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Install agent skills in GitHub Copilot

Add a skill for Copilot CLI, VS Code agent mode and the cloud agent: where the folder goes, how to check it loaded, and how to call it with /skill-name.

By Recaply EditorsBeginner5 min6 stepsUpdated

Two hands hold up a sheet of paper

GitHub Copilot uses agent skills in Copilot CLI, the GitHub Copilot app, the Copilot cloud agent on GitHub.com, and agent mode in VS Code, Visual Studio and JetBrains IDEs. Which folders it reads depends on where you use it.

Short answer: put the skill in .github/skills (or .agents/skills) in your repo, or in ~/.copilot/skills for you; in Copilot CLI run /skills reload and /skills list; then ask with /skill-name.

What you need

  1. Step 1: Choose a repo or personal skill

    1 min

    GitHub's docs list these folders, and say the ones that work depend on the surface.

    1. Repo: .github/skills/, .claude/skills/ or .agents/skills/ in your repository.
    2. Personal: ~/.copilot/skills/ or ~/.agents/skills/ in your home folder.
    3. VS Code: the folders its docs name for Copilot are .github/skills/ and ~/.copilot/skills/. Use those if a skill elsewhere doesn't show.

    Names use lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens, up to 64 characters, and must match the folder's name. VS Code skips a skill with a bad name without a warning.

  2. Step 2: Install a free skill with one line

    1 min

    The skills CLI copies the skill from its maker's GitHub repo into .agents/skills/.

    1. Open a terminal in your project folder.
    2. Paste the line from the skill's Recaply page. It ends in -a github-copilot.
    3. To install it for all your projects instead, add -g. It then goes to ~/.agents/skills/.
    The install line
    npx skills add <owner>/<repo> --skill <skill-name> -a github-copilot

    You should see a new .agents/skills/<skill-name>/ folder with SKILL.md inside.

    The CLI asks which agents to install to?

    The line is missing its -a value. Pick your agent in the list, or run the line again with it. Add -y to skip the questions.

    GitHub's own tools install skills too: gh skill install OWNER/REPOSITORY SKILL in GitHub CLI, or copilot skill add with a file, URL or folder in Copilot CLI.

  3. Step 3: Or install a premium skill from its ZIP

    2 min

    A premium skill comes as one ZIP that holds a single folder named after the skill.

    1. On the skill's Recaply page, sign in, buy it (or use the plan), then click Download ZIP.
    2. Move the ZIP into your project folder and open a terminal there.
    3. Run the line below. It unzips the folder, then installs it for your agent.
    4. When it's done, you can delete the ZIP and the unzipped folder: the CLI made its own copy.
    Your line
    unzip <slug>.zip && npx skills add ./<slug> -a github-copilot

    You should see .agents/skills/<slug>/SKILL.md, with the skill's other files beside it.

    On Windows, there's no unzip?

    Right-click the ZIP, choose Extract All, and move the extracted folder into .agents/skills/ in your project.

    For VS Code, unzip into the folder its docs name instead: unzip <slug>.zip -d .github/skills/.

  4. Step 4: Check that Copilot sees it

    1 min

    Each Copilot surface lists skills in its own place.

    1. Copilot CLI: start a session, or run /skills reload in the open one. Then run /skills list, or ask What skills do you have?
    2. /skills info <skill-name> shows a skill's details, including where it was loaded from. In your terminal, copilot skill list works too.
    3. VS Code: open the Command Palette, run Chat: Open Customizations, and choose Skills. Then start a fresh chat to test it.
    4. Cloud agent: commit and push the skill folder to one of the repo folders from step 1.

    You should see the skill's name in the list.

    It's in .agents/skills but VS Code doesn't list it?

    Copy the folder to .github/skills/ (or ~/.copilot/skills/ for all projects), then start a fresh chat.

  5. Step 5: Run the skill

    1 min

    Copilot picks a skill when your prompt matches its description, or uses it when you name it.

    1. In Copilot CLI, put the skill's name after a slash in your prompt, as below.
    2. In VS Code chat, type /, pick the skill, and add what you want after it.
    3. Or describe the job. Copilot decides when to use a skill from your prompt and its description.
    Your prompt
    Use the /<skill-name> skill to <what you want it to do>

    You should see Copilot follow the skill's steps for your task.

    Copilot skips the skill?

    Call it by name with /skill-name. A found skill is available, but the agent still decides when to use it.

  6. Step 6: Not working? Check these

    2 min

    Most problems come from the folder, the name, or a skill that was turned off.

    1. The folder name and the name in SKILL.md match, in lowercase with hyphens.
    2. Turned off? In Copilot CLI, run /skills, pick the skill and choose Enable, or run copilot skill enable <skill-name>.
    3. Two skills with the same name in VS Code? Both show on the Skills page, so rename or remove one.
    4. The cloud agent doesn't use it? Check that the folder is committed in .github/skills/, .claude/skills/ or .agents/skills/.

You get

A skill Copilot lists and runs with /skill-name

Try next

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Sources

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