26.0708.07 - Visual Studio 2022+

• Added initial support for AI Assist. Copy Config and MCP servers. Enable via new menu items and tool bar. MCP Documentation
• Improved Library Manager responsiveness with background index loading, delayed search, and on-demand browsing for large library indexes.
• Improved support for invalid platforms that fail to quote paths. Those paths will still fail if the actual path contains spaces (works same as Arduino IDE, best fix is to correct the board package).
• Removed vulnerable private dependency copies from the VSIX and aligned remaining dependency references with the minimum patched versions.
• Added Arduino-compatible `boards.local.txt`, global `platform.txt`, and referenced-core `platform.local.txt` support, with safe handling of missing or unreadable optional configuration files.
• Build recipes and hooks now stop the build when their command fails, matching Arduino IDE 2 behaviour; custom platforms can explicitly continue after a genuinely optional command by setting that recipe's `vm.continue_on_error` property.
• Support local packages placed directly in arduino15/packages folder. Uses the same rules as the Arduino IDE

- MCP tools now reject non-sketch active projects in mixed solutions instead of exposing stale Visual Micro project context, and unchanged solution MCP configuration is left untouched.
- AI Assistance menu labels now clarify that MCP tools are enabled for the solution while copied context belongs to the active project.
- AI Assistance commands now have distinct connection and copy-context icons for quicker recognition in menus and the toolbar.
- AI assistance is easier to discover through a dedicated vMicro menu and sketch-aware toolbar, with a checked per-solution MCP integration command that can safely enable, repair, or disable Visual Micro's server configuration.
- Copilot integration now prepares redacted current-project metadata automatically after startup, gives a self-contained board-specific debugger answer regardless of MCP attachment order, and prevents missing context from falling back to generic cross-board instructions.
- Faster MCP instance discovery removes repeated process queries from the first context or debugger request.
- AVR GDB Stub profiles now expose the selected serial debug port through the correct debugger-tool definition.
- Debugger prerequisites now use the selected application's resolved library locations, so installed libraries are identified with their version, origin, architecture compatibility, and required headers instead of being mistaken for missing Library Manager entries.
- Added an on-demand installed-library inventory for the selected application and board, covering sketchbook, platform, portable, solution, application, and Visual Micro library locations without confusing availability with libraries used by a build.
- Added debugger-selection and IntelliSense-refresh guidance so assistants reject generic or cross-board debugger setups, treat the Arduino Uno R3 GDB Stub workflow as one example, recommend save/build after a new library include, and direct setting changes through Visual Micro rather than internal project-property edits.
- Copilot integration now refreshes its private current-project context after project, configuration, board, debugger, port, and installed-library changes, so new MCP tool calls follow the selected target without reopening the Copy dialog.
- Debugger guidance now recognizes package-managed GDB and debug-server paths from the selected Arduino platform, avoiding unnecessary toolchain installation or manual executable-search steps for boards such as ESP32.
- Preconfigured hardware-debugger profiles are now clearly separated from Manual/Custom debugging, preventing assistants from proposing custom launch files, manual tool paths, or command-line setup for automatically configured profiles.
- Package-managed debugger paths now remain diagnostic evidence instead of being presented as files users must locate or configure for preconfigured profiles.
- Added a previewable, redacted AI/Support Context export with resolved build properties, recent Visual Micro output, assistant guidance, and an optional read-only local MCP helper for current Visual Studio hosts.
- AI/Support Context now excludes build properties and output from non-active projects and identifies the recorded operation and result for clearer assistant answers.
- AI/Support Context now copies a concise summary by default while retaining separately approved full evidence for on-demand tools, and a new Help command configures the read-only Copilot integration for the open solution.