---
title: "Unlocking the Power of AI for Every Developer in Visual Studio with Bring your Own Model"
url: https://daily.dev/posts/unlocking-the-power-of-ai-for-every-developer-in-visual-studio-with-bring-your-own-model-eylmtcqn4
source_url: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/unlocking-the-power-of-ai-for-every-developer-in-visual-studio-with-bring-your-own-model
type: article
source: "Visual Studio Blog"
published: 2026-08-24T22:42:19.872Z
updated: 2026-08-24T22:42:44.021Z
tags: ["llm", "github", "ai-coding", "visual-studio"]
reading_time: 5
upvotes: 0
comments: 0
language: en
---

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# Unlocking the Power of AI for Every Developer in Visual Studio with Bring your Own Model

**[Visual Studio Blog](https://daily.dev/sources/vs)** · 5 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

Microsoft is rolling out Bring Your Own Model (BYOM) in preview for Visual Studio, enabled by default across Community, Professional, and Enterprise SKUs. BYOM lets developers connect to Microsoft Foundry deployments or use their own API keys from OpenAI, Anthropic, or Ollama in Agent Mode, with or without a GitHub sign-in. The feature is available now in Visual Studio 18.10 Insiders and requires the new Agent (Preview) built on the GitHub Copilot SDK harness; previously added BYOM models under the old Ask/Agent modes are no longer supported and must be re-added. Upcoming work includes an ADMX policy to disable BYOM for enterprises, centralized model management, and more granular model controls.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/unlocking-the-power-of-ai-for-every-developer-in-visual-studio-with-bring-your-own-model>

## Questions this post answers

### How do I enable Bring Your Own Model (BYOM) in Visual Studio Agent mode?

Install the Visual Studio 18.10 Insiders release, then open the model picker in Chat and choose 'Add a model' or 'Manage models', click 'Add model provider', and connect to a supported provider before starting work in Agent (Preview) mode. Supported providers include Microsoft Foundry, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Ollama, with custom URL support for OpenAI and Ollama.

_daily.dev helps developers track new Visual Studio AI capabilities like BYOM as they roll out._

### Why did my previously configured BYOM models stop working in Visual Studio?

The old Bring Your Own Model setup from the earlier Ask and Agent modes is no longer supported because BYOM now depends on the new Agent (Preview) built on the GitHub Copilot SDK-powered harness. Anyone who had models configured under the previous experience must re-add them after updating to Visual Studio 18.10 Insiders.

_Developers migrating AI tooling setups can follow breaking changes like this one on daily.dev._

### Do I need to sign in to GitHub to use my own AI model in Visual Studio?

No, Bring Your Own Model works in Agent mode whether or not a developer is signed in to GitHub. It supports connecting to a Microsoft Foundry deployment or using an API key from another supported provider such as OpenAI, Anthropic, or Ollama.

_daily.dev keeps developers choosing among AI coding providers informed on new flexibility options._

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---

Tags: [#llm](https://daily.dev/tags/llm), [#github](https://daily.dev/tags/github), [#ai-coding](https://daily.dev/tags/ai-coding), [#visual-studio](https://daily.dev/tags/visual-studio)

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