Skills copilot-cli

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/skills

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/openclaw/skills "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/awalesagar/copilot-cli-base" ~/.claude/skills/clawdbot-skills-copilot-cli && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: skills/awalesagar/copilot-cli-base/SKILL.md

source content

Copilot CLI Reference Skill

GitHub Copilot CLI is a terminal-native AI coding agent. This skill provides reference docs for all features, commands, and operational patterns.

When to Use

✅ USE this skill when:

Answering questions about Copilot CLI features, commands, or configuration
Setting up CI/CD automation with Copilot CLI or GitHub Actions
Troubleshooting Copilot CLI errors, auth, or rate limits
Creating custom agents, plugins, hooks, or MCP server integrations
Writing prompts for programmatic/autopilot execution
Comparing Copilot CLI vs Claude Code for a specific use case

❌ DON'T use this skill when:

General Git or GitHub questions unrelated to Copilot CLI (→ use git CLI / GitHub skill)
VS Code Copilot Chat or Copilot Edits features (→ IDE-specific docs)
GitHub Actions workflows that don't involve Copilot (→ Actions docs)
Copilot Workspace or other non-CLI Copilot products

Setup

Install:

npm install -g @github/copilot

(or via GitHub CLI extension) Auth:

copilot

→ trust directory →

/login

Config: edit

~/.copilot/config.json

directly (no

copilot config set

command)

See

references/getting-started.md

for full installation, authentication, and configuration details.

Quick Reference

Interactive:

copilot

→ trust directory →

/login

→ prompt Programmatic:

copilot -p "PROMPT" --yolo --no-ask-user -s

With permissions:

copilot -p "PROMPT" --allow-tool='shell(git:*), write' --no-ask-user

Autopilot:

copilot --autopilot --yolo --max-autopilot-continues 10 -p "PROMPT"

Custom agent:

copilot -p "PROMPT" --agent=my-agent

Model override:

copilot -p "PROMPT" --model claude-opus-4.6

Plan mode:

Shift+Tab

to cycle modes (standard/plan/autopilot) Research:

/research TOPIC

→ deep report with citations Fleet:

/fleet PROMPT

→ parallel subagent execution Chronicle:

/chronicle standup

tips

improve

reindex

Copilot CLI vs Claude Code

Need	Copilot CLI	Claude Code
Rate-limited on Claude Code	✅ Use as fallback	—
CI/CD automation	✅ Built-in Actions support	Limited
Clean stdout (no PTY/ANSI)	—	✅ Better
Long iterative reviews	✅ Better for many iterations	—

See

references/patterns-and-best-practices.md

for the full decision matrix.

Key Gotchas

Automation:

Always use
```
-p
```
(not
```
-i
```
) for automation —
```
-i
```
hangs
Always set
```
--max-autopilot-continues=N
```
in CI/CD to prevent runaway loops
Size timeouts by complexity: 120s (simple) → 1800s (large)
Background servers die between exec spawns — restart each time

OpenClaw Integration (programmatic exec):

Copilot requires a real TTY — pipe/stdout redirection causes
```
EPIPE
```
crashes
Use
```
pty: true
```
on exec calls to avoid output fragmentation
Set
```
timeout: 120
```
minimum (MCP startup ~3s + inference ~25s+)
Use
```
--allow-all
```
(or
```
--yolo
```
) for file write permissions in
```
--no-ask-user
```
mode

Working formula:

copilot -p "<prompt>" --no-ask-user --allow-all --max-autopilot-continues 3
# + exec options: pty=true, timeout=120

The
```
--add-dir <path>
```
flag grants access to specific directories without full
```
--allow-all
```

Configuration:

```
--yolo
```
does NOT skip folder trust — pre-trust in
```
~/.copilot/config.json
```
No
```
copilot config set
```
— edit config JSON manually
Custom instructions now combine (not cascade) — avoid conflicting instructions

Experimental features:

/chronicle

and history queries require

--experimental

/experimental on

Premium requests vary by model multiplier — check with
```
/model
```

See

references/troubleshooting.md

for all issues and fixes.

Quick Responses

Question	Answer
How do I start Copilot CLI?	`copilot` (interactive)
How do I use it in CI/CD?	`copilot -p "PROMPT" --yolo --no-ask-user -s`
How do I create a custom agent?	See `references/automation-and-delegation.md`
How do I add an MCP server?	See `references/customization.md`
How do I research a topic?	`/research TOPIC` in interactive mode

Reference Documents

Full index:

references/index.md

File	Contents
`getting-started.md`	Installation, auth, config, permissions, env vars, plan mode overview
`usage.md`	Interactive & programmatic modes, 40+ slash commands, shortcuts, model selection, config settings, built-in agents
`automation-and-delegation.md`	CI/CD, GitHub Actions, autopilot, delegate, fleet, custom agent creation
`customization.md`	Custom instructions (combining), plugins, MCP servers, enterprise governance
`hooks.md`	Hook types (command + prompt), config, denial responses, PowerShell support
`integrations.md`	VS Code integration (diffs, sessions, selection), ACP server
`research.md`	`/research` reports with citations, `/chronicle` session history & insights
`troubleshooting.md`	Auth, rate limits, autopilot runaway, enterprise access, diagnostics
`patterns-and-best-practices.md`	Decision matrix, prompt engineering, anti-patterns

All files in

references/

directory.