I have GitHub Copilot business license and I’m working in Visual Studio IDE. When my application is not running, the AI code suggestions work perfectly fine. However, as soon as I start debugging or running my project, the autocomplete features from Copilot completely disappear. I can type code but no intelligent suggestions pop up anymore. This is really frustrating because I often need to make quick changes while testing my app. Has anyone else experienced this issue? Is there a setting I need to adjust to keep Copilot active during runtime?
Yes, this behavior in Visual Studio is by design, as it prioritizes debugging stability over IntelliSense functionality when running code. A strategy I’ve found effective is to keep two instances of Visual Studio open—one for debugging and the other for editing. Additionally, using the edit-and-continue feature allows for making minor adjustments without halting the debugger. If you’re frequently modifying code during tests, consider running your application without debugging most of the time, and only attaching the debugger when you need to troubleshoot specific issues. It’s certainly frustrating, but the trade-off for reliable debugging is often worthwhile.
Yeah, this is actually how Visual Studio works. The IDE puts debugger performance first over code completion when your app’s running. I’ve seen this because the debugging engine eats up system resources, and Copilot’s language server messes with breakpoint evaluation and variable inspection. A quick fix I use is detaching the debugger when you need to make big code changes and then reattaching it afterward. You can also hit Ctrl+F5 to run without debugging if breakpoints aren’t needed at the moment. Suggestions return once you stop execution completely.
had this same prob last week! super annoying, but i found a fix - go to tools > options > intellicode and check ‘enable completions’ whiel debugging. also, try restarting the copilot service from the command palette while ur app is running. sometimes it gets stuck.
This happens because Visual Studio’s debugger locks certain language services to keep debugging accurate. I’ve gotten around this by tweaking Copilot’s timeout settings in the extension options - bumping up the request timeout often helps when the debugger’s hogging resources. Another thing that worked for me was switching to lighter debugging modes when I could. Instead of full debugging, try using the output window or console logging for basic tests while keeping Copilot running. Performance varies based on your project size and complexity, so you might want to close other extensions temporarily during debugging sessions to see if that helps.
It’s common for Copilot to limit its suggestions during debugging sessions to prevent interference with the debugging process and conserve resources. When you run the debugger in Visual Studio, it takes priority, which can disable real-time code suggestions. If you find this frustrating, a useful approach is to pause the debugger when you need to write code. You can use Copilot to assist with the changes and then resume the debugging session afterward. This method can help you maintain productivity while using Copilot effectively.