Jules is an asynchronous programming agent from Google that receives tasks related to a repository and works on them without requiring continuous interaction. There is an important availability change: on October 29, 2026, Google announced that Jules will become read only after November 11 and will be shut down on December 31, 2026. Check the official Jules changelog before planning new uses.
How it works
The user describes a code task and provides the project context. Jules organizes the work into steps and executes changes in a separate flow, which can be tracked and reviewed. The idea of an asynchronous agent is to allow tasks to continue while the person works on something else.
The product documentation describes integration with repositories, sessions and command line tools. Even when an agent creates a change automatically, someone must review the diff, run the relevant tests and decide whether the change should be merged. A completed task is not the same as a change approved for production.
In the case of Jules, it is also necessary to consider the shutdown calendar published by Google. At the time of this explanation, the announced date for the change to read only mode is November 11, 2026, followed by shutdown on December 31, 2026. Dates and procedures should be checked in the official changelog.
Practical example
A person responsible for a project wants to locate a maintenance task and request a fix proposal. They describe the expected behavior, point to the repository and provide criteria to validate the change. Jules can prepare a change, but the person still checks the modified files, runs tests and reviews risks before accepting the work.
As the service will be shut down, anyone already using Jules should prioritize exporting the information they want to keep. The changelog states that export can include settings, environment variables, connected repositories, memories, scheduled tasks and session history. Code, branches and pull requests remain on GitHub, according to the official announcement. As export includes environment variable values, keep the folder private and outside repositories.
Before the change to read only, avoid leaving an important task dependent on a session that will not be able to continue afterwards. Back up the necessary settings, record relevant decisions and confirm that patches are saved in the repository.
What it is for
Jules was created to support software development tasks that can be described and reviewed as changes in a project. An asynchronous flow can be convenient for maintenance, bounded fixes or exploration of an implementation, as long as the result is verified by a person.
For anyone evaluating the service now, the shutdown notice is central to the decision. It is not prudent to start a long term operational dependency on a tool with a public discontinuation date. Consider exporting history and planning an alternative before the deadline indicated by Google.
The experience also illustrates an important distinction: an agent can execute several steps, but the team remains responsible for the code, credentials and the decision to publish. Define access limits, work in reviewable branches and keep reproducible tests, whatever agent is used.
Difference between asynchronous task and work without review
Asynchronous means execution can continue without continuous monitoring. This does not eliminate review. The user still needs to evaluate changes, validate tests and accept or reject the result. In the case of Jules, it is also necessary to organize migration because of the announced shutdown.