title	Skills for Copilot Studio
description	Author, test, and troubleshoot Microsoft Copilot Studio agents through YAML files using a VS Code extension or Claude Code plugin

A toolkit for authoring, testing, and troubleshooting Microsoft Copilot Studio agents through YAML files. Available as a VS Code extension for GitHub Copilot Chat and as a plugin for Claude Code.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 22+
• VS Code with the Copilot Studio Extension (required for push/pull/clone operations)
• One of the following:
  • GitHub Copilot and GitHub Copilot Chat extensions (for the VS Code extension)
  • Claude Code (for the CLI plugin)

Installation

VS Code extension (recommended)

Install the Copilot Studio Development Bundle to get everything you need in one click:

Install Copilot Studio Development Bundle

Or from the command line:

code --install-extension coatsy.copilot-studio-development-bundle

The bundle installs both the Copilot Studio Skills extension and the Copilot Studio extension together. Once installed, the agents and skills are available in GitHub Copilot Chat. See SETUP_GUIDE.md for a full walkthrough.

From VS Code Extensions Store (GitHub Copilot)

Search for Skills for Copilot Studio in the VS Code Extensions using the @agentPlugins filter to view and click Install.

Claude Code plugin from marketplace

/plugin marketplace add microsoft/skills-for-copilot-studio
/plugin install copilot-studio@skills-for-copilot-studio

Claude Code plugin from a local clone

git clone https://github.com/microsoft/skills-for-copilot-studio.git

# Load for a single session
claude --plugin-dir /path/to/skills-for-copilot-studio

# Or install persistently (user-wide)
claude plugin install /path/to/skills-for-copilot-studio --scope user

# Or install for a specific project
claude plugin install /path/to/skills-for-copilot-studio --scope project

Updating

The update process depends on how you installed the plugin:

Interface	Update Method	Details
Claude Code CLI	Auto-update (recommended)	Marketplace plugins update automatically. No action needed.
GitHub Copilot CLI	Manual	Run /plugin update skills-for-copilot-studio in an interactive session, or copilot plugin update skills-for-copilot-studio from the terminal.
VS Code	Extension auto-update	VS Code handles updates automatically when extension auto-update is enabled in settings.

Usage

The plugin provides four sub-agents, each backed by a specialized agent:

/copilot-studio:copilot-studio-manage       Clone, push, pull, and sync agent content between local files and the cloud
/copilot-studio:copilot-studio-author       Create and edit YAML (topics, actions, knowledge, triggers, variables)
/copilot-studio:copilot-studio-test         Test published agents — point-tests, batch suites, or evaluation analysis
/copilot-studio:copilot-studio-advisor      Design guidance, agent review, and troubleshooting

Quick Start

# Clone an agent from the cloud (guided flow — opens browser for sign-in)
/copilot-studio:copilot-studio-manage clone

# Design and build topics
/copilot-studio:copilot-studio-author Create a topic that handles IT service requests

# Pull latest, push your changes
/copilot-studio:copilot-studio-manage pull
/copilot-studio:copilot-studio-manage push

# Publish in Copilot Studio UI, then test
/copilot-studio:copilot-studio-test Send "How do I request a new laptop?" to the published agent

# Get design advice and review
/copilot-studio:copilot-studio-advisor Review my agent for improvements and known pitfalls

See SETUP_GUIDE.md for a full end-to-end walkthrough including validation, testing options, and troubleshooting.

Disclaimer

This plugin is an experimental research project, not an officially supported Microsoft product. The Copilot Studio YAML schema may change without notice. Always review and validate generated YAML before pushing to your environment — AI-generated output may contain errors or unsupported patterns.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for local development setup, building bundled scripts, and project structure.