| name | copilot-cli |
| description | Reference knowledge base for GitHub Copilot CLI. Use when answering questions about Copilot CLI features, commands, configuration, plugins, hooks, skills, MCP servers, custom agents, automation, or troubleshooting CLI workflows.
|
Copilot CLI Reference Skill
GitHub Copilot CLI is a terminal-native AI coding agent. This skill provides reference docs for all features, commands, and operational patterns.
Quick Reference
Interactive: copilot → trust directory → /login → prompt
Programmatic: copilot -p "PROMPT" --yolo --no-ask-user -s
With permissions: copilot -p "PROMPT" --allow-tool='shell(git:*), write' --no-ask-user
Custom agent: copilot -p "PROMPT" --agent=my-agent
Model override: copilot -p "PROMPT" --model claude-opus-4.6
When to Use Copilot CLI vs Claude Code
- Rate-limited on Claude Code? → Use Copilot CLI as fallback
- CI/CD automation? → Copilot CLI (built-in Actions support)
- Clean stdout needed? → Claude Code (no PTY/ANSI issues)
- Long iterative reviews? → Copilot CLI (better for many iterations)
See reference/patterns-and-best-practices.md for the full decision matrix.
Key Gotchas
- Always use
-p (not -i) for automation — -i hangs
--yolo does NOT skip folder trust — pre-trust in ~/.copilot/config.json- No
copilot config set — edit config JSON manually
- Size timeouts by complexity: 120s (simple) → 1800s (large)
- Background servers die between exec spawns — restart each time
See reference/troubleshooting.md for all issues and fixes.
Reference Documents
Full index: reference/index.md
| File | Contents |
|---|
getting-started.md | Installation, auth, config, permissions, env vars |
usage.md | Interactive & programmatic modes, commands, shortcuts, model selection |
automation-and-delegation.md | CI/CD, GitHub Actions, autopilot, delegate, fleet, custom agents |
customization.md | Custom instructions, plugins, MCP servers, enterprise governance |
hooks.md | Hook types, config, denial responses, policy scripts |
integrations.md | VS Code integration, ACP server |
research.md | /research reports, /chronicle session history |
troubleshooting.md | Auth, rate limits, SIGTERM, PTY, trust, config gotchas |
patterns-and-best-practices.md | Decision matrix, prompt engineering, anti-patterns |
All files in reference/ directory.
