Copilot Setup Audit

Copilot CLI Setup Audit

This skill audits a repository's GitHub Copilot CLI customization setup and provides actionable recommendations.

When to use this skill

• User asks to audit or review their Copilot setup
• User wants to optimize their CLI customization
• User asks "what's missing from my Copilot config?"
• Setting up a new project and want best-practice guidance

Audit Checklist

1. Custom Instructions

Check for existence and content of:

Validate:

• YAML frontmatter is valid
• applyTo globs match intended files (for scoped instructions)
• Instructions are specific and actionable, not vague
• No conflicting instructions between files

2. Custom Agents

Check for agents in:

Validate:

• description is present (required)
• name is present (recommended)
• tools list is explicit and minimal (security best practice)
• Prompt text is under 30,000 characters
• No VS Code-specific features used (prompt files, hooks, plugins)

3. Agent Skills

Check for skills in:

Validate:

• name and description are present in frontmatter
• Description is specific enough for Copilot to decide when to load
• Skill directory name matches the name field
• Additional resources (scripts, examples) are referenced correctly

4. MCP Configuration

Check ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json for:

• Valid JSON structure
• GitHub MCP server present (default)
• Any additional MCP servers configured
• Security settings (sandbox, URL approval)

5. Project-Type Detection

Detect the project type from:

• package.json → Node.js / JavaScript / TypeScript
• requirements.txt / pyproject.toml → Python
• go.mod → Go
• Cargo.toml → Rust
• *.csproj / *.sln → .NET
• pom.xml / build.gradle → Java

Tailor recommendations to the detected project type.

Audit Report Format

## Copilot CLI Setup Audit Report

### ✅ What's Working Well
- [Specific positive findings]

### ⚠️ Warnings
- [Non-critical issues]

### ❌ Issues to Fix
- [Critical problems]

### 💡 Suggestions
- [Recommended improvements]

### Recommended Next Steps
1. [Priority-ordered actions]

Common Recommendations

For all projects

• Add .github/copilot-instructions.md with project context, build commands, and testing approach
• Add AGENTS.md at root with key conventions and architecture notes
• Create at least one custom agent for the project's primary workflow

For specific languages

TypeScript/JavaScript:

• Add *.instructions.md with applyTo: "**/*.ts,**/*.tsx" for TS conventions
• Consider a skill for running/debugging tests

Python:

• Add instructions for virtual environment, linting (ruff/flake8), and type hints
• Consider a skill for package management (pip/poetry/uv)

Go:

• Add instructions for go fmt, go vet, and module conventions
• Consider a skill for Go test patterns

Diagnostic Commands

Suggest the user run these in their Copilot CLI session:

/instructions    # View which instruction files are loaded
/skills list     # See available skills
/agent           # See available agents
/mcp             # Check MCP server configuration