Short answer: not as a documented offline collaboration service. Visual Studio Code Canvases are a preview feature introduced in VS Code 1.142 (released October 14, 2026) for a user and an AI agent to inspect and update the same interactive artifact. They run only in supported desktop, local Copilot Agent Host sessions with chat.canvases.enabled. Microsoft does not document Canvas synchronization, agent continuity, or multi-user co-editing without network access.
You can run supported local AI models, such as Ollama, completely offline for chat and some agent work. That is a separate local-model workflow: Copilot-dependent services such as semantic search, inline code suggestions, and embedding-based features remain unavailable, and Canvas compatibility with every local model is not promised.
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What a VS Code Canvas actually is
Microsoft’s VS Code 1.142 release notes describe Canvases as “interactive interfaces to collaborate with an agent.” A Canvas opens beside chat. You and the owning agent can inspect the same artifact, while the Canvas extension exposes the actions the agent is allowed to perform. The artifact remains associated with its owning chat rather than becoming a general-purpose shared document.
Canvases are supplied by Canvas extensions. You can create one with /create-canvas or install one through a chat plugin. Because the feature is in preview, its extension support and behavior can change between VS Code releases.
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What “shared” means
In the current documentation, “shared” describes the surface shared by one user and one agent. It does not establish a Google-Docs-style room. There is no documented public Canvas link, simultaneous human editing protocol, or multi-user presence model. Do not infer those capabilities from the word “shared.”
When Canvases are supported
Before troubleshooting connectivity, check the host. The documented support boundary is narrow:
- Use the VS Code desktop application.
- Start a supported local Copilot Agent Host session.
- Enable
chat.canvases.enabled. - Start a new session after changing the setting.
Canvases are not documented as supported in Claude sessions, Codex sessions, extension-host Local sessions, remote Agent Host sessions, browser or web clients, or auxiliary-window hosting. A Canvas extension may also impose its own model or host requirements.
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- Open VS Code desktop and open Settings.
- Search for
chat.canvases.enabledand turn it on. - Start a new chat session using the Copilot harness and a supported local Copilot Agent Host.
- Run
/create-canvas, or install a Canvas extension or chat plugin that provides one. - Keep the Canvas and its owning chat in the same supported session; moving the conversation to an unsupported host can remove Canvas actions.
If the command is missing, first confirm the setting, desktop edition, session type and extension installation. Reinstalling an extension cannot make a remote, browser or unsupported agent host compatible.
Offline use: two different modes
“Offline” can mean either a local model that never contacts a provider or a Copilot session whose Canvas happens to be open while the network is disconnected. Only the first is explicitly documented, and it does not automatically make Canvases work.
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Mode 1: local-model or BYOK chat
VS Code’s language-model documentation states, “Yes, you can use a local model completely offline.” Ollama is the example given. A local model can operate without a GitHub account, a Copilot plan or an internet connection. Bring-your-own-key (BYOK) providers can also avoid a GitHub account and Copilot plan, although an API-backed BYOK provider still needs its provider connection unless the model is running locally.
Offline local chat is useful for drafting, explaining code and other actions supported by the selected model and tools. It does not provide Copilot’s online services: semantic search, inline suggestions (code completions) and features that depend on embeddings require a GitHub account and internet connectivity and are unavailable through BYOK or local models.
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Mode 2: Copilot Canvas session with no network
A Canvas requires a supported local Copilot Agent Host desktop session, but the Canvas documentation does not say that its state synchronizes offline or that agent interactions continue after connectivity is lost. A Canvas that was open before disconnection may remain visible in the editor; that is not evidence that edits, prompts or agent results are being saved or reconciled offline.
Plan on provider connectivity for Copilot-session operations. If you need guaranteed no-network processing, use a verified local-model workflow and regard Canvas support as unconfirmed until the extension’s own documentation explicitly covers that combination.
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Can two people edit a Canvas together?
There is no authoritative description of real-time human co-editing. The documented interaction is between the user and the owning agent: you manipulate the Canvas, and the agent reads or updates it through extension actions. A second person cannot be assumed to see changes live, resolve conflicts or steer the same agent.
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Copilot session history has its own sharing controls. Sessions are private by default. You can keep synchronization off with chat.sessionSync.enabled = false, or exclude repositories with chat.sessionSync.excludeRepositories. These settings concern chat-session storage, not a Canvas’s editing protocol.
If you explicitly share a synchronized session on GitHub.com, repository collaborators receive view-only access to prompts, responses and file changes. They cannot steer the session or modify it. That is useful for review and audit, but it is not collaborative Canvas editing.
Which account or plan is required?
Your choice of provider determines authentication, billing and connectivity. The following distinctions are the practical ones documented for VS Code:
| Workflow | GitHub account | Copilot plan | Internet | What it provides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot in VS Code | Yes, through the Copilot sign-in path | Normally yes; an eligible account without a paid plan is enrolled in Copilot Free when signing in | Required for provider services | Copilot chat and supported Agent Host features, including Canvas where the host and extension qualify |
| BYOK provider | Not required | Not required | Depends on provider; a hosted API needs connectivity | Chat and model features allowed by the provider and VS Code integration |
| Local model such as Ollama | No | No | No for the local model itself | Offline chat and supported local actions; no Copilot semantic search, inline suggestions or embedding services |
VS Code’s setup guidance uses a GitHub account with a Copilot plan; if the account is eligible but has no paid plan, signing in enrolls it in Copilot Free. AI credits and billing follow that Copilot plan. The BYOK FAQ documents an alternative that does not require either GitHub sign-in or a Copilot plan.
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Agents window account variations
The Agents window can use configured providers and accounts. Experimental signed-out use is available for Claude, ChatGPT-backed Codex and BYOK when the relevant option is enabled. Browser-based Agents always require GitHub sign-in. These account variations do not expand the documented Canvas host list.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Privacy: what can leave your computer?
Privacy depends on the model provider, the tools enabled in the session and synchronization settings. VS Code security documentation warns that file contents, terminal output and diagnostic information from the workspace can be sent as context to language models and tools. That context can include proprietary code, configuration data or accidental credentials.
Before opening sensitive material
- Read the provider’s data-retention and training policy for the account or API key you selected.
- Review the prompt, tool calls and terminal output that the agent is about to receive.
- Do not place production secrets in a workspace merely because session sync can redact some of them.
- Restrict extensions and tools to those your organization’s policy allows.
Session synchronization is optional and tied to your GitHub account when enabled. Synced sessions are private by default, and organizations can apply policy controls. VS Code says tokens, API keys and credentials are automatically stripped before sync, but also cautions that detection may miss a secret. Treat redaction as a safeguard, not a guarantee.
Turning off telemetry does not make VS Code an offline application. The editor may still contact online services for extension search, updates, Settings Sync and other functions you request; extensions can contact their own services as well. For a genuinely disconnected environment, block network access and use only local models and extensions that have been vetted for offline operation.
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Choosing the right workflow
Choose Copilot Canvas when you need the documented agent surface
Use the Copilot path when the Canvas extension and its agent actions are the priority, you can use the supported desktop host, and provider connectivity is acceptable. Sign in through the applicable Copilot account path, enable the setting, and keep the work in a local Agent Host session.
Choose a local model when network isolation is the priority
Use Ollama or another verified local model when source code must remain on the machine or internet access is prohibited. Confirm the model’s context size, tool support and extension compatibility first. Expect to lose Copilot services that depend on online accounts, semantic indexes or embeddings.
Use a review-only handoff for another person
Keep the session private while work is in progress. When review is needed, explicitly share the synchronized session on GitHub.com and tell reviewers that access is view-only. Exchange the resulting files through your normal repository or document-control process rather than treating the Canvas as a live team workspace.
Troubleshooting common failures
“Create Canvas” or /create-canvas is unavailable
- Confirm you are in VS Code desktop, not the browser client.
- Check that
chat.canvases.enabledis on. - Start a new session after enabling it.
- Verify the session is a supported local Copilot Agent Host, not an extension-host Local or remote Agent Host session.
- Install or update the Canvas extension or chat plugin that supplies the command.
The Canvas opens but the agent cannot update it
Check that the selected provider and model are supported by the Canvas extension. A local model may answer normal chat prompts while lacking the extension actions required to inspect or modify the Canvas. Also check whether the session lost provider connectivity; visible Canvas state does not prove that an agent action completed.
Offline chat works, but completions or search do not
This is expected for local and BYOK models. Inline suggestions, semantic search and embedding-dependent features rely on GitHub account and internet connectivity. Restore the required connection or use local tooling that supplies an independent completion or indexing implementation.
A colleague cannot change the shared session
Explicit session sharing is view-only. The recipient can inspect prompts, responses and file changes but cannot steer the agent or edit the session. Use a separate branch, pull request or local copy for collaborative changes.
What to verify before relying on a Canvas offline
- Record the exact VS Code version and extension versions; Canvases are preview functionality.
- Test the complete workflow with the network disabled, not just model startup.
- Confirm whether the Canvas extension supports your selected local model and required tools.
- Decide where prompts, files, terminal output and diagnostics are permitted to travel.
- Set
chat.sessionSync.enabledandchat.sessionSync.excludeRepositoriesaccording to your retention policy. - Document a fallback, such as exporting the artifact or editing the underlying files directly, because offline Canvas synchronization is not documented.
The reliable distinction is simple: local models can run offline, while VS Code Canvases are documented as a hosted preview surface for a user and an agent in a specific desktop Copilot host. Neither the name “shared” nor an already-open Canvas establishes offline synchronization or multi-person editing.
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