| name | github-copilot-customizer |
| description | Comprehensive guide for customizing GitHub Copilot through workspace instructions, custom agents, prompts, and conditional instruction files. Use when: creating copilot-instructions.md, setting up custom agents, building reusable prompts, configuring file-specific instructions, organizing .github/copilot folder structure, or any GitHub Copilot customization task. Triggers on: "customize copilot", "copilot instructions", "create agent", "prompt file", "instruction file", ".github setup". Use when this capability is needed. |
GitHub Copilot Customizer
Tailor GitHub Copilot through six customization methods. This skill provides navigation to detailed guides.
When to Use This Skill
Use this when you need to:
- Create or modify
.github/copilot-instructions.md
- Build custom agents (
.agent.md), prompts (.prompt.md), or instruction files (.instructions.md)
- Configure MCP servers for external tool access
- Choose the right customization method for your needs
- Set up the
.github/ folder structure
Quick Decision Guide
Need to...
├─ Apply rule to ALL code? → copilot-instructions.md
├─ Apply rule to specific file types? → .instructions.md
├─ Create reusable workflow? → .agent.md
├─ Template a common task? → .prompt.md
├─ Package domain knowledge? → SKILL.md
└─ Add external tools? → mcp.json (+ MCP server)
Six Customization Methods
| Method | Extension | When to Use | Details |
|---|
| Workspace Instructions | .github/copilot-instructions.md | Project-wide baseline rules | Guide |
| Agents | .agent.md | Task-specific workflows with tools | Guide · Examples |
| Prompts | .prompt.md | Reusable task templates | Guide |
| Instructions | .instructions.md | File-type conditional rules | Guide · Examples |
| Skills | SKILL.md | Domain knowledge packages | Guide |
| MCP Servers | .vscode/mcp.json | External tool integration | Setup Guide |
Critical: Use exact file extensions or detection fails.
Prerequisites
Directory Structure
.github/
├── copilot-instructions.md
├── agents/
│ ├── planner.agent.md
│ └── reviewer.agent.md
├── prompts/
│ └── generate-component.prompt.md
├── instructions/
│ ├── python-coding.instructions.md
│ └── typescript-coding.instructions.md
└── skills/
└── <skill-name>/SKILL.md
.vscode/
└── mcp.json # VS Code only
Quick Start
- Create workspace baseline: Copy template to
.github/copilot-instructions.md
- Add custom agent: Use template → save as
.github/agents/<name>.agent.md
- Create prompt: Use template → save as
.github/prompts/<name>.prompt.md
- Add instruction file: Use template → save as
.github/instructions/<name>.instructions.md
- Configure MCP: See MCP Setup Guide
Details and Examples
Complete Guides
- Detailed Guides - In-depth information on all methods
- Agent frontmatter properties (9 properties with handoffs)
- Available models and tools
- Prompt file properties
- Glob patterns for instruction files
- Skills vs Instructions comparison
- Combining methods patterns
- Agent Examples - Common patterns (Planner, Implementer, Reviewer)
- Instruction Examples - Language/framework specific
- Chat Tools Reference - Complete list of 47+ tools and tool sets
- VS Code Settings - Essential Copilot settings organized by category
- MCP Setup - Complete MCP server configuration guide with stdio/HTTP types
Templates
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|
| Instructions not applied | Enable useInstructionFiles in settings |
| Agent not visible | Check .agent.md extension, verify YAML syntax |
| Prompt not appearing | Ensure .prompt.md extension |
| Instruction file ignored | Verify .instructions.md extension, test glob pattern |
| MCP server not starting | Check command/args, view MCP output logs |
| Tool not available | Verify tool in agent's tools list or MCP server running |
External Resources
Source: DJ2695/custom-copilot — distributed by TomeVault.
