| name | template-skill |
| description | Replace with the capability this skill provides. |
| tier | practical |
| category | workflow |
| created_by | human |
| platforms | ["windows","macos","linux"] |
| tags | [] |
| author | Your Name (@your-handle) |
Template Skill
Two to three sentences stating what this skill does AND what it deliberately does NOT do. The "does not" half is as important as the "does" half — it prevents over-triggering on adjacent tasks.
When to Use
Specific triggers, keywords, and contexts that should activate the skill. Be slightly pushy — agents undertrigger more often than they overtrigger.
- Trigger condition 1 (concrete situation, not abstract)
- Trigger condition 2
- Trigger condition 3 (include negative triggers if helpful: "but NOT when…")
Prerequisites
What must be true before the skill can run.
- Tool / MCP server availability
- Required env vars or config keys
- Repo state (e.g. clean working tree, on a feature branch)
If a prerequisite is missing, the skill must fail loudly — never degrade silently.
How to Run
One-screen overview of the canonical happy path. If the skill ships a script, show the command:
scripts/example.sh --flag value
Quick Reference
| Action | Command / Tool | Notes |
|---|
| Common op 1 | view path | Use the Copilot view tool, not shell cat. |
| Common op 2 | grep pattern | Use the Copilot grep tool, not shell grep/rg. |
| Common op 3 | scripts/example.sh | Ships with the skill. |
The agent should be able to act from this table alone for routine cases.
Procedure
Step-by-step detailed workflow. This is where the depth lives.
Step 1: Assess
What the agent checks before acting.
Step 2: Act
The actual work. Reference real Copilot tools in backticks (view, edit, grep, glob, powershell, web_fetch, task). Do NOT instruct the agent to call bare shell utilities (cat, sed, find) that have a Copilot wrapper.
Step 3: Confirm
Intermediate verification before moving on.
Pitfalls
Imperative "DO NOT" register of failure modes this skill prevents.
- DO NOT [common mistake 1] — [why it bites].
- DO NOT [common mistake 2] — [why it bites].
- DO NOT [common mistake 3] — [why it bites].
Verification
How the agent (or a reviewer) proves the skill worked.