<p>This work embodies a survey of variable-order fractional optimal control problems involving a Volterra–Fredholm integro-differential equation. We exploit the state-of-the-art Laguerre polynomials approximation for these problems. The main component for applying these polynomials is to have viable solutions due to their orthogonality. Though efficient there is a general deficiency in adopting Laguerre polynomials for fractional integro-optimal control problems. This study alleviated this limitation by benchmarking this approximation for variable-order fractional integro-optimal control problems with a very high success. This framework makes it possible to convert the desired optimal control problem into a system of linear/nonlinear algebraic equations. In order to cap on the number of iteration, we needed to optimize the behavior of the main problem. Attempts have been made to use the collocation method with a joint application of Lagrange multiplier method for this task. In addition, the convergence analysis is presented with respect to the operational matrices of this scheme. We demonstrate successful implementation of the proposed technique in numerical simulations.</p>