roblox2009emrobloxpiano-coder Copilot CLI Guide
Quick reference for GitHub Copilot CLI — the terminal-native AI coding agent.
When to use this skill
- User asks about Copilot CLI features or capabilities
- User needs help with slash commands or keyboard shortcuts
- User wants to understand modes (interactive, plan, autopilot)
- User asks about context management or session handling
Getting Started
# Install (macOS/Linux)
curl -fsSL https://gh.io/copilot-install | bash
# Install (Homebrew)
brew install copilot-cli
# Install (npm, cross-platform)
npm install -g @github/copilot
# Install (Windows)
winget install GitHub.Copilot
# Launch
copilot
Keyboard Shortcuts
Global
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
@ |
Mention files, include contents in context |
Ctrl+S |
Run command while preserving input |
Shift+Tab |
Cycle modes (interactive → plan) |
Ctrl+T |
Toggle model reasoning display |
Ctrl+O |
Expand recent timeline (when no input) |
Ctrl+E |
Expand all timeline (when no input) |
↑ / ↓ |
Navigate command history |
! |
Execute shell command directly (bypass Copilot) |
Esc |
Cancel current operation |
Ctrl+C |
Cancel operation / clear input / exit |
Ctrl+D |
Shutdown |
Ctrl+L |
Clear the screen |
Editing
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl+A |
Move to beginning of line |
Ctrl+E |
Move to end of line |
Ctrl+H |
Delete previous character |
Ctrl+W |
Delete previous word |
Ctrl+U |
Delete from cursor to beginning of line |
Ctrl+K |
Delete from cursor to end of line |
Meta+← → |
Move cursor by word |
Ctrl+G |
Edit prompt in external editor |
Slash Commands
Agent & Customization
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
/init |
Initialize Copilot instructions for this repository |
/agent |
Browse and select from available agents |
/skills |
Manage skills for enhanced capabilities |
/mcp |
Manage MCP server configuration |
/plugin |
Manage plugins and plugin marketplaces |
/instructions |
View and toggle custom instruction files |
Models & Subagents
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
/model |
Select AI model to use |
/fleet |
Enable fleet mode for parallel subagent execution |
/tasks |
View and manage background tasks |
Code & Review
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
/ide |
Connect to an IDE workspace |
/diff |
Review changes made in current directory |
/review |
Run code review agent |
/lsp |
Manage language server configuration |
/plan |
Create implementation plan before coding |
/research |
Run deep research investigation |
Permissions
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
/allow-all |
Enable all permissions |
/add-dir |
Add a directory to allowed list |
/list-dirs |
Display all allowed directories |
/cwd |
Change working directory |
/reset-allowed-tools |
Reset allowed tools |
Session
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
/resume |
Resume a previous session |
/rename |
Rename current session |
/context |
Show context window token usage |
/usage |
Display session usage metrics |
/compact |
Summarize conversation to reduce context |
/share |
Share session to markdown or GitHub gist |
/copy |
Copy last response to clipboard |
/session |
Show session info |
Help & Feedback
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
/help |
Show help for interactive commands |
/changelog |
Display changelog for CLI versions |
/feedback |
Provide feedback about the CLI |
/theme |
View or configure terminal theme |
/update |
Update CLI to latest version |
/experimental |
Manage experimental features |
/clear |
Clear the conversation history |
/streamer-mode |
Toggle streamer mode (hides model names and quota) |
Other
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
/exit, /quit |
Exit the CLI |
/login |
Log in to Copilot |
/logout |
Log out of Copilot |
/user |
Manage GitHub user list |
/terminal-setup |
Configure terminal for multiline input (shift+enter) |
Modes
Interactive Mode (default)
Standard chat mode. Copilot asks for approval before modifying files.
Plan Mode
Press Shift+Tab to enter plan mode. Copilot creates an implementation plan before writing any code. Great for complex tasks.
Autopilot Mode (experimental)
Enable via /experimental. Copilot continues working on tasks until completion with less manual intervention. Enable with --experimental flag or /experimental command.
Context Management
Include files
Use @ followed by a relative path to include file contents:
Explain @config/ci/ci-required-checks.yml
Fix the bug in @src/app.js
Manage context window
/context # Visual overview of token usage
/usage # Detailed session statistics
/compact # Compress conversation history
Copilot CLI automatically compresses history when approaching 95% of the token limit.
Working with directories
/add-dir /path/to/directory # Add trusted directory
/cwd /path/to/directory # Change working directory
/list-dirs # Show allowed directories
Session Management
# Resume previous session
/resume
# Resume most recent session from terminal
copilot --continue
# Start with a specific agent
copilot --agent=my-agent --prompt "Do something"
MCP Servers
The GitHub MCP server is included by default, providing access to GitHub resources (repos, PRs, issues).
/mcp add # Add a new MCP server
/mcp # Manage MCP configuration
Config stored in ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json.
LSP Configuration
For enhanced code intelligence, configure language servers:
- User-level:
~/.copilot/lsp-config.json - Repository-level:
.github/lsp.json
{
"lspServers": {
"typescript": {
"command": "typescript-language-server",
"args": ["--stdio"],
"fileExtensions": {
".ts": "typescript",
".tsx": "typescript"
}
}
}
}
Custom Instructions Locations
Copilot CLI reads instructions from these locations (in order):
CLAUDE.md(git root & cwd)GEMINI.md(git root & cwd)AGENTS.md(git root & cwd).github/instructions/**/*.instructions.md(git root & cwd).github/copilot-instructions.md$HOME/.copilot/copilot-instructions.mdCOPILOT_CUSTOM_INSTRUCTIONS_DIRS(additional directories via env var)
Useful CLI Flags
copilot --banner # Show animated banner
copilot --experimental # Enable experimental features
copilot --continue # Resume most recent session
copilot --resume SESSION # Resume specific session
copilot --agent=NAME # Use specific agent
copilot --prompt "..." # Start with a prompt
copilot --allow-all # Enable all permissions
copilot --yolo # Alias for --allow-all