GitHub Copilot

GitHub.comVS CodeVisual StudioJetBrainsEclipseXcodeCLICopilot SDK

GitHub Copilot is strongest on repo, org, and enterprise sharing across GitHub surfaces. The Copilot SDK adds full programmatic access with agent loops, hooks, and OpenTelemetry observability. CLI plugins are the distribution unit with enterprise plugin standards for governance, and Autopilot/Fleet modes enable autonomous and parallel task execution.

Custom Instructions

Instructions

Vendor Terms custom instructions, repository instructions, organization instructions, AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, GEMINI.md, Copilot Memory

Interfaces GitHub.com, VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Eclipse, Xcode, CLI, Copilot SDK

Scopes

User / HomeProject / Repo RootSubdirectory / FolderOrganization / Enterprise

Availability current (explicit)

Trust Model Contextual guidance with precedence-based concatenation; not enforced policy

Notes Five instruction types (personal, repo, path-specific, agent, org) with precedence-based concatenation; Copilot Memory (public preview) stores repo-level facts and user preferences with 28-day auto-expiry

Custom instructions support ↗Customization cheat sheet ↗Copilot Memory ↗

Agent Skills

Skills

Vendor Terms agent skills, SKILL.md, .agents/skills, gh skill

Interfaces GitHub.com, VS Code, JetBrains, CLI, Copilot SDK

Scopes

Project / Repo RootUser / Home

Availability current (explicit)

Trust Model Reusable workflows loaded on demand when relevant; allowed-tools frontmatter pre-approves tool usage

Notes Based on open Agent Skills standard (agentskills.io); cross-tool compatible paths (.github/skills, .claude/skills, .agents/skills); gh skill CLI for discovery/install; org/enterprise skills coming soon

About agent skills ↗Add skills (CLI) ↗

Prompt Files

Prompts

Vendor Terms prompt files, reusable prompts, slash commands

Interfaces VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains

Scopes

Project / Repo RootUser / Home

Availability public preview (explicit)

Trust Model Reusable prompt templates invoked manually; not auto-loaded

Notes IDE-only; YAML frontmatter specifies agent mode, model, tools, and custom agent name; /create-prompt generates prompts from descriptions; user-level prompts sync via Settings Sync

Prompt files ↗VS Code prompt files ↗

MCP Servers

MCP & Tools

Vendor Terms MCP servers, GitHub MCP server, MCP Registry, MCP allowlist, toolsets

Interfaces GitHub.com, VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Eclipse, Xcode, CLI, Copilot SDK

Scopes

Machine / AdminProject / Repo RootOrganization / Enterprise

Availability current (explicit)

Trust Model Tool calls subject to OAuth/PAT auth and allowlist enforcement; enterprise policies override org policies; push protection blocks secrets in AI-generated responses

Notes Available on all surfaces regardless of plan; GitHub MCP Registry in public preview; remote MCP servers without local setup; toolset customization for GitHub API capabilities; enterprise allowlist policy disabled by default for Business/Enterprise

About MCP ↗Configure MCP registry ↗MCP allowlist enforcement ↗

Custom Agents

Agents

Vendor Terms custom agents, agent profiles, .agent.md, Autopilot, Fleet

Interfaces GitHub.com, VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Eclipse, Xcode, CLI, Copilot SDK

Scopes

User / HomeProject / Repo RootOrganization / Enterprise

Availability current (explicit)

Trust Model Isolated persona with its own instructions, tool restrictions, and context; enterprise agents override org agents

Notes Repo/org/enterprise scoping with lowest-level override; CLI adds Autopilot (autonomous), Fleet (parallel execution), and Chronicle (session persistence); Copilot SDK provides full programmatic agent loop with OpenTelemetry observability

About custom agents ↗Custom agents configuration ↗Enterprise management ↗

Hooks

Vendor Terms hooks, lifecycle interceptors

Interfaces GitHub.com, VS Code, CLI, Copilot SDK

Scopes

Project / Repo RootUser / Home

Availability current (explicit)

Trust Model Deterministic scripts that run synchronously on lifecycle events; can block tool use

Notes 8 hook types including preToolUse (can deny), postToolUse, agentStop, subagentStop, errorOccurred; SDK exposes hooks programmatically via native language callbacks

About hooks ↗Hooks configuration ↗SDK hooks quickstart ↗

Policies, Settings, and Content Exclusion

Settings & Policy

Vendor Terms policies, content exclusion, MCP allowlist, BYOK, Copilot Memory policy, agentic audit logs

Interfaces GitHub.com, VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Eclipse, Xcode, CLI

Scopes

User / HomeOrganization / EnterpriseMachine / Admin

Availability current (explicit)

Trust Model Admin-defined policies that lower tiers cannot override; MCP allowlists restrict permitted servers; block agentic features control

Notes Three policy types (feature, privacy, model); granular org selection for cloud agent; MCP management as separate policy; agentic audit log events and activity monitoring; content exclusion does not apply to CLI or Agent mode

Copilot policies ↗Content exclusion ↗Agentic audit log events ↗

CLI Plugins

Plugins & Distribution

Vendor Terms CLI plugins, marketplace, plugin.json, enterprise plugin standards

Interfaces CLI

Scopes

Project / Repo RootUser / HomeOrganization / Enterprise

Availability current (explicit)

Trust Model Packaging layer for reuse and team standardization; enterprise admins define required marketplaces and auto-installed plugins

Notes CLI only; bundles agents, skills, hooks, MCP, and LSP configs; 4 default marketplaces; enterprise plugin standards for governance with auto-installed plugins

About CLI plugins ↗Enterprise plugin standards ↗CLI plugin reference ↗