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GitHub Copilot

Platform

GitHub

The GitHub Copilot cloud agent (formerly coding agent) on github.com — an autonomous agent that works on issues and pull requests in an ephemeral Actions-powered environment, configured via repository files and repository settings.

MCP

Supported

Repository administrators configure MCP servers as JSON (mcpServers key) in the repository settings on github.com (Settings > Copilot > MCP servers). The config is shared by the cloud agent and Copilot code review; secrets are injected via COPILOT_MCP_-prefixed Agents secrets.

Verified 2026-07-12Docs
Transportsstdiohttpsse
Authheadersenv-secrets

Fields

FieldTypeDescription
type*"local" | "stdio" | "http" | "sse"Server transport. local and stdio are equivalent (local process); http and sse are remote.
tools*string[]Allowlist of tools to enable from the server; use ["*"] for all tools.
commandstringCommand to start a local server (required for local/stdio).
argsstring[]Arguments passed to the command (required for local/stdio).
envrecord<string, string>Environment variables for a local server; values may reference COPILOT_MCP_-prefixed secrets/variables.
urlstringThe MCP server's URL (required for http/sse).
headersrecord<string, string>Headers attached to requests to a remote server; values may reference COPILOT_MCP_-prefixed secrets/variables.

Capabilities

ToolsSupported
ResourcesNot supported
PromptsNot supported

Examples

Local server with a secret
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sentry": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@sentry/mcp-server@latest", "--host=$SENTRY_HOST"],
      "env": {
        "SENTRY_HOST": "https://contoso.sentry.io",
        "SENTRY_ACCESS_TOKEN": "$COPILOT_MCP_SENTRY_ACCESS_TOKEN"
      },
      "tools": ["*"]
    }
  }
}
Remote SSE server
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cloudflare": {
      "type": "sse",
      "url": "https://docs.mcp.cloudflare.com/sse",
      "tools": ["*"]
    }
  }
}
  • The JSON configuration is entered directly in repository settings on github.com, not stored as a repo file.
  • The GitHub MCP server and Playwright MCP server are enabled by default; the built-in GitHub server uses a read-only token scoped to the current repository.
  • Only MCP tools are supported; resources and prompts are not. Remote servers using OAuth are not supported.
  • Configured tools run autonomously without per-call approval — allowlist specific read-only tools where possible.
  • env and headers values reference Agents secrets/variables prefixed with COPILOT_MCP_ using $VAR, ${VAR}, or ${VAR:-default} substitution.
  • Servers needing extra dependencies can install them via .github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml.
  • Org/enterprise admins can also attach MCP servers to custom agents via the mcp-servers frontmatter property.

Skills

Supported

SKILL.md Agent Skills (open standard) stored in the repository; loaded automatically when relevant to the cloud agent's task and also used by Copilot code review.

Verified 2026-07-12Docs
Invoke/skill-name

Config files

PathScopeFormatKey
.github/skills/<name>/SKILL.md
Projectmarkdown
.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md

Claude-compatible project location.

Projectmarkdown
.agents/skills/<name>/SKILL.md

Cross-agent project location.

Projectmarkdown

Fields

FieldTypeDescription
name*stringUnique identifier: lowercase, hyphens for spaces, typically matching the skill directory name.
description*stringWhat the skill does and when Copilot should use it.
licensestringLicense that applies to this skill.

Examples

SKILL.md
---
name: github-actions-failure-debugging
description: Guide for debugging failing GitHub Actions workflows. Use this when asked to debug failing GitHub Actions workflows.
---

1. Use the `list_workflow_runs` tool to look up recent workflow runs and their status
2. Use the `summarize_job_log_failures` tool to get an AI summary of failed job logs
3. Try to reproduce the failure and fix the failing build before committing
  • The cloud agent runs in an ephemeral sandbox, so only project skills committed to the repository apply; personal skills (~/.copilot/skills, ~/.agents/skills) apply to local surfaces like Copilot CLI and VS Code.
  • Skills in .github/skills are also used automatically by Copilot code review when relevant (public preview).
  • Skills can bundle scripts and other resources referenced from SKILL.md.
  • Discover and install shared skills with gh skill in GitHub CLI or from the Awesome GitHub Copilot collection.

Rules

Supported

Repository custom instructions: repo-wide .github/copilot-instructions.md, path-specific .github/instructions/*.instructions.md with applyTo globs, and AGENTS.md files anywhere in the repo (nearest file wins).

Verified 2026-07-12Docs

Config files

PathScopeFormatKey
.github/copilot-instructions.md

Repository-wide instructions applied to all Copilot requests in the repo.

Projectmarkdown
.github/instructions/**/*.instructions.md

Path-specific instructions with applyTo frontmatter; subdirectories allowed.

Projectmarkdown
AGENTS.md

Can be stored anywhere in the repository; the nearest AGENTS.md in the directory tree takes precedence.

Projectmarkdown
CLAUDE.md

Alternative single agent-instructions file in the repo root (GEMINI.md also accepted).

Projectmarkdown

Fields

FieldTypeDescription
applyTo*stringGlob pattern(s), comma-separated, selecting the files the instructions apply to (path-specific files only). Example: "**/*.ts,**/*.tsx".
excludeAgentstringExclude the file from one agent. Omit to apply to both the cloud agent and code review.

Examples

Path-specific instructions
---
applyTo: "app/models/**/*.rb"
excludeAgent: "code-review"
---
Use ActiveRecord validations for all model constraints.
Prefer scopes over class methods for query logic.
  • Path-specific instructions on GitHub.com are supported for the cloud agent and Copilot code review.
  • The excludeAgent frontmatter key ('cloud-agent' or 'code-review') limits a path-specific file to one of the two agents.
  • A single CLAUDE.md or GEMINI.md in the repository root can be used instead of AGENTS.md.
  • Organization-level custom instructions can be defined on GitHub and apply across repositories (enterprise/org scope, configured in the org UI rather than a repo file).
  • Priority: personal instructions > repository instructions > organization instructions; all applicable sets are provided to Copilot.
  • The cloud agent can generate a copilot-instructions.md for you (onboarding prompt at github.com/copilot/agents).
  • For code review, Copilot uses the instructions in the base branch of the pull request.

Hooks

Supported

The cloud agent runs .github/hooks/*.json hooks inside its ephemeral Linux sandbox. A subset of events fires; only bash (or the cross-platform command) entries are honored, and HTTP hooks must target firewall-allowed hosts.

Verified 2026-07-12Docs
EventssessionStartsessionEnduserPromptSubmittedpreToolUsepostToolUsepostToolUseFailureagentStopsubagentStartsubagentStoperrorOccurredpreCompact

Config files

PathScopeFormatKey
.github/hooks/*.json
Projectjsonhooks

Fields

FieldTypeDescription
type"command" | "http"Hook handler type. Defaults to command. Prompt hooks may not fire because cloud agent jobs are non-interactive.
bashstringShell command for the Linux sandbox. powershell entries are ignored under the cloud agent.
commandstringCross-platform fallback command, honored when bash is absent.
cwdstringWorking directory. The sandbox workspace is /workspace when a repository is cloned.
envrecord<string, string>Environment variables to set (supports variable expansion).
timeoutSecnumberTimeout in seconds. Default 30. timeout is accepted as an alias.
matcherstringOptional regex (anchored ^(?:PATTERN)$) filtering by tool name (preToolUse/postToolUse), agent name (subagentStart), or trigger (preCompact).
urlstringTarget URL for http hooks; must be https and reachable through the cloud agent firewall.

Examples

Deny destructive commands
{
  "version": 1,
  "hooks": {
    "preToolUse": [
      {
        "type": "command",
        "matcher": "bash",
        "bash": "./scripts/block-dangerous.sh",
        "timeoutSec": 10
      }
    ]
  }
}
  • Same JSON format ({ "version": 1, "hooks": { ... } }) as Copilot CLI; event names in camelCase, or PascalCase for the VS Code-compatible snake_case payloads.
  • In cloud agent jobs, only .github/hooks/*.json in the cloned repository is loaded — no user-level files, settings.json, or plugins exist in the sandbox.
  • notification and permissionRequest hooks do not apply (tool calls are pre-approved); a preToolUse decision of 'ask' is treated as 'deny'.
  • preCompact fires only with trigger 'auto'; sessionStart fires once per job as a new session.
  • The sandbox filesystem is ephemeral — persist hook output via an http hook to an admin-allowlisted host.
  • preToolUse command hooks are fail-closed: crashes, timeouts, and non-zero exits (other than 2) deny the tool call.
  • Set disableAllHooks: true at the top level of a hook file to skip its hooks without deleting it.

Commands

Not supported

Prompt files (.github/prompts/*.prompt.md) are not supported on GitHub.com; GitHub's customization cheat sheet marks prompt files as unsupported for the GitHub.com surface.

Verified 2026-07-12Docs
  • For reusable on-demand workflows with the cloud agent, use Agent Skills (.github/skills) or custom agents (.github/agents/*.md) instead.

Settings

Supported

The cloud agent's environment is configured with a .github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml Actions workflow (preinstall dependencies, choose runners) plus .github/copilot/settings.json for plugins. Remaining configuration (MCP, firewall, secrets, code review toggles) lives in repository settings on github.com.

Verified 2026-07-12Docs

Config files

PathScopeFormatKey
.github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml

Standard GitHub Actions workflow syntax; runs as a normal workflow when changed so it can be validated.

Projectyamljobs.copilot-setup-steps
.github/copilot/settings.json

Shared repository configuration; the cloud agent reads the plugin-related keys (enabledPlugins, extraKnownMarketplaces) and hooks-related keys.

Projectjson

Fields

FieldTypeDescription
stepsstep[]Actions steps executed before the agent starts (checkout, toolchain setup, dependency install). A failing step skips the rest and the agent starts anyway.
permissionsobjectWorkflow token permissions for the setup job (use least privilege; contents: read to clone). Copilot gets its own token for its work.
runs-onstring | string[]Runner selection: standard, larger GitHub-hosted, or self-hosted runner labels/groups. Ubuntu x64 and Windows only.
servicesobjectService containers available during the job.
timeout-minutesnumberSetup job timeout. Maximum value 59.

Examples

copilot-setup-steps.yml
name: "Copilot Setup Steps"
on:
  workflow_dispatch:
  push:
    paths: [.github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml]

jobs:
  copilot-setup-steps:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: read
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v6
      - name: Set up Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: "20"
          cache: "npm"
      - name: Install JavaScript dependencies
        run: npm ci
  • copilot-setup-steps.yml must contain a single job named copilot-setup-steps and be present on the default branch to take effect; it runs before the agent starts work.
  • Only steps, permissions, runs-on, services, snapshot, and timeout-minutes (max 59) can be customized on the job; other job settings are ignored.
  • Supports larger GitHub-hosted runners, self-hosted runners (Ubuntu x64 or Windows only), Windows environments, and Git LFS via actions/checkout with lfs: true.
  • Agents secrets and variables (e.g. COPILOT_MCP_* for MCP servers) are configured in repository or organization settings on github.com.
  • The integrated firewall can be customized or disabled in repository settings; it must be disabled for self-hosted runners.
  • The enabledPlugins and extraKnownMarketplaces keys of .github/copilot/settings.json are read by both the cloud agent and Copilot CLI.