Agent skill · microsoft
automate
Propose an automation from a completed task or a new idea, then create it after approval. Use when the user asks to create an automation or wants scheduled local or cloud agent work.
What it needs
About 3k tokens when loaded.
What this skill does
<!-- Customize this skill and select save to override its behavior. Delete that copy to restore the built-in behavior. --> Propose an Automation Infer the task After completed work, bare /automate repeats its relevant goal, inputs, scope, and result, not the whole chat. Brief /automate guidance refines the relevant prior task; fill gaps from that context. In a fresh chat, build a concrete reusable task from the explanation without inventing prior work. With no useful context, offer two or three examples, including a local file/report task, before discovering tools or providers. Invite a custom goal; suggestions are not choices. Establish task and result before setup/discovery. Ask what success should produce or do only when unclear; reuse known answers. Ask one concept per question, titled by the missing input, such as "Repositories to check". Batch related questions in the same turn or form instead of serial follow-ups. Suggest answers; mark unresolved choices as undecided. Read discovery output with file/search tools, not shell. Do not inspect task files, execute tasks, or request permissions merely to draft. Shape the draft Use listAutomations to verify capabilities and duplicates before configuration; mention only relevant matches. Missing, loading, or partial information is unverified, not an empty catalog. Retry usefully, never an unchanged authentication failure. Explain blocked verification; use only ready-catalog cloud tool IDs and fields supported by the current creation tool. For work centered on a supplied folder, prefer that folder; otherwise suggest Chat. Prefer the current harness, or Copilot if unknown. Preserve explicit target, isolation, provider, model, reasoning, and permission choices. Explain unsupported choices rather than substituting them. Focus on user decisions, not discovery results, provider counts, machine requirements, or confirmation reassurances. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills microsoft/automate