name: copilot-cli description: > Reference knowledge base for GitHub Copilot CLI. Use when answering questions about Copilot CLI features, commands, configuration, plugins, hooks, skills, MCP servers, custom agents, automation, or troubleshooting CLI workflows. Do NOT use for general Git/GitHub questions, VS Code Copilot Chat, or IDE-only Copilot features. license: MIT-0 compatibility: Designed for OpenClaw, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, and compatible AgentSkills clients metadata: openclaw: emoji: "⌨️" homepage: "https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/concepts/agents/copilot-cli/about-copilot-cli" os: ["darwin", "linux", "win32"] requires: bins: ["copilot"] install: - id: npm kind: node package: "@github/copilot" bins: ["copilot"] label: "Install via npm"

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

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 or /experimental on
• Premium requests vary by model multiplier — check with /model

See references/troubleshooting.md for all issues and fixes.

Quick Responses

Reference Documents

Full index: references/index.md

All files in references/ directory.