Vscode copilot customization

Skill danielsitek/skills/skills/vscode-copilot-customization

My personal directory of skills

Install

npx -y skills add danielsitek/skills --skill vscode-copilot-customization

Assembled from the repository path, not quoted from the project. Check it against their README if it does not work.

One thing to look at

0 stars0 stars. Stars are a popularity signal and not a quality one, but at this level it is likely that nobody has read this closely except its author, and you would be relying on your own review.

What its author says it does

Copied from the file, not written here

Expert guide for creating GitHub Copilot customization files in VS Code: custom instructions (.instructions.md), prompt files (.prompt.md), custom agents (.agent.md), agent skills (SKILL.md), hooks (JSON), and agent plugins. Use this skill whenever the user asks about customizing Copilot behavior, creating reusable AI workflows, writing copilot-instructions.md, building custom chat agents, automating Copilot tasks with prompt files, or setting up agent skills and hooks in VS Code. Also trigger when the user asks which Copilot customization type to use for a given scenario — always start with the decision matrix below.

SKILL.md

6.4 KB, ~1.2k tokens by cl100k_base, as published. Nobody here has run it

VS Code Copilot Customization

Decision Matrix

Use this matrix to recommend the right customization type. Always start here.

Scenario	Best choice
Project-wide coding standards, always active	`copilot-instructions.md`
Rules only for specific file types / folders	`*.instructions.md` with `applyTo`
Works with multiple AI agents (Claude, Copilot, etc.)	`AGENTS.md`
Reusable task you invoke manually in chat	Prompt file (`.prompt.md`)
Specialized workflow with tool restrictions or model choice	Custom agent (`.agent.md`)
Portable capability reusable across projects + CLI + cloud agents	Agent skill (`SKILL.md`)
Auto-run commands at agent lifecycle points (format, lint, enforce)	Hook (`.json`)
Bundle multiple customizations to share or distribute	Agent plugin (`plugin.json`)

Quick decision flow

Do you want it ON automatically for every request?
├─ YES → Instructions (.instructions.md / copilot-instructions.md / AGENTS.md)
└─ NO, I invoke it manually →
       Does it need persistent persona, tool restrictions, or model choice?
       ├─ YES → Custom Agent (.agent.md)
       └─ NO →
              Is it a reusable multi-agent portable capability?
              ├─ YES → Agent Skill (SKILL.md)
              └─ NO → Prompt File (.prompt.md)

Do you want to run shell commands around agent actions?
└─ YES → Hook (hooks/*.json)

Do you want to bundle everything for distribution?
└─ YES → Agent Plugin (plugin.json)

1. Custom Instructions

Always-on context and rules. Stored in .github/copilot-instructions.md (workspace-wide), AGENTS.md (multi-agent), or *.instructions.md (file-scoped via applyTo glob).

Read references/instructions.md when asked to create, write, or configure custom instructions.

2. Prompt Files

Reusable task templates invoked manually via / slash command. Stored in .github/prompts/*.prompt.md.

Read references/prompt-files.md when asked to create a prompt file or reusable chat task.

3. Custom Agents

Specialized Copilot persona with tool whitelist, model choice, and optional handoffs. Stored in .github/agents/*.agent.md.

Read references/custom-agents.md when asked to create a custom agent or chat mode.

4. Agent Skills

Portable, progressive-loading capabilities that work across VS Code, Copilot CLI, and cloud agents. Stored in .github/skills/<name>/SKILL.md.

Read references/agent-skills.md when asked to create a skill or when the user asks about SKILL.md format, frontmatter fields, or skill best practices.

5. Hooks

Shell commands triggered at agent lifecycle events (PostToolUse, Stop, etc.). Stored in .github/hooks/*.json.

Read references/hooks.md when asked to create a hook, set up auto-formatting, or run commands around agent actions.

6. Agent Plugins

Bundle skills, agents, hooks, and MCP servers for distribution. Defined in plugin.json.

Read references/plugins.md when asked to create, publish, or install an agent plugin.

File Locations Reference

Type	Workspace location	User profile location
Always-on instructions (Copilot)	`.github/copilot-instructions.md`	—
Always-on instructions (multi-agent)	`AGENTS.md`	—
Targeted instructions	`.github/instructions/*.instructions.md`	`~/.vscode/instructions/`
Prompt files	`.github/prompts/*.prompt.md`	`~/.vscode/prompts/`
Custom agents	`.github/agents/*.agent.md`	`~/.vscode/agents/`
Agent skills	`.github/skills/<name>/SKILL.md`	`~/.vscode/skills/`
Hooks	`.github/hooks/*.json`	`~/.vscode/hooks/`
Claude Code agents	`.claude/agents/*.md`	—
Claude Code rules	`.claude/rules/*.md`	—

AI Generation Commands

/init                  → workspace-wide copilot-instructions.md
/create-instruction    → targeted .instructions.md
/create-prompt         → .prompt.md file
/create-agent          → .agent.md file
/create-skill          → agent skill directory
/create-hook           → hook JSON file

Open the Chat Customizations editor for a visual overview:

Command Palette → "Chat: Open Chat Customizations"

Reference files

references/instructions.md – Custom instructions templates and settings
references/prompt-files.md – Prompt file templates and input variables
references/custom-agents.md – Agent templates and handoff configuration
references/agent-skills.md – Skill format, progressive loading, official docs
references/hooks.md – Hook templates, events, naming convention
references/plugins.md – Plugin structure and distribution
references/frontmatter-reference.md – Complete frontmatter field reference for all types
references/examples.md – Real-world examples organized by use case