🤖 GitHub Copilot Skills

Overview

Skills are stored in directories with a SKILL.md file that defines the skill's behavior. VS Code supports two types of skills:

Skill Types

• Project skills: Stored in your repository

  • .github/skills/ (recommended)
  • .claude/skills/ (legacy, for backward compatibility)

• Personal skills: Stored in your user profile

  • ~/.copilot/skills/ (recommended)
  • ~/.claude/skills/ (legacy, for backward compatibility)

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Creating a New Skill

Follow these steps to create a new skill:

1. Create a skills directory in your workspace:

   mkdir -p .github/skills

2. Create a subdirectory for your skill. Each skill should have its own directory:

   mkdir .github/skills/webapp-testing

3. Create a SKILL.md file in the skill directory with the following structure:

   ---
   name: skill-name
   description: Brief description of what the skill does and when to use it
   ---
   
   # Skill Title
   
   Body content goes here...

4. Optionally, add scripts, examples, or other resources to your skill's directory.

Example Skill Structure

A skill for testing web applications might include:

webapp-testing/
├── SKILL.md              # Instructions for running tests
├── test-template.js      # A template test file
└── examples/             # Example test scenarios

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Skill Body

The skill body contains the instructions, guidelines, and examples that Copilot should follow when using this skill.

What to Include

Write clear, specific instructions that describe:

• ✅ What the skill helps accomplish
• ✅ When to use the skill
• ✅ Step-by-step procedures to follow
• ✅ Examples of the expected input and output
• ✅ References to any included scripts or resources

Tip: You can reference files within the skill directory using relative paths. For example, to reference a script in your skill directory, use [test script](./test-template.js)

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Example Skill

Here's a complete example of a GitHub Actions debugging skill:

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

# GitHub Actions Debugging

This skill helps you debug failing GitHub Actions workflows in pull requests.

## Process

1. Use the `list_workflow_runs` tool to look up recent workflow runs for the pull request and their status
2. Use the `summarize_job_log_failures` tool to get an AI summary of the logs for failed jobs
3. If you need more information, use the `get_job_logs` or `get_workflow_run_logs` tool to get the full failure logs
4. Try to reproduce the failure locally in your environment
5. Fix the failing build and verify the fix before committing changes

## Common Issues

- **Missing environment variables**: Check that all required secrets are configured
- **Version mismatches**: Verify action versions and dependencies are compatible
- **Permission issues**: Ensure the workflow has the necessary permissions
- **Timeout issues**: Consider splitting long-running jobs or increasing timeout values

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📚 Additional Resources

• GitHub Copilot Documentation
• VS Code Extensions