GitHub Coding Agent : Data retention for prompts and outputs in GitHub Coding Agent

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Question: Data retention for prompts and outputs in GitHub Coding Agent (Business/Enterprise/Pro plans)

Hi GitHub team,

I have a question about the data retention policy for GitHub Coding Agent, specifically regarding how long prompts and any potentially confidential/internal data are stored.

In the official documentation, it states that outside of the IDE (e.g., CLI), prompts and input/output data may be retained for 28 days and are then automatically deleted. Based on that, I assume the Coding Agent may fall under the “outside the IDE” category, but I am not fully sure.

Could you please clarify the following for Business, Enterprise, and Pro plans?

1. Does GitHub Coding Agent retain prompts and input/output data for 28 days (or any other duration)?
2. Is Coding Agent treated the same as “outside the IDE (CLI)” in terms of data retention and logging?
3. If 28-day retention is primarily for troubleshooting and incident investigation, is it correct to understand that using Coding Agent in enterprise environments is generally acceptable, assuming standard internal confidentiality requirements?

Thank you in advance for your clarification.

[kovalllllll]

Based on the official privacy documentation and recent updates regarding GitHub Copilot Business, Enterprise, and Pro plans, here is the clarification regarding data retention for the Coding Agent and "outside the IDE" tools.

1. Does GitHub Coding Agent retain prompts and data for 28 days?

Yes, and potentially longer depending on the context.
While standard GitHub Copilot code completions (in the IDE) have a "Zero Data Retention" policy (prompts are discarded immediately after processing), Copilot "Agent" workflows and Copilot in the CLI fall under a different category often termed "Other GitHub Copilot access and use."

• Copilot in the CLI: For Business/Enterprise plans, prompts and outputs generated via the CLI are typically retained for 28 days.[1][2][3][4] This is distinct from the IDE extension to allow for abuse monitoring and service stability in the command-line environment.

• Copilot Coding Agent (Agent Mode / Workspace): Because the Coding Agent performs multi-step autonomous tasks (planning, editing multiple files, running commands), it generates Session Logs.[5]

  • Retention: These session logs (the plan, the steps taken, and the output) are often retained for the life of the account (or until the user deletes the session).

  • Reason: This is not for GitHub's training purposes, but to provide the service to you. Unlike a fleeting code suggestion, an Agent session is a persistent record (like a Pull Request or an Issue) that you and your team need to be able to review, audit, and refer back to.[5]

2. Is Coding Agent treated the same as “outside the IDE (CLI)”?

Yes, in terms of not being "Zero Retention."
The "Zero Retention" promise (immediate deletion) applies strictly to real-time code completions and standard chat within the IDE.
Tools that fall "outside" this strict definition—including Copilot CLI, Copilot Mobile, and Agentic workflows (which may run asynchronously or require state persistence)—retain data to maintain the session context and history.[5]

3. Is it acceptable for Enterprise environments?

Yes, generally.
Using Coding Agent in an enterprise environment is considered acceptable under standard confidentiality requirements, provided you understand the distinction in why data is stored.[5]

• No Model Training: Crucially, for Business and Enterprise plans, GitHub does not use your prompts, session logs, or outputs to train their public AI models, regardless of whether it is the Coding Agent, CLI, or standard Copilot.[5]

• Data Isolation: The retention (28 days or session history) is strictly for providing the service (allowing you to view the agent's history/logs) and compliance/abuse monitoring.

• Enterprise Control: The data remains isolated to your organization. If the Coding Agent creates a Pull Request or an Issue, that data persists just like any other code or comment your developers push to GitHub.

Summary Table for Business/Enterprise Plans

Feature | Data Retention Policy | Used for Training? -- | -- | -- Copilot Completions (IDE) | Zero Retention (Discarded immediately) | No Copilot Chat (IDE) | Zero Retention (Discarded immediately)* | No Copilot CLI | Retained for 28 Days | No Copilot Coding Agent | Session Logs Retained (Life of account/session) to allow user review | No

*Note: Chat history is stored locally on your machine or in your conversation history UI for your convenience, but is not retained by GitHub's backend processors for training.[5]

Recommendation: If your organization requires strict "ephemeral only" interactions where no data ever persists, you should stick to standard Copilot Completions. However, for the Coding Agent to function (planning and executing complex tasks), retaining the "state" of the session is functionally required, and this data is protected under your standard Enterprise agreement.[5]

Sources help

1. marks4sure.com
2. microsoft.com
3. dumpsbase.com
4. github.com
5. arinco.com.au

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Based on the official privacy documentation and recent updates regarding GitHub Copilot Business, Enterprise, and Pro plans, here is the clarification regarding data retention for the Coding Agent and "outside the IDE" tools.

1. Does GitHub Coding Agent retain prompts and data for 28 days?

Yes, and potentially longer depending on the context.
While standard GitHub Copilot code completions (in the IDE) have a "Zero Data Retention" policy (prompts are discarded immediately after processing), Copilot "Agent" workflows and Copilot in the CLI fall under a different category often termed "Other GitHub Copilot access and use."

Copilot in the CLI: For Business/Enterprise plans, prompts and outputs generated via the CLI are typically retained for 28 days.[1][2][3][4] This is distinct from the IDE extension to allow for abuse monitoring and service stability in the command-line environment.

Copilot Coding Agent (Agent Mode / Workspace): Because the Coding Agent performs multi-step autonomous tasks (planning, editing multiple files, running commands), it generates Session Logs.[5]

Retention: These session logs (the plan, the steps taken, and the output) are often retained for the life of the account (or until the user deletes the session).

Reason: This is not for GitHub's training purposes, but to provide the service to you. Unlike a fleeting code suggestion, an Agent session is a persistent record (like a Pull Request or an Issue) that you and your team need to be able to review, audit, and refer back to.[5]

2. Is Coding Agent treated the same as “outside the IDE (CLI)”?

Yes, in terms of not being "Zero Retention."
The "Zero Retention" promise (immediate deletion) applies strictly to real-time code completions and standard chat within the IDE.
Tools that fall "outside" this strict definition—including Copilot CLI, Copilot Mobile, and Agentic workflows (which may run asynchronously or require state persistence)—retain data to maintain the session context and history.[5]

3. Is it acceptable for Enterprise environments?

Yes, generally.
Using Coding Agent in an enterprise environment is considered acceptable under standard confidentiality requirements, provided you understand the distinction in why data is stored.[5]

No Model Training: Crucially, for Business and Enterprise plans, GitHub does not use your prompts, session logs, or outputs to train their public AI models, regardless of whether it is the Coding Agent, CLI, or standard Copilot.[5]

Data Isolation: The retention (28 days or session history) is strictly for providing the service (allowing you to view the agent's history/logs) and compliance/abuse monitoring.

Enterprise Control: The data remains isolated to your organization. If the Coding Agent creates a Pull Request or an Issue, that data persists just like any other code or comment your developers push to GitHub.

Summary Table for Business/Enterprise Plans
Feature Data Retention Policy Used for Training?
Copilot Completions (IDE) Zero Retention (Discarded immediately) No
Copilot Chat (IDE) Zero Retention (Discarded immediately)* No
Copilot CLI Retained for 28 Days No
Copilot Coding Agent Session Logs Retained (Life of account/session) to allow user review No

*Note: Chat history is stored locally on your machine or in your conversation history UI for your convenience, but is not retained by GitHub's backend processors for training.[5]

Recommendation: If your organization requires strict "ephemeral only" interactions where no data ever persists, you should stick to standard Copilot Completions. However, for the Coding Agent to function (planning and executing complex tasks), retaining the "state" of the session is functionally required, and this data is protected under your standard Enterprise agreement.[5]

Sources
help
marks4sure.com
microsoft.com
dumpsbase.com
github.com
arinco.com.au
Google Search Suggestions
Display of Search Suggestions is required when using Grounding with Google Search. Learn more
GitHub Copilot privacy statement prompts retained 28 days
GitHub Copilot usage data retention policy outside IDE
"GitHub Coding Agent" data retention
GitHub Copilot data retention policy Business Enterprise Pro
GitHub Copilot CLI data retention 28 days
GitHub Copilot agents data retention policy
GitHub Copilot CLI privacy policy business enterprise data retention
"GitHub Copilot in the CLI" data retention 28 days
"GitHub Copilot Workspace" data retention policy business