Copilot CLI — Agents
- File format
- Markdown
- Discovery paths
-
.copilot/agents,.github/agents,.claude/agents - Global install path
-
~/.github/agents - Syllago install method
- Symlink, Direct copy
- Symlink support
- Yes
- Native frontmatter fields
-
name,description,tools,model,target,mcp-servers
Features
How each feature converts to syllago's canonical format. See format conversion for what these statuses mean.
Fields
Native frontmatter or config fields this provider exposes. The first column is the provider's own field name; the canonical key column links to syllago's cross-provider equivalent.
| Provider field | Conversion | Canonical key | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
mcp-servers | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | per_agent_mcp | mcp-servers inline config in frontmatter; available for cloud agent only; workspace MCP config shared by default |
model | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | model_selection | model field in frontmatter overrides default model for that agent |
tools | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | tool_restrictions | Restricts available tools using case-insensitive aliases (execute/shell/Bash, read/Read, edit/Edit/Write, etc.); unknown names are silently ignored for portability. |
Other features
Behaviors, conventions, and capabilities that aren't tied to a single named field — things like path-based activation, discovery rules, and lifecycle behavior.
| Feature | Conversion | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Profile File Format | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | Agents are .agent.md files with YAML frontmatter (description required) plus up to 30,000 chars of Markdown instructions as the system prompt. |
agent_scopes | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | project scope (.github/agents/ or .claude/agents/), personal (~/.copilot/agents/), plugin (agents/); personal takes precedence over project |
definition_format | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | .agent.md files with YAML frontmatter (description required); up to 30,000 chars of Markdown instructions as agent system prompt |
invocation_patterns | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | /agent slash command, natural language instruction, auto-inference (suppressible with disable-model-invocation), or --agent flag; 4 patterns |
| Multiple Agent Invocation Modes | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | Agents are invoked four ways: /agent slash command, natural language instruction, auto-inference, or --agent CLI flag. |
| Project and Personal Agent Scopes | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | Agents can live at project scope (.github/agents/, .claude/agents/) or personal scope (~/.copilot/agents/), with personal taking precedence on conflict. |
subagent_spawning | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | agents run as subagents with isolated context windows; Git-SHA-based versioning ensures consistency across PR interactions |
| Subagent Execution Model | Not portable Conversion type: Not portable Unique to this provider — can’t be carried across providers. Learn more → | Delegated agents run as subagents with isolated context windows; Git-SHA-based versioning pins the active profile for a task's lifetime. |