Copilot Docs

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](references/customize-copilot.md).

Automate Copilot CLI

Automate operations and orchestrate GitHub Copilot CLI in pipelines or custom scripts. See [Automate Copilot CLI](references/automate-copilot-cli.md).

Quickstart

• Usage: General introduction to automation paths.
• Reference: See [quickstart.md](references/automate-copilot-cli/quickstart.md)

Run CLI Programmatically

• Usage: Call the CLI from scripts, capturing structured JSON output silently.
• Reference: See [run-cli-programmatically.md](references/automate-copilot-cli/run-cli-programmatically.md)

Automate with Actions

• Usage: Inject Copilot CLI capabilities natively into GitHub Actions workflows.
• Reference: See [automate-with-actions.md](references/automate-copilot-cli/automate-with-actions.md)

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](references/customize-copilot/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](references/customize-copilot/use-hooks.md) for trigger definitions and [hooks-reference.md](references/reference/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](references/customize-copilot/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](references/customize-copilot/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](references/customize-copilot/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](references/customize-copilot/plugins-finding-installing.md) for installation commands and marketplace management.
• Creation: See [plugins-creating.md](references/customize-copilot/plugins-creating.md) for generating and structuring Copilot CLI plugins.
• Marketplace: See [plugins-marketplace.md](references/customize-copilot/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](references/customize-copilot/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](references/use-copilot-cli.md).

• Overview: Core capabilities and usage. See [overview.md](references/use-copilot-cli/overview.md).
• Agentic Code Review: Automate PR and code reviews. See [agentic-code-review.md](references/use-copilot-cli/agentic-code-review.md).
• Allowing Tools: Enforce tool execution boundaries. See [allowing-tools.md](references/use-copilot-cli/allowing-tools.md).
• Chronicle: Track and resume historical sessions. See [chronicle.md](references/use-copilot-cli/chronicle.md).
• Connecting VS Code: Sync terminal CLI with IDE context. See [connecting-vs-code.md](references/use-copilot-cli/connecting-vs-code.md).
• Delegate Tasks to CCA: Route specific workloads to Custom Copilot Agents. See [delegate-tasks-to-cca.md](references/use-copilot-cli/delegate-tasks-to-cca.md).
• Invoke Custom Agents: Run specialized agent personas directly. See [invoke-custom-agents.md](references/use-copilot-cli/invoke-custom-agents.md).
• Manage Pull Requests: Generate and summarize PRs. See [manage-pull-requests.md](references/use-copilot-cli/manage-pull-requests.md).
• Roll Back Changes: Revert codebase mutations cleanly. See [roll-back-changes.md](references/use-copilot-cli/roll-back-changes.md).
• Speed Up Task Completion: Optimize workflows and reduce latency. See [speed-up-task-completion.md](references/use-copilot-cli/speed-up-task-completion.md).
• Steer Agents: Mid-flight control of constraints and logic. See [steer-agents.md](references/use-copilot-cli/steer-agents.md).
• Steer Remotely: Orchestrate workflows across remote boundaries. See [steer-remotely.md](references/use-copilot-cli/steer-remotely.md).

Set Up Copilot CLI

Establish the foundation for the GitHub Copilot CLI and securely connect it to your environments. See [Set Up Copilot CLI](references/set-up-copilot-cli.md).

• Install Copilot CLI: Deploy the extension natively via GitHub CLI. See [install-copilot-cli.md](references/set-up-copilot-cli/install-copilot-cli.md).
• Authenticate Copilot CLI: Establish device flow or token authentication. See [authenticate-copilot-cli.md](references/set-up-copilot-cli/authenticate-copilot-cli.md).
• Configure Copilot CLI: Manage internal setup, aliases, and telemetry. See [configure-copilot-cli.md](references/set-up-copilot-cli/configure-copilot-cli.md).
• Add LSP Servers: Connect language intelligence for robust command context. See [add-lsp-servers.md](references/set-up-copilot-cli/add-lsp-servers.md).
• Troubleshoot Auth: Diagnose and repair underlying connectivity failures. See [troubleshoot-copilot-cli-auth.md](references/set-up-copilot-cli/troubleshoot-copilot-cli-auth.md).

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/cli-best-practices.md).

References

• GitHub Docs
• [Customize Copilot](references/customize-copilot.md)
• [Automate Copilot CLI](references/automate-copilot-cli.md)
• [Use Copilot CLI](references/use-copilot-cli.md)
• [Set Up Copilot CLI](references/set-up-copilot-cli.md)
• [AI Engines (Coding Agents)](references/reference/engines.md)
• [Hooks Reference](references/reference/hooks-reference.md)
• copilot-cli docs repository
• Custom agents configuration reference
• GitHub Copilot CLI command reference

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: Cogni-AI-OU
• Source: Cogni-AI-OU/cogni-ai-agent-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.