Agent skill · software engineering · intellectronica
copilot-sdk
This skill helps with GitHub Copilot SDK work across Node.js/TypeScript, Python, Go, .NET, and Java. It covers setup, authentication, permissions, streaming events, custom tools, custom agents, MCP servers, hooks, skills, and session persistence.
Why this skill is useful
Provides detailed guidance on setting up and using the GitHub Copilot SDK across multiple programming languages, including niche commands and integration patterns.
What it needs
Requires dotnet, go, java, node, python installed locally. About 6k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-04-25. 281 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
GitHub Copilot SDK Overview The GitHub Copilot SDK exposes the same Copilot CLI agent runtime over JSON-RPC, so apps can drive Copilot programmatically instead of building their own orchestration layer. Status: Public preview SDKs: Node.js/TypeScript, Python, Go, .NET, Java Architecture: Application -> SDK client -> JSON-RPC -> Copilot CLI How to use this skill When helping with the Copilot SDK: 1. Prefer the official docs index and the language-specific README over memory. 2. Treat the top-level SDK README plus docs/ as the source of truth for shared behavior. 3. Call out preview status when stability or breaking changes matter. 4. Avoid hardcoding model lists when runtime discovery via listModels() is available. 5. Watch for stale guidance around permissions, lifecycle methods, and event names. Current source of truth Core SDK docs GitHub Copilot SDK repository Documentation index Getting started guide Setup guides Local CLI setup Bundled CLI setup Backend services setup Scaling and multi-tenancy Azure Managed Identity with BYOK Authentication BYOK Features index Image input Steering and queueing OpenTelemetry instrumentation Troubleshooting SDK/CLI compatibility Language-specific docs Node.js / TypeScript README Python README Go README .NET README Java SDK repository Copilot CLI and GitHub Docs About GitHub Copilot CLI Using GitHub Copilot CLI Custom agents configuration reference Enhancing agent mode with MCP Supported models Recipes and examples Copilot SDK cookbook Node.js samples Go samples .NET samples --- High-value facts Authentication and prerequisites A GitHub Copilot subscription is required for normal SDK use. BYOK is supported and does not require GitHub Copilot authentication. Node.js, Python, and .NET bundle the Copilot CLI automatically. Go can use an installed CLI or embed/bundle one with the go tool bundler workflow. Java currently lives in github/copilot-sdk-java and expects the CLI to be installed separately. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills intellectronica/skills--cc1236