by default. If you're waiting to see these features magically appear, they won't. Open your settings and enable them manually.

❌ Assuming mixed model support works for all agents. Right now, switching providers mid-session only works within Claude sessions. It doesn't extend to every agent or configuration. Read the docs before expecting it everywhere.

❌ Skipping the agent host documentation. The agent host is getting more powerful with every release. If you're not familiar with it yet, the VS Code Agent Host documentation is worth a read.

Conclusion

VS Code 1.133 isn't a flashy, headline-grabbing release. But it's a polished one.

The ability to mix Anthropic and Copilot models in a single session gives you real flexibility when working with AI tools. Sticky scroll for chat prompts solves a genuine usability problem that grows worse the longer your conversations get. Auto-reload HTML preview removes a small friction that adds up to a lot of lost seconds over a long day. And the unsigned Agents window quietly removes a blocker for a whole group of developers who didn't need GitHub standing between them and their tools.

Good tools get better in small steps. This release is exactly that.

Update your editor, enable the settings that fit your workflow, and keep building.

💡 Enjoyed this breakdown? More posts like this live at hamidrazadev.com — practical dev content, tool breakdowns, and real-world tips.

If this helped you, share it with a teammate who hasn't updated yet. Drop a comment if you've already tried any of these features — I'd love to hear what your experience has been like.