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MicrosoftAGENTS.mdmicrosoft/vscode/AGENTS.md
This file provides instructions for AI coding agents working with the VS Code codebase. For detailed project overview, architecture, coding guidelines, and validation steps, see the Copilot Instructions.
MicrosoftSkillmicrosoft/vscode/extensions/copilot/.agents/skills/github-copilot-upgrader/SKILL.md
Use this to update the Github Copilot CLI/SDK
MicrosoftSkillmicrosoft/vscode/extensions/copilot/.agents/skills/launch/SKILL.md
Launch and automate VS Code Insiders with the Copilot Chat extension using @playwright/cli via Chrome DevTools Protocol. Use when you need to interact with the VS Code UI, automate the chat panel, test the extension UI, or take screenshots. Triggers include 'automate VS Code', 'interact with chat', 'test the UI', 'take a screenshot', 'launch with debugging'.
MicrosoftAGENTS.mdmicrosoft/vscode/extensions/copilot/assets/prompts/skills/agent-customization/references/agents.md
Custom personas with specific tools, instructions, and behaviors. Use for orchestrated workflows with role-based tool restrictions. Use reasoning-effort to set the reasoning level for the custom agent's model: The selected model must support the configured level. If omitted, the runtime resolves the effort from the model configuration and, when applicable, the parent agent. Sources: built-in aliases, specific tools, MCP servers (<server>/*), extension tools. Special: [] = no tools, omit = defaults. Body reference: #tool:<name> To discover available tools, check your…
MicrosoftSkillmicrosoft/vscode/extensions/copilot/assets/prompts/skills/agent-customization/SKILL.md
**WORKFLOW SKILL** — Create, update, review, fix, or debug VS Code agent customization files (.instructions.md, .prompt.md, .agent.md, SKILL.md, copilot-instructions.md, AGENTS.md). USE FOR: saving coding preferences; troubleshooting why instructions/skills/agents are ignored or not invoked; configuring applyTo patterns; defining tool restrictions; creating custom agent modes or specialized workflows; packaging domain knowledge; fixing YAML frontmatter syntax. DO NOT USE FOR: general coding questions (use default agent); runtime debugging or error diagnosis; MCP server configuration (use MCP docs directly); VS Code extension development. INVOKES: file system tools (read/write customization files), ask-questions tool (interview user for requirements), subagents for codebase exploration. FOR SINGLE OPERATIONS: For quick YAML frontmatter fixes or creating a single file from a known pattern, edit the file directly — no skill needed.
MicrosoftSkillmicrosoft/vscode/extensions/copilot/assets/prompts/skills/chronicle/SKILL.md
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.
MicrosoftSkillmicrosoft/vscode/extensions/copilot/assets/prompts/skills/create-agent/SKILL.md
Create a custom agent (.agent.md) for a specific job.
MicrosoftSkillmicrosoft/vscode/extensions/copilot/assets/prompts/skills/create-hook/SKILL.md
Create a hook (.json) to enforce policy or automate agent lifecycle events.
MicrosoftSkillmicrosoft/vscode/extensions/copilot/assets/prompts/skills/create-instructions/SKILL.md
Create an instructions file (.instructions.md) for a project rule or convention.
MicrosoftSkillmicrosoft/vscode/extensions/copilot/assets/prompts/skills/create-prompt/SKILL.md
Create a reusable prompt file (.prompt.md) for a common task.
MicrosoftSkillmicrosoft/vscode/extensions/copilot/assets/prompts/skills/create-skill/SKILL.md
Create a reusable skill (SKILL.md) that packages a workflow.
MicrosoftSkillmicrosoft/vscode/extensions/copilot/assets/prompts/skills/get-search-view-results/SKILL.md
Get the current search results from the Search view in VS Code
MicrosoftSkillmicrosoft/vscode/extensions/copilot/assets/prompts/skills/init/SKILL.md
Generate or update chat customization files for AI coding agents
MicrosoftSkillmicrosoft/vscode/extensions/copilot/assets/prompts/skills/install-vscode-extension/SKILL.md
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.
MicrosoftSkillmicrosoft/vscode/extensions/copilot/assets/prompts/skills/project-setup-info-context7/SKILL.md
Comprehensive setup steps to help the user create complete project structures in a VS Code workspace. This tool is designed for full project initialization and scaffolding, not for creating individual files. When to use this tool: when the user wants to create a new complete project from scratch; when setting up entire project frameworks (TypeScript projects, React apps, Node.js servers, etc.); when initializing Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers with full structure; when creating VS Code extensions with proper scaffolding; when setting up Next.js, Vite, or other framework-based projects; when the user asks for \"new project\", \"create a workspace\", or \"set up a [framework] project\"; when you need to establish a complete development environment with dependencies, config files, and folder structure. When NOT to use this tool: when creating single files or small code snippets; when adding individual files to existing projects; when making modifications to existing codebases; when the user asks to \"create a file\" or \"add a component\"; for simple code examples or demonstrations; for debugging or fixing existing code. This tool provides complete project setup including folder structure creation, package.json and dependency management, configuration files (tsconfig, eslint, etc.), initial boilerplate code, development environment setup, and build and run instructions. Use other file creation tools for individual files within existing projects.
MicrosoftSkillmicrosoft/vscode/extensions/copilot/assets/prompts/skills/project-setup-info-local/SKILL.md
Comprehensive setup steps to help the user create complete project structures in a VS Code workspace; this tool is designed for full project initialization and scaffolding, not for creating individual files. When to use this tool: user wants to create a new complete project from scratch; setting up entire project frameworks (TypeScript projects, React apps, Node.js servers, etc.); initializing Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers with full structure; creating VS Code extensions with proper scaffolding; setting up Next.js, Vite, or other framework-based projects; user asks for "new project", "create a workspace", "set up a [framework] project"; need to establish a complete development environment with dependencies, config files, and folder structure. When NOT to use this tool: creating single files or small code snippets; adding individual files to existing projects; making modifications to existing codebases; user asks to "create a file" or "add a component"; simple code examples or demonstrations; debugging or fixing existing code. This tool provides complete project setup including: folder structure creation; package.json and dependency management; configuration files (tsconfig, eslint, etc.); initial boilerplate code; development environment setup; build and run instructions. Use other file creation tools for individual files within existing projects.
MicrosoftSkillmicrosoft/vscode/extensions/copilot/assets/prompts/skills/troubleshoot/SKILL.md
Investigate unexpected chat agent behavior by analyzing direct debug logs in JSONL files. Use when users ask why something happened, why a request was slow, why tools or subagents were used or skipped, or why instructions/skills/agents did not load.
MicrosoftCopilot instructionsmicrosoft/vscode/extensions/copilot/.github/copilot-instructions.md
This is the GitHub Copilot Chat extension for Visual Studio Code - a VS Code extension that provides conversational AI assistance, a coding agent with many tools, inline editing capabilities, and advanced AI-powered features for VS Code. Choose validation based on the scope and risk of the change. Prefer existing diagnostics and the smallest targeted tests that cover the changed behavior. Do not start start-watch-tasks, run a full build, or make type checking a prerequisite for targeted tests solely as…
MicrosoftAGENTS.mdmicrosoft/vscode/extensions/copilot/src/extension/chatSessions/copilotcli/AGENTS.md
This folder contains the Copilot CLI integration for VS Code Chat. It enables users to open a new Chat window and interact with a Copilot CLI agent instance directly within VS Code. VS Code provides the UI, Copilot CLI SDK provides the smarts. Important: The Copilot CLI agent functionality is powered by the @github/copilot/sdk package. See the SDK package for full type definitions. The integration follows VS Code's platform layering pattern with three layers:
MicrosoftAGENTS.mdmicrosoft/vscode/extensions/copilot/src/platform/authentication/common/AGENTS.md
IAuthenticationService manages GitHub and Copilot authentication. It provides GitHub sessions (OAuth tokens) and Copilot tokens (CAPI tokens). getGitHubSession requires a kind parameter. Choose thoughtfully: Returns AuthenticationSession (never undefined). Throws if the user cancels. Requires createIfNone with a StrictAuthenticationPresentationOptions containing a localized detail string explaining why auth is needed: Same as above but forces re-authentication even if a session exists. Use when the current token has lost authorization: Returns AuthenticationSession | undefined. Never shows UI. Use when auth is optional: For…
Plain text files in a repository that tell a coding agent how the project works: commands to run, conventions to follow and things to avoid. CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, cursor rules and skills are the common kinds.
CLAUDE.md is read by Claude Code. AGENTS.md is an open format that Codex, Cursor and other agents read. Many projects keep one and point the other at it.
A folder with a SKILL.md that describes one capability, such as filling PDFs or reviewing code. The agent loads it only when the task calls for it.
Your agents already can, over MCP, limited to the files you're allowed to read. Searching them from this page is coming.
