| name | copilot-docs |
| description | Reference and documentation for GitHub Copilot customization and advanced usage. You MUST load this skill when working with Copilot agents, instructions, skills, and configurations. |
| license | MIT |
Skill: copilot-docs
Reference and documentation for GitHub Copilot CLI customization, automation, advanced usage, and setup.
Customization
Optimize Copilot CLI by providing project-specific guidelines, automation hooks, and specialized skills. See Customize Copilot.
Automate Copilot CLI
Automate operations and orchestrate GitHub Copilot CLI in pipelines or custom scripts. See Automate Copilot CLI.
Quickstart
- Usage: General introduction to automation paths.
- Reference: See quickstart.md
Run CLI Programmatically
Automate with Actions
Custom Instructions
Inject project-wide standards and context into every prompt.
- Usage: Define guidelines in
AGENTS.md or .prompts/ to enforce coding standards automatically.
- Reference: See add-custom-instructions.md for detailed configuration patterns.
Hooks
Automate shell commands at specific lifecycle events (session start, post-task, errors).
- Trigger: Run tests, refresh environment variables, or trigger CI updates based on agent actions.
- Reference: See use-hooks.md for trigger definitions and hooks-reference.md for configuration schemas and events.
Skills
Load instruction sets and scripts to extend agent capabilities for specialized domains.
- Impact: Enhances reasoning for complex workflows like cloud deployments or security reviews.
- Reference: See add-skills.md for skill structuring and discovery paths.
Custom Agents
Deploy specialized subagents with scoped context and toolsets.
- Architecture: Offloads specific tasks (e.g., code review, documentation) to agents with restricted permissions.
- Reference: See create-custom-agents-for-cli.md for custom agent subagent properties and configuration.
MCP Servers
Integrate external data and tools via Model Context Protocol.
- Capabilities: Query databases, access issue trackers (Jira/GitHub), and interact with calendars.
- Reference: See add-mcp-servers.md for configuration schemas and tool filtering.
Plugins
Bundle components (skills, agents, hooks) into distributable units.
- Distribution: Install via marketplace or direct repository link (
owner/repo:path).
- Find & Install: See plugins-finding-installing.md for installation commands and marketplace management.
- Creation: See plugins-creating.md for generating and structuring Copilot CLI plugins.
- Marketplace: See plugins-marketplace.md for creating and managing custom plugin registries.
BYOK Models
Configure custom AI model providers via Bring Your Own Key (BYOK).
- Usage: Integrate external model providers (Anthropic, Google, generic OpenAI-compatible) using local API keys.
- Reference: See use-byok-models.md for environment variables and model selection flags.
Use Copilot CLI
Harness the core capabilities of the Copilot CLI for code review, task delegation, and execution management. See Use Copilot CLI.
Set Up Copilot CLI
Establish the foundation for the GitHub Copilot CLI and securely connect it to your environments. See Set Up Copilot CLI.
Best Practices
Adopt strict standards and guidelines to maximize Copilot CLI efficacy and security.
- CLI Best Practices: Optimize execution prompts, context handling, and strict permission models bounding. See cli-best-practices.md.
References
