GitHub Copilot·GitHub

GitHub Copilot Skills

Q: Where is the GitHub Copilot skills folder?

In a repository, use .github/skills/; .claude/skills/ and .agents/skills/ also work. For personal skills, use ~/.copilot/skills/ or ~/.agents/skills/.

Q: Copilot skills vs custom instructions: what is the difference?

.github/copilot-instructions.md holds conventions Copilot applies to every request. A skill is a packaged job with its own templates, loaded only when the task needs it.

Agent Skills for GitHub Copilot in VS Code and JetBrains, Copilot CLI and Copilot cloud agent. Drop a Skill into .github/skills/ and Copilot loads it when your request matches.

Browse Skills for GitHub Copilot How to install

GitHub Copilot

src/index.htmlstyles.css.github/skills/

Create a landing page for this repo

● Using skillbs-quartz-saas-landingCopilot loaded the skill and wrote site/index.html

Where the Skill lives

~/.copilot/skills/
bs-quartz-saas-landing/
SKILL.md
assets/
scripts/

Commit .github/skills/ so Copilot cloud agent can use the Skill when it works on a task and opens a pull request.

Popular GitHub Copilot skills

Every Skill below works in Copilot as-is. Same SKILL.md, same result as in Claude Code or Codex.

Browse all Skills for GitHub Copilot

441

Orbit Startup Landing

Quick answer

Does GitHub Copilot support Agent Skills?

Yes. Copilot agent mode in VS Code and JetBrains, Copilot CLI, Copilot cloud agent and Copilot code review read Agent Skills. Put a Skill folder in .github/skills/ inside a repository, or in ~/.copilot/skills/ or ~/.agents/skills/ for personal use, and Copilot loads it when a task matches its description.

Global folder: ~/.copilot/skills/ or ~/.agents/skills/
Project folder: .github/skills/ or .agents/skills/
File format: SKILL.md (Agent Skills standard)
Loads automatically: Yes, by description
Install with Skillry: Paste the install prompt into GitHub Copilot
Official docs: docs.github.com

GitHub Copilot skills examples

Three things a Skill adds that custom instructions cannot.

Quartz SaaS Landing

A real landing page for your repo

Ask in agent mode and get a designed one-file site, not a bare template.

Sky Glass DeckFree

Release and demo decks

Turn a changelog into an editable HTML deck with PPTX export.

Manus 2.0 Style Launch Video

One Skill, every Copilot

The same folder serves agent mode, Copilot CLI and Copilot cloud agent.

How to add skills to GitHub Copilot

Copilot reads ~/.agents/skills/, so the install prompt puts each Skill there with no extra setup.

Copy the install prompt

Recommended

Paste one sentence into GitHub Copilot. It reads the install guide and puts the Skill in the right folder itself.

1Open any Skill on Skillry and click Copy install prompt.
2Paste it into GitHub Copilot and send.
3Approve the sign-in in your browser if asked, then ask for what you need.

Download ZIP

No Node.js needed. Unzip the Skill into the folder yourself.

1Click Download ZIP on any Skill page.
2Unzip it so the folder sits in ~/.copilot/skills/.
3Restart GitHub Copilot so it picks up the new Skill.

~/.copilot/skills/<skill>/SKILL.md

Skillry CLI

Also works

One command downloads the Skill and puts it where GitHub Copilot looks.

1Open a terminal in any folder.
2Run the command; it installs into ~/.agents/skills/.
3Open GitHub Copilot and ask for what you need.

Copilot skills vs copilot-instructions.md

They do different jobs, and most people use both.

copilot-instructions.mdA Skill (SKILL.md)

What it holdscopilot-instructions.md: Repository-wide coding conventionsOne repeatable job: a deck, a site, a video

When it loadscopilot-instructions.md: Every requestOnly when your request matches

Context costcopilot-instructions.md: Always in the promptA one-line description until used

Shareablecopilot-instructions.md: Tied to one repositoryWorks in any project and in 30 other agents

GitHub Copilot skills FAQ

Does GitHub Copilot support skills?

Yes. Copilot agent mode in VS Code and JetBrains, Copilot CLI, Copilot cloud agent and Copilot code review read Agent Skills from .github/skills/ (or .agents/skills/) in a repository and ~/.copilot/skills/ or ~/.agents/skills/ on your machine.

Where is the GitHub Copilot skills folder?

In a repository, use .github/skills/; .claude/skills/ and .agents/skills/ also work. For personal skills, use ~/.copilot/skills/ or ~/.agents/skills/.

Copilot skills vs custom instructions: what is the difference?

.github/copilot-instructions.md holds conventions Copilot applies to every request. A skill is a packaged job with its own templates, loaded only when the task needs it.

Can I use my Claude Code Skills in GitHub Copilot?

Yes. A Claude Code Skill is a SKILL.md folder, the same format GitHub Copilot reads. Copy the folder into ~/.copilot/skills/ and GitHub Copilot picks it up.