GitHub Copilot Agent Skills
Build a small, portable execution contract that Copilot can discover from its
metadata and execute without reconstructing expert judgment. Inspect the
installed version and active host schema before using optional fields.
Workflow
- Define one repeated job, inputs, artifacts, invariants, completion evidence,
positive triggers, boundary cases, and near-miss negatives.
- Choose project scope (
.github/skills, .agents/skills, or compatible
location) or explicitly requested personal scope (~/.copilot/skills).
- Create a lowercase kebab-case directory and matching
SKILL.md name.
Front-load the description with the job and nearest non-goals.
- Write decision rules, ordered workflow, canonical examples, and verification.
Put optional stable detail in directly linked resources.
- Add deterministic scripts only when they remove repeated error-prone logic;
document input, output, failure, dependencies, and safety.
- Test explicit slash use, implicit discovery, baseline improvement, negative
interference, and resource access separately.
Rules
- Required metadata is
name and description. Current VS Code also supports
argument-hint, user-invocable, disable-model-invocation, and experimental
context: fork; verify portability before using optional fields.
- Keep every normal resource one hop from
SKILL.md and reference it explicitly.
- Use manual-only invocation when automatic matching would be unsafe or noisy.
- Never put authoring research, evaluation fixtures, secrets, or mutable status
in the distributed skill.
- Prefer Python 3.11+ standard-library helpers when executable logic is needed.
Read the skill contract, use skill patterns, and apply verification.
Completion
The name matches its folder, metadata and links validate, runtime content is
minimal and self-contained, helpers are tested, discovery boundaries are
measured, and VS Code exposes the skill in the intended project or user scope.
1---2name: github-copilot-agent-skills3description: >-4 Use for creating, reviewing, debugging, or packaging portable GitHub Copilot Agent Skills with SKILL.md, precise triggers, progressive disclosure, scripts, examples, and resources. Do not use for always-on repository rules, a single prompt command, custom agent personas, or Skill Foundry maintenance.5argument-hint: "[repeatable capability, triggers, resources, and target hosts]"6---78# GitHub Copilot Agent Skills910Build a small, portable execution contract that Copilot can discover from its11metadata and execute without reconstructing expert judgment. Inspect the12installed version and active host schema before using optional fields.1314## Workflow15161. Define one repeated job, inputs, artifacts, invariants, completion evidence,17 positive triggers, boundary cases, and near-miss negatives.182. Choose project scope (`.github/skills`, `.agents/skills`, or compatible19 location) or explicitly requested personal scope (`~/.copilot/skills`).203. Create a lowercase kebab-case directory and matching `SKILL.md` `name`.21 Front-load the `description` with the job and nearest non-goals.224. Write decision rules, ordered workflow, canonical examples, and verification.23 Put optional stable detail in directly linked resources.245. Add deterministic scripts only when they remove repeated error-prone logic;25 document input, output, failure, dependencies, and safety.266. Test explicit slash use, implicit discovery, baseline improvement, negative27 interference, and resource access separately.2829## Rules3031- Required metadata is `name` and `description`. Current VS Code also supports32 `argument-hint`, `user-invocable`, `disable-model-invocation`, and experimental33 `context: fork`; verify portability before using optional fields.34- Keep every normal resource one hop from `SKILL.md` and reference it explicitly.35- Use manual-only invocation when automatic matching would be unsafe or noisy.36- Never put authoring research, evaluation fixtures, secrets, or mutable status37 in the distributed skill.38- Prefer Python 3.11+ standard-library helpers when executable logic is needed.3940Read [the skill contract](references/artifact-contracts.md), use [skill patterns](references/patterns.md), and apply [verification](references/verification.md).4142## Completion4344The name matches its folder, metadata and links validate, runtime content is45minimal and self-contained, helpers are tested, discovery boundaries are46measured, and VS Code exposes the skill in the intended project or user scope.
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