Try Copilot Agents for a complex app upgrade

A developer moved a big web app migration from Copilot Chat to Copilot Agents after Chat had trouble keeping up with the full project.

Done with GitHub Copilot· Intermediate

What they did
They began the upgrade in Copilot Chat, but it could not keep the whole application in view. They then switched to Copilot Agents inside VS Code and guided the work through prompts. The agent often asked follow-up questions, then used the answers to choose its next action, which the developer likened to pair programming.
How it went
Copilot Agents coped with the codebase more smoothly than Chat and reacted well to instructions. The migration was still in its early stage, so there were no finished results, measurements, or completion report yet.
Tips
For a very large repo, agent mode may be easier to steer than chat alone. Since this was only an early test, use it as a trial pattern rather than proof that the method will work for every migration.

Try it yourself with GitHub Copilot

I have a web app in [repo name] that I want to move from [old stack or version] to [new stack or version]. First, review the repository and outline a migration sequence in small, manageable parts. Then carry out only the first part on a fresh branch. Before you do anything that cannot be undone, stop and ask me to confirm. After that first part is done, report what changed, what is still pending, and any areas that may need extra care, then wait for my approval before continuing.

Fill in the [brackets]. Agents can make mistakes, so review anything before it is sent, paid or deleted.

Read the original on dev.to ↗

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