GitHub is removing three models from Copilot on November 16, 2026: Claude Opus 4.8, Claude Opus 5 and GPT-5.6 Terra. In an October 15 changelog post, GitHub said the deprecation applies across all GitHub Copilot experiences, including Copilot Chat, inline edits, ask and agent modes, and code completions.
Which models are going and what GitHub suggests instead
GitHub lists the same deprecation date, November 16, 2026, for all three models, along with a suggested alternative for each:
- Claude Opus 4.8: Claude Opus 5.5
- Claude Opus 5: Claude Opus 5.5
- GPT-5.6 Terra: GPT-6.1 Sol or GPT-6 Luna
GitHub asks users to update their workflows and integrations to use supported models before November 16. The post doesn't give a time of day or a time zone for the change.
Opus 4.8 stays for individual annual subscribers
There's one exception. GitHub says Claude Opus 4.8 will remain available to individual GitHub Copilot subscribers on annual plans, so that they still have an Opus option, and the deprecation of Claude Opus 4.8 doesn't apply to them. The post doesn't offer the same exception for Claude Opus 5 or GPT-5.6 Terra.
What Business and Enterprise admins need to do
For Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise, GitHub says the suggested alternatives are turned on automatically under default model enablement. That doesn't happen if an administrator has turned off the global default or has explicitly disabled the model.
If your organization has turned off the global default, GitHub says you can turn on the alternative models through their model policies in Copilot settings. Once a model is enabled, users will see it in the Copilot Chat model selector in supported GitHub Copilot experiences.
GitHub also says no action is needed to remove the three models after November 16. GitHub Enterprise customers with questions or concerns are encouraged to contact their account team.
The post doesn't say whether the suggested alternatives cost more or use a different number of credits than the models they replace.
