How to install a VS Code extension from an extension ID. Useful when the user wants to add new capabilities to their VS Code environment by installing extensions.
| name | install-vscode-extension |
| description | How to install a VS Code extension from an extension ID. Useful when the user wants to add new capabilities to their VS Code environment by installing extensions. |
publisher.extensionName. For example, the Python extension by Microsoft has the ID ms-python.python.workbench.extensions.installExtension and pass in the extension ID. The args are of the format:[extensionId, { enable: true, installPreReleaseVersion: boolean }]
NOTE: install the pre-release version of the extension if the user explicitly mentions it or if the current environment is VS Code Insiders. Otherwise, install the stable version.
copilot_runVscodeCommand tool. Make sure to pass the skipCheck argument as true to avoid checking if the command exists, as we know it does.Use when working on the Chat Customizations editor — the management UI for agents, skills, instructions, hooks, prompts, MCP servers, and plugins.
Analyze Copilot session history for standup reports, usage tips, session search, and session reindexing. Use when the user asks for a standup, daily summary, usage tips, workflow recommendations, wants to search or find past sessions by keyword/file/PR, wants to reindex their session store, or asks about deleting session data.
Generate or update chat customization files for AI coding agents
Audit code for memory leaks and disposable issues. Use when reviewing event listeners, DOM handlers, lifecycle callbacks, or fixing leak reports. Covers addDisposableListener, Event.once, MutableDisposable, DisposableStore, and onWillDispose patterns.
Launch Code OSS (VS Code from sources) into an isolated throwaway profile with unique debug ports so you can drive it with @playwright/cli AND attach a Node debugger via dap-cli in the same session. Use when working on VS Code itself and you want to interact with the running workbench, automate chat or UI flows, test UI features, take screenshots, set breakpoints in the renderer / extension host / main process, or combine UI driving with debugging.
OpenTelemetry instrumentation for the Copilot Chat extension — covers the four agent execution paths, the IOTelService abstraction, span/metric/event conventions, and the relationship between code and the user/developer monitoring docs. Use when adding/changing OTel spans, metrics, or events; instrumenting a new agent surface; touching the Copilot CLI bridge or Claude span emission; or updating `extensions/copilot/docs/monitoring/agent_monitoring*.md`.