| name | frontmatter-designer |
| description | Use when creating a new Copilot customization file (skill, prompt, agent, or instruction). Proposes the correct frontmatter fields and values. Invoke with: /frontmatter-designer, design frontmatter, write frontmatter, new skill frontmatter, new agent frontmatter. |
| argument-hint | Describe the primitive type and its purpose (e.g. 'a skill that reviews Python code for PEP 8') |
| user-invocable | true |
Skill: frontmatter-designer
Propose correct and complete frontmatter for a new Copilot customization file.
Steps
1. Identify the Primitive Type
From the argument, determine whether the user needs:
*.instructions.md (behaviour rule)*.prompt.md (task macro)SKILL.md (workflow package)*.agent.md (custom agent)*.json (hook)
2. Apply the Frontmatter Template
Refer to references/frontmatter-examples.md for the template for each primitive type.
3. Propose the description Field
This is the most important field — it is the discovery surface.
Rules:
- Start with "Use when..." to set context.
- Include 3–5 specific trigger keywords that users or the agent would naturally write.
- Mention what the primitive does, not just what it is called.
- Do NOT include colons (
:) unquoted in YAML values — wrap the whole value in quotes.
4. Propose the name Field (for Skills)
- Must match the folder name exactly (lowercase, hyphens only).
- 1–64 characters.
5. Propose tools (for Agents and Instructions)
- List only tools actually needed.
- For read-only workflows:
[codebase, search, usages].
- For editing workflows: add
editFiles.
- For command execution: add
runCommand (use sparingly).
6. Validate
Check every field against the common pitfalls in references/frontmatter-examples.md.
Output
A ready-to-paste YAML frontmatter block with a brief explanation of each field choice.
