Google launches Jules globally, an AI coding agent for GitHub
Jules, first introduced in December as a preview, differs from traditional code-completion tools or co-pilots by operating as an autonomous agent capable of reading code, understanding user intent, and carrying out tasks with minimal intervention.
Jules is designed to integrate directly with existing code repositories by cloning the codebase into a secure Google Cloud virtual machine. Once integrated, it completes tasks such as writing tests, building new features, providing audio changelogs, fixing bugs, and updating dependency versions. This approach allows users to focus on other activities while Jules works independently in the background.
"Jules is an asynchronous, agentic coding assistant that integrates directly with your existing repositories. It clones your codebase into a secure Google Cloud virtual machine (VM), understands the full context of your project, and performs tasks such as: Writing tests, building new features, providing audio changelogs, fixing bugs, and bumping dependency versions. Jules operates asynchronously, allowing you to focus on other tasks while it works in the background. Upon completion, it presents its plan, reasoning and a diff of the changes made. Jules is private by default, it doesn't train on your private code, and your data stays isolated within the execution environment," said Kathy Korevec, Director, Product Management at Google Labs.
Security and privacy are key aspects of the platform. Jules is private by default, with user data remaining isolated within the execution environment, and there is no training of AI models on private code.
The coding agent builds on Google's Gemini 2.5 Pro language model. This enables Jules to perform advanced reasoning and make multi-file changes across projects. By leveraging the cloud virtual machine setup, it can handle concurrent and complex tasks efficiently.
"We're at a turning point: agentic development is shifting from prototype to product and quickly becoming central to how software gets built. Jules uses Gemini 2.5 Pro, giving it access to some of the most advanced coding reasoning available today. Paired with its cloud VM system, it can handle complex, multi-file changes and concurrent tasks with speed and precision," Korevec stated.
Jules does not require a sandbox environment, instead operating on production codebases with full project context. Users benefit from parallel execution of tasks, handled within the cloud virtual machine, and have visibility into Jules' proposed workflow through visible plans and reasoning prior to any code changes being applied.
The platform integrates with GitHub, enabling workflows directly within the familiar repository interface without additional context switching or setup. Users can adjust plans before, during, or after execution for greater control, and an audio changelog feature provides a contextual narration of recent commits.
"Here's a look at what you get with Jules: Works on real codebases: Jules doesn't need a sandbox. It takes the full context of your existing project to reason about changes intelligently. Parallel execution: Tasks run inside a cloud VM, enabling concurrent execution. It can handle multiple requests simultaneously. Visible workflow: Jules shows you its plan and reasoning before making changes. GitHub integration: Jules works where you already do, directly inside your GitHub workflow. No context-switching, no extra setup. User steerability: Modify the presented plan before, during, and after execution to maintain control over your code. Audio summaries: Jules offers an audio changelog of recent commits, turning your project history into a contextual changelog you can listen to," Korevec explained.
During the initial public beta phase, Jules is available without charge, though users may be subject to usage limits. Details about these limitations are provided in the platform's documentation. Google Labs anticipates introducing a pricing structure once the platform moves beyond the beta stage and as features continue to be developed and refined.
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