From df8d185508e4bc22226a41e756608258388a0e6a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Dan Wahlin Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2026 04:52:42 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] docs: add Critic agent and built-in skills to course content - Add Critic agent (v1.0.18) to built-in agents table in Chapter 04 with note that it is experimental and requires Claude models - Add built-in skills documentation (v1.0.17) to Chapter 05 including the new 'customizing-copilot-cloud-agents-environment' skill - Update Skill Locations table to include built-in skills row Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> --- 04-agents-custom-instructions/README.md | 1 + 05-skills/README.md | 7 +++++-- 2 files changed, 6 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) diff --git a/04-agents-custom-instructions/README.md b/04-agents-custom-instructions/README.md index a84d889..080531c 100644 --- a/04-agents-custom-instructions/README.md +++ b/04-agents-custom-instructions/README.md @@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ Never used or made an agent? Here's all you need to know to get started for this | **Plan** | `/plan` or `Shift+Tab` (cycle modes) | Creates step-by-step implementation plans before coding | | **Code-review** | `/review` | Reviews staged/unstaged changes with focused, actionable feedback | | **Init** | `/init` | Generates project configuration files (instructions, agents) | +| **Critic** | *Automatic (experimental)* | Automatically reviews plans and complex implementations using a complementary model to catch errors early. Available when using Claude models with experimental mode enabled (`--experimental`). | | **Explore** | *Automatic* | Used internally when you ask Copilot to explore or analyze the codebase | | **Task** | *Automatic* | Executes commands like tests, builds, lints, and dependency installs | diff --git a/05-skills/README.md b/05-skills/README.md index 1369aba..6dd85f5 100644 --- a/05-skills/README.md +++ b/05-skills/README.md @@ -54,7 +54,9 @@ Learn what skills are, why they matter, and how they differ from agents and MCP. copilot > /skills list ``` - This shows all skills Copilot can find in your project and personal folders. + This shows all skills Copilot can find — including **built-in skills that ship with the CLI** as well as any project or personal skills you've created. + + > 💡 **Built-in skills**: Starting with v1.0.17, the Copilot CLI includes built-in skills out of the box. The first built-in skill is a guide for customizing the Copilot cloud agent's environment (e.g., pre-installing tools and dependencies via `copilot-setup-steps.yml`). You'll see it listed as `customizing-copilot-cloud-agents-environment` when you run `/skills list`. These built-in skills are always available without any setup needed. 2. **Look at a real skill file:** Check out our provided [code-checklist SKILL.md](../.github/skills/code-checklist/SKILL.md) to see the pattern. It's just YAML frontmatter plus markdown instructions. @@ -267,7 +269,7 @@ Build your own skills from SKILL.md files. ## Skill Locations -Skills are stored in `.github/skills/` (project-specific) or `~/.copilot/skills/` (user level). +Skills are stored in `.github/skills/` (project-specific) or `~/.copilot/skills/` (user level). The CLI also includes **built-in skills** that are always available without any setup. ### How Copilot Finds Skills @@ -275,6 +277,7 @@ Copilot automatically scans these locations for skills: | Location | Scope | |----------|-------| +| **Built-in** | Included with the CLI — always available, no setup needed | | `.github/skills/` | Project-specific (shared with team via git) | | `~/.copilot/skills/` | User-specific (your personal skills) |