VS Code Copilot Customization Documentation
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About VS Code Copilot Customization Documentation
This documentation explains how to customize GitHub Copilot agent behavior in Visual Studio Code to align with project coding standards, team conventions, and repetitive workflows. It covers various customization types including instructions, agent skills, custom agents, MCP servers, hooks, agent plugins (preview), and prompt files, allowing users to provide context that makes AI responses more relevant and consistent. Customizations help eliminate repeated context in prompts, ensure consistent on-standard output, turn multi-step chores into single commands, and enable sharing of setups across teams.
Key Features
Write coding standards once as Instructions and the AI applies them automatically
Create Agent skills for repeatable capabilities bundled with scripts, examples, and resources
Define Custom agents with focused roles, allowed tools, and model selection
Connect MCP servers to external tools, databases, and services
Use Hooks to run commands automatically at key points in the agent loop
Install Agent plugins (preview) from a marketplace for ready-made workflows
Save reusable prompts as Prompt files invoked via slash commands
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Eliminates need to repeat context in every prompt
- Ensures consistent, on-standard output from AI
- Reduces multi-step chores to a single command
- Enables sharing of customizations across a team
- Extends AI capabilities with external tools and services
Best For
Set up project instructions via /init to generate coding standards tailored to a codebaseAdd targeted instructions for specific languages, frameworks, or foldersAutomate repetitive multi-step workflows (e.g., test, lint, deploy) as agent skillsSpecialize AI for specific roles like code reviewer or planner using custom agentsConnect external tools like databases or issue trackers via MCP serversEnsure deterministic guardrails by running commands after every edit or blocking risky commands via hooks
FAQ
What types of customizations are available?
The documentation covers Instructions, Agent skills, Custom agents, MCP servers, Hooks, Agent plugins (preview), and Prompt files.
How do I start customizing Copilot?
Use the /init command in chat to generate a .github/copilot-instructions.md file with coding standards tailored to your codebase.
Can I share customizations with my team?
Yes, some customization types like instructions can be shared across your team by committing them to your repository.