Newest skills
3209 skills
chronicle
Analyze Copilot session history for standup reports, usage tips, session search, and session reindexing. Use when the user asks for a standup, daily summary, usage tips, workflow recommendations, wants to search or find past sessions by keyword/file/PR, wants to reindex their session store, or asks about deleting session data.
agent-customization
**WORKFLOW SKILL** — Create, update, review, fix, or debug VS Code agent customization files (.instructions.md, .prompt.md, .agent.md, SKILL.md, copilot-instructions.md, AGENTS.md). USE FOR: saving coding preferences; troubleshooting why instructions/skills/agents are ignored or not invoked; configuring applyTo patterns; defining tool restrictions; creating custom agent modes or specialized workflows; packaging domain knowledge; fixing YAML frontmatter syntax. DO NOT USE FOR: general coding questions (use default agent); runtime debugging or error diagnosis; MCP server configuration (use MCP d
launch
Launch and automate VS Code Insiders with the Copilot Chat extension using @playwright/cli via Chrome DevTools Protocol. Use when you need to interact with the VS Code UI, automate the chat panel, test the extension UI, or take screenshots. Triggers include 'automate VS Code', 'interact with chat', 'test the UI', 'take a screenshot', 'launch with debugging'.
vscode-dev-workbench
Use when the user wants to run the vscode.dev server locally and exercise the VS Code workbench or Agents window in the integrated browser against the local `microsoft/vscode` sources. Covers starting the dev server, the `vscode-quality=dev` URL, browser-driven interaction patterns, and optionally wiring up a local mock agent host for the Agents window.
validate-ui-scenario
Use when reproducing a UI bug or verifying a fix by driving a real VS Code window end to end and capturing evidence. Writes a scenario file, runs it against a dev build or installed Insiders, and produces a captioned video, per-step screenshots, a Playwright trace, and an HTML report to attach to an issue or pull request.
ux-theming
VS Code theming, color tokens, widget styles, focus indicators, and high-contrast theme support. Use when registering colors, styling widgets with theme tokens, or ensuring HC/focus compliance.
ux-css-layout
VS Code CSS conventions, file organization, class naming, standard sizes, SplitView/Grid layout, scrollable content, responsive layout, and text overflow/ellipsis patterns. Use when writing CSS, building layouts, or fixing text truncation issues.
update-screenshots
Update the committed blocks-ci screenshot hashes after the "Screenshots & Tests" check fails, or investigate a screenshot diff reported on a PR. Use when asked to update, accept, or refresh component screenshot baselines from CI. This skill should be run as a subagent.
unit-tests
Use when running unit tests in the VS Code repo. Covers the runTests tool, scripts/test.sh (macOS/Linux) and scripts/test.bat (Windows), and their supported arguments for filtering, globbing, and debugging tests.
symbolicate-crash-dump
Symbolicate a native VS Code crash dump (.dmp) using electron-minidump. Use when given a crash dump file, asked to symbolicate a crash, resolve missing method names in a native crash backtrace, or attach Electron/Insiders/Stable symbol files. VS Code team members only; requires macOS or Linux.
sweeper-fix
Implement a VS Code Sweeper fix spec — fetch the sweeper's agent-fixable review record from its public state repo, implement the narrow fix in the current vscode checkout, and — after showing the diff — open a draft PR. Use ONLY when the request explicitly asks for the sweeper — "sweeper-fix", "sweeper", "vscodesweeper", a sweeper record, or a sweeper fix spec. Do NOT use for a plain "fix this issue" request that doesn't mention the sweeper; fix those directly with your normal tools instead.
smoke-tests
Use when running VS Code smoke tests or working on smoke-test CI steps. Covers npm run smoketest / smoketest-no-compile, grep filtering tests, and a temporary repeat-loop technique for tracking down flaky smoke tests in CI.
policy-and-managed-settings
Use whenever adding, modifying, or reviewing any Copilot, agent, LLM, AI, tool, permission, sandbox, MCP, model, telemetry, feature-gate, setting, configuration, or enterprise control—especially anything an organization or administrator may need to manage. Start here to decide whether it belongs in runtime managed settings, a typed SDK contract, VS Code configuration policy, extension policy, or a split implementation. Run on every new Copilot/agent/LLM control and ANY change that adds a `policy:` field.
otel
OpenTelemetry guidance for VS Code agent experiences. Use when changing Agent Host telemetry, local Copilot Chat telemetry, provider-native spans or metrics, OTel settings and managed policy, trace persistence/export, or monitoring documentation.
memory-leak-audit
Audit code for memory leaks and disposable issues. Use when reviewing event listeners, DOM handlers, lifecycle callbacks, or fixing leak reports. Covers addDisposableListener, Event.once, MutableDisposable, DisposableStore, and onWillDispose patterns.
integration-tests
Use when running integration tests in the VS Code repo. Covers scripts/test-integration.sh (macOS/Linux) and scripts/test-integration.bat (Windows), their supported arguments for filtering, and the difference between node.js integration tests and extension host tests.
integrated-browser
Use this when working on the VS Code integrated browser ("browserView") to understand its architecture and mental model. Covers the embedded Chromium browser, its editor tab, navigation, overlay/layout, sessions, and agent browser tools under `src/vs/platform/browserView` and `src/vs/workbench/contrib/browserView`.
heap-snapshot-analysis
Analyze V8 heap snapshots to investigate memory leaks and retention issues. Use when given .heapsnapshot files, asked to compare before/after snapshots, asked to find what retains objects, or investigating why objects survive GC. Provides snapshot parsing, comparison, retainer-path helpers, and scratchpad scripts.
flaky-smoke-tests
Diagnose intermittent VS Code Electron smoke-test failures from the Azure DevOps Flaky Smoke Tests pipeline (definition 700). Covers finding failed iterations, downloading task logs and platform artifacts with Azure CLI, correlating cumulative runner logs, tracing the introducing commit, and queueing focused validation runs.
fix-ci-failures
Investigate and fix CI failures on a pull request. Use when CI checks fail on a PR branch — covers finding the PR, identifying failed checks, downloading logs and artifacts, extracting the failure cause, and iterating on a fix. Requires the `gh` CLI.