GitHub Copilot

GitHub.comVS CodeVisual StudioJetBrainsEclipseXcodeCLICopilot SDK

GitHub Copilot is strongest on repo, org, and enterprise sharing across GitHub surfaces. CLI plugins are the distribution unit that bundles agents, skills, hooks, and MCP configurations. Enterprise governance includes agentic audit log events, BYOK, and policy-based controls across all surfaces.

Custom Instructions

Instructions

Vendor Terms custom instructions, repository instructions, organization instructions, AGENTS.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 Precedence from personal → path-specific → repo → agent → org; Copilot Memory (public preview) adds cross-agent persistent context with 28-day auto-expiry

Custom instructions support ↗Customization cheat sheet ↗Copilot Memory ↗

Agent Skills

Skills

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

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; can include scripts and resources

Notes Based on open Agent Skills standard (agentskills.io); cross-tool compatible paths; allowed-tools frontmatter pre-approves tool usage

About agent skills ↗Customization cheat sheet ↗

Prompt Files

Prompts

Vendor Terms prompt files, reusable prompts, slash commands

Interfaces VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Xcode

Scopes

Project / Repo RootUser / Home

Availability current (explicit)

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

Notes IDE-only; YAML frontmatter can specify agent mode, model, and tool restrictions per prompt; user-level prompts sync via VS Code Settings Sync

Prompt files ↗VS Code prompt files ↗

MCP Servers

MCP & Tools

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

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

Notes Available on all surfaces regardless of plan; GitHub MCP Registry in public preview; org/enterprise can restrict via allowlist policy; cloud agent integrates with Jira, Slack, Teams, Linear, and Azure Boards via MCP

About MCP ↗Configure MCP registry ↗MCP allowlist enforcement ↗

Custom Agents

Agents

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

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

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 Enterprise-level agents via .github-private repo; agent-to-agent delegation via tool alias; subagents handle delegated work in isolated context

About custom agents ↗Custom agents configuration ↗

Hooks

Vendor Terms hooks, lifecycle interceptors

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

Scopes

Project / Repo Root

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, sessionStart/End; SDK exposes hooks programmatically via JSON-RPC

About hooks ↗Hooks configuration ↗

Policies, Settings, and Content Exclusion

Settings & Policy

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

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

Notes Three policy types (feature, privacy, model); content exclusion does not apply to CLI, cloud agent, or Agent mode; agentic audit log events for monitoring; BYOK in preview

Copilot policies ↗Content exclusion ↗Policy conflicts ↗

CLI Plugins

Plugins & Distribution

Vendor Terms CLI plugins, marketplace, plugin.json

Interfaces CLI

Scopes

Project / Repo RootUser / Home

Availability current (explicit)

Trust Model Packaging layer for reuse and team standardization; agents/skills use first-found-wins, MCP uses last-wins precedence

Notes CLI only; bundles agents, skills, hooks, commands, MCP, and LSP configs; install from marketplace, GitHub repo, or local path

About CLI plugins ↗Creating plugins ↗CLI plugin reference ↗