Agent skill · software engineering · microsoft
sessions
Core principles and workflow router for changes to the Agents Window under src/vs/sessions.
Why this skill is useful
Provides detailed architectural guidelines and specifications for implementing features in the Agents window, which the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
About 3k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 188,455 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Agents Window development Use this skill for implementation, review, or design work under src/vs/sessions/. 1. Apply the core principles Preserve the layer direction: vs/sessions may import vs/workbench and lower layers; vs/workbench must never import vs/sessions. Keep shared Sessions code provider-neutral. Non-provider contributions must not import provider implementations. Model mutable session and chat state with observables. Use events for notifications, not as a parallel state model or for control flow. Register Sessions menu IDs in browser/menus.ts and consume Menus.. Import contributions from the appropriate sessions..main.ts entry point. Prefer Sessions-owned adaptations over shared workbench changes unless the capability is genuinely shared. Put stable architecture in the owning specification and concrete behavior in tests. Do not preserve implementation chronology as development guidance. 2. Identify the owning area Start with src/vs/sessions/README.md, then read only the specifications relevant to the change: Area Specification ------ --------------- Layering, folder ownership, cross-module imports src/vs/sessions/LAYERS.md Session/chat model, services, provider contract, core data flow src/vs/sessions/SESSIONS.md Automations ownership, routing, migration, persistence, and run lifecycle src/vs/sessions/AUTOMATIONS.md Workbench parts, grid, title bar, editor presentation src/vs/sessions/LAYOUT.md Session-aware layout state and restoration src/vs/sessions/LAYOUTCONTROLLER.md Desktop layout scenarios and expected compositions src/vs/sessions/DESKTOP.md Sessions sidebar list, grouping, filtering, and persistence src/vs/sessions/SESSIONSLIST.md Phone layout and mobile components src/vs/sessions/MOBILE.md AI customizations src/vs/sessions/AICUSTOMIZATIONS.md Copilot customizations src/vs/sessions/copilot-customizations-spec.md Copilot Chat provider src/vs/workbench/contrib/sessions/providers/copilotChatSessions/COPILOTCHATSESSIONSPROVIDER.md Agent Host provider …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills microsoft/sessions