A collection of reusable skills for the GitHub Copilot CLI agent. Each skill teaches Copilot a specialized workflow — from brainstorming features to building Excel dashboards — so it handles complex tasks consistently and well.
Skills are Markdown files that shape how Copilot approaches a problem. Drop one into your skills directory and the agent picks it up automatically. No plugins, no config, no build step.
| Skill | What it does |
|---|---|
| brainstorming | Turns ideas into designs through collaborative dialogue. Explores requirements, proposes approaches, and validates incrementally before any code is written. |
| excel-toolkit | Reads, edits, analyzes, and creates Excel files (.xlsx, .csv, .tsv). Supports formulas, charts, and dashboard layouts. Includes Python helper scripts. |
| building-frontend-components | Builds accessible, production-ready React/Vue/Svelte components with accessibility-first implementation, focus management, and design system compliance. |
| powerpoint-toolkit | Builds, edits, analyzes, and improves PowerPoint presentations. Handles design patterns, text extraction, and quality feedback. Includes Python helper scripts. |
| writing-plans | Creates bite-sized implementation plans with exact file paths, test strategies, and commit instructions for each task. |
| writing-skills | A meta-skill for creating new skills using TDD principles (RED → GREEN → REFACTOR) with subagent-based baseline testing. Includes reference docs on prompt engineering. |
Copy any skill folder into your Copilot skills directory:
# Install a single skill
cp -r brainstorming ~/.copilot/skills/
# Install all skills
cp -r brainstorming excel-toolkit building-frontend-components \
powerpoint-toolkit writing-plans writing-skills \
~/.copilot/skills/Create the directory first if it doesn't exist:
mkdir -p ~/.copilot/skillsThe toolkit skills (excel-toolkit, powerpoint-toolkit) include Python scripts that install their own dependencies on first use. Python 3 is required.
Every skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file at its root. That's the only required file.
my-skill/
├── SKILL.md # Defines the skill (required)
├── scripts/ # Helper scripts the agent can run
│ ├── setup_deps.py
│ └── analyze.py
└── references/ # Additional context docs
└── patterns.md
The file starts with YAML frontmatter that tells Copilot when to activate the skill, followed by Markdown instructions that define behavior:
---
name: my-skill
description: Use when the user asks to do X, Y, or Z
---
# My Skill
## Overview
What this skill does and how it approaches the problem.
## The Process
Step-by-step instructions for the agent to follow.name— Identifier for the skill.description— Trigger conditions. Be specific about when this skill should activate.- Body — The actual instructions. Write these as if you're onboarding a capable but context-free engineer.
scripts/— Python, Node, or shell scripts the agent can execute. Useful for tasks that need libraries (e.g., openpyxl for Excel, python-pptx for PowerPoint).references/— Supplementary docs the agent can consult. Design patterns, API references, style guides.
- Create a folder in
~/.copilot/skills/with your skill name. - Write a
SKILL.mdwith frontmatter (name,description) and instructions. - Test it by asking Copilot to do something that matches your description trigger.
- Iterate — refine the instructions based on where the agent goes off track.
Tips:
- The
descriptionfield controls activation. Make it specific: list the exact scenarios where this skill should kick in. - Write instructions in imperative mood: "Ask the user…", "Generate a file…", "Run the script…".
- Break complex workflows into numbered steps. Agents follow ordered lists well.
- Add constraints and guardrails for things the agent tends to get wrong.
- Use the writing-skills skill itself to create and test new skills with a TDD workflow.
PRs welcome. If you've built a skill that solves a real workflow problem, open a pull request.
Keep skills focused — one skill, one job. If a skill tries to do everything, it does nothing well.