5.4 Nano Not Visible in VSCode | Generated by AI

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Question: Why can’t I see 5.4 nano in VSCode even though it’s enabled in the GitHub Copilot enterprise web page?

Answer:

This is normal. In GitHub Copilot Enterprise, “enabled in admin” ≠ “visible in VSCode model picker.” There are three separate gates:

Org enabled model
Feature rollout to IDE
Agent mode supports that model

If any one is missing → you won’t see 5.4 nano.

Most common reasons

1. VSCode extension version too old (most common)

5.4 / nano models only appear in new Copilot Chat builds.

Update both:

GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot Chat

In VSCode:

Extensions → GitHub Copilot → Update
Extensions → GitHub Copilot Chat → Update

Then reload:

Developer: Reload Window

This alone fixes it in many cases.

2. Model enabled for org but not for chat

Enterprise admin panel has separate toggles:

inline completion models
chat models
agent models

Sometimes admin enabled:

5.4 nano → inline only

So you won’t see it in Agent model picker.

3. Agent mode only shows “agent-supported” models

Some models are:

chat-only
inline-only
agent-capable

If 5.4 nano is inline optimized, it may not appear in Agent.

Then Copilot internally uses:

Agent planner → 5.4
Executor → 5.4 nano

but UI only shows 5.4

So you are using nano, just not selectable.

4. Enterprise policy hides model picker

Some orgs lock:

default model
hide dropdown
enforce allowed list

Then VSCode shows only:

Default (managed by org)

But backend still uses nano.

How to verify what’s actually used

Open VSCode:

Command palette:

Copilot: Show Debug Info

Copilot: Open Logs

You may see:

model: gpt-5.4
executor: gpt-5.4-nano
mode: agent

This confirms nano is used.

Another way: check status bar

Bottom-right in VSCode:

Sometimes shows:

Copilot: GPT-5.4 (Agent)

Even if nano is executor.

This is expected.

The key thing

Copilot architecture:

Agent planner → bigger model
Execution → nano
Edits → nano

UI only shows planner model.

So you won’t always see nano.

If you really want it selectable

You need:

latest Copilot Chat
model picker enabled
org allows manual selection
nano flagged as agent model

Otherwise it’s backend-only.

Short answer:

You likely already have 5.4 nano, but it’s used internally and not shown in VSCode UI.

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