Digikey
aklofas/kicad-happy
Search DigiKey for electronic components and download datasheets — primary source for prototype orders and the preferred API method for fetching datasheets.
Create time-boxed technical spike documents for researching and resolving critical development decisions before implementation.
Install Create Technical Spike
$ npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill create-technical-spike -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install github/awesome-copilot create-technical-spike --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/create-technical-spike .claude/skills/create-technical-spike && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "create-technical-spike" agent skill from https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/tree/main/skills/create-technical-spike into .claude/skills/create-technical-spike/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "create-technical-spike", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/tree/main/skills/create-technical-spikeType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill create-technical-spike -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install github/awesome-copilot create-technical-spike --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/create-technical-spike .agents/skills/create-technical-spike && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "create-technical-spike" agent skill from https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/tree/main/skills/create-technical-spike into .agents/skills/create-technical-spike/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "create-technical-spike", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill create-technical-spike -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install github/awesome-copilot create-technical-spike --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/create-technical-spike .cursor/skills/create-technical-spike && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "create-technical-spike" agent skill from https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/tree/main/skills/create-technical-spike into .cursor/skills/create-technical-spike/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "create-technical-spike", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot.git --path skills/create-technical-spike--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill create-technical-spike -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install github/awesome-copilot create-technical-spike --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/create-technical-spike .gemini/skills/create-technical-spike && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "create-technical-spike" agent skill from https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/tree/main/skills/create-technical-spike into .gemini/skills/create-technical-spike/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "create-technical-spike", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install github/awesome-copilot create-technical-spikeInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill create-technical-spike -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/create-technical-spike .github/skills/create-technical-spike && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "create-technical-spike" agent skill from https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/tree/main/skills/create-technical-spike into .github/skills/create-technical-spike/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "create-technical-spike", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill create-technical-spike -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install github/awesome-copilot create-technical-spike --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/create-technical-spike .opencode/skills/create-technical-spike && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "create-technical-spike" agent skill from https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/tree/main/skills/create-technical-spike into .opencode/skills/create-technical-spike/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "create-technical-spike", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
create-technical-spike- GitHub stars
- 40k
- Used in
- 1 other repo
- Token cost
- ~1.6k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 373 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 417
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Create time-boxed technical spike documents for researching and resolving critical development decisions before implementation.
- Works in 3 steps: Information Gathering → Validation & Testing → Decision & Documentation
- Tasks that involve Prototyping
- SKILL.md covers Document Structure, Categories for Technical Spikes, File Naming Conventions and Best Practices for AI Agents, plus 2 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Create Technical Spike is an agent skill from github/awesome-copilot, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Create time-boxed technical spike documents for researching and resolving critical development decisions before implementation.
Its SKILL.md is about 1.6k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.
It sits in Development, covering Prototyping. The repository describes itself as: Community-contributed instructions, agents, skills, and configurations to help you make the most of GitHub Copilot. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- Tasks that involve Prototyping
Example prompts
- “/create-technical-spike”
Workflow steps
3 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 727ff2e. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are markdown).
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Create Technical Spike loads about 1.6k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 38 tokens; SKILL.md has 373 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from github/awesome-copilot at commit 727ff2e, republished under its MIT licence (© github). 373 words, ~1,643 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/create-technical-spike/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- create-technical-spike
- description
- Create time-boxed technical spike documents for researching and resolving critical development decisions before implementation.
Create Technical Spike Document
Create time-boxed technical spike documents for researching critical questions that must be answered before development can proceed. Each spike focuses on a specific technical decision with clear deliverables and timelines.
Document Structure
Create individual files in ${input:FolderPath|docs/spikes} directory. Name each file using the pattern: [category]-[short-description]-spike.md (e.g., api-copilot-integration-spike.md, performance-realtime-audio-spike.md).
---
title: "${input:SpikeTitle}"
category: "${input:Category|Technical}"
status: "🔴 Not Started"
priority: "${input:Priority|High}"
timebox: "${input:Timebox|1 week}"
created: [YYYY-MM-DD]
updated: [YYYY-MM-DD]
owner: "${input:Owner}"
tags: ["technical-spike", "${input:Category|technical}", "research"]
---
# ${input:SpikeTitle}
## Summary
**Spike Objective:** [Clear, specific question or decision that needs resolution]
**Why This Matters:** [Impact on development/architecture decisions]
**Timebox:** [How much time allocated to this spike]
**Decision Deadline:** [When this must be resolved to avoid blocking development]
## Research Question(s)
**Primary Question:** [Main technical question that needs answering]
**Secondary Questions:**
- [Related question 1]
- [Related question 2]
- [Related question 3]
## Investigation Plan
### Research Tasks
- [ ] [Specific research task 1]
- [ ] [Specific research task 2]
- [ ] [Specific research task 3]
- [ ] [Create proof of concept/prototype]
- [ ] [Document findings and recommendations]
### Success Criteria
**This spike is complete when:**
- [ ] [Specific criteria 1]
- [ ] [Specific criteria 2]
- [ ] [Clear recommendation documented]
- [ ] [Proof of concept completed (if applicable)]
## Technical Context
**Related Components:** [List system components affected by this decision]
**Dependencies:** [What other spikes or decisions depend on resolving this]
**Constraints:** [Known limitations or requirements that affect the solution]
## Research Findings
### Investigation Results
[Document research findings, test results, and evidence gathered]
### Prototype/Testing Notes
[Results from any prototypes, spikes, or technical experiments]
### External Resources
- [Link to relevant documentation]
- [Link to API references]
- [Link to community discussions]
- [Link to examples/tutorials]
## Decision
### Recommendation
[Clear recommendation based on research findings]
### Rationale
[Why this approach was chosen over alternatives]
### Implementation Notes
[Key considerations for implementation]
### Follow-up Actions
- [ ] [Action item 1]
- [ ] [Action item 2]
- [ ] [Update architecture documents]
- [ ] [Create implementation tasks]
## Status History
| Date | Status | Notes |
| ------ | -------------- | -------------------------- |
| [Date] | 🔴 Not Started | Spike created and scoped |
| [Date] | 🟡 In Progress | Research commenced |
| [Date] | 🟢 Complete | [Resolution summary] |
---
_Last updated: [Date] by [Name]_Categories for Technical Spikes
API Integration
- Third-party API capabilities and limitations
- Integration patterns and authentication
- Rate limits and performance characteristics
Architecture & Design
- System architecture decisions
- Design pattern applicability
- Component interaction models
Performance & Scalability
- Performance requirements and constraints
- Scalability bottlenecks and solutions
- Resource utilization patterns
Platform & Infrastructure
- Platform capabilities and limitations
- Infrastructure requirements
- Deployment and hosting considerations
Security & Compliance
- Security requirements and implementations
- Compliance constraints
- Authentication and authorization approaches
User Experience
- User interaction patterns
- Accessibility requirements
- Interface design decisions
File Naming Conventions
Use descriptive, kebab-case names that indicate the category and specific unknown:
API/Integration Examples:
api-copilot-chat-integration-spike.mdapi-azure-speech-realtime-spike.mdapi-vscode-extension-capabilities-spike.md
Performance Examples:
performance-audio-processing-latency-spike.mdperformance-extension-host-limitations-spike.mdperformance-webrtc-reliability-spike.md
Architecture Examples:
architecture-voice-pipeline-design-spike.mdarchitecture-state-management-spike.mdarchitecture-error-handling-strategy-spike.md
Best Practices for AI Agents
One Question Per Spike: Each document focuses on a single technical decision or research question
Time-Boxed Research: Define specific time limits and deliverables for each spike
Evidence-Based Decisions: Require concrete evidence (tests, prototypes, documentation) before marking as complete
Clear Recommendations: Document specific recommendations and rationale for implementation
Dependency Tracking: Identify how spikes relate to each other and impact project decisions
Outcome-Focused: Every spike must result in an actionable decision or recommendation
Show full SKILL.md (132 more words)Show less
Research Strategy
Phase 1: Information Gathering
- Search existing documentation using search/fetch tools
- Analyze codebase for existing patterns and constraints
- Research external resources (APIs, libraries, examples)
Phase 2: Validation & Testing
- Create focused prototypes to test specific hypotheses
- Run targeted experiments to validate assumptions
- Document test results with supporting evidence
Phase 3: Decision & Documentation
- Synthesize findings into clear recommendations
- Document implementation guidance for development team
- Create follow-up tasks for implementation
Tools Usage
- search/searchResults: Research existing solutions and documentation
- fetch/githubRepo: Analyze external APIs, libraries, and examples
- codebase: Understand existing system constraints and patterns
- runTasks: Execute prototypes and validation tests
- editFiles: Update research progress and findings
- vscodeAPI: Test VS Code extension capabilities and limitations
Focus on time-boxed research that resolves critical technical decisions and unblocks development progress.
© github, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
Just SKILL.md in skills/create-technical-spike of github/awesome-copilot.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 727ff2e
Used in 1 other repository
We found 1 copy of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 1 other GitHub owner. This page covers the copy in github/awesome-copilot, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.
Compare with similar skills
Create Technical Spike next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Create Technical Spike this skillgithub/awesome-copilot | 40k | 1 repos | ~1.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Digikeyaklofas/kicad-happy | 1.3k | 1 repos | ~4.5k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Claimable Postgreshenryalouf/ruflow | 155 | — | ~2.4k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| Native Feel Cross Platform Desktopyetone/native-feel-skill | 1.9k | 1 repos | ~1.5k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Compound Engineering PrototypeEveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin | 25k | — | ~1.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Collaborating With CodexGuDaStudio/collaborating-with-codex | 132 | 1 repos | ~712 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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Related
Categories
Questions about Create Technical Spike
What does Create Technical Spike do?
Create time-boxed technical spike documents for researching and resolving critical development decisions before implementation. Create Technical Spike is an agent skill from github/awesome-copilot, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Create time-boxed technical spike documents for researching and resolving critical development decisions before implementation.
When should I use Create Technical Spike?
Create Technical Spike fits situations like: tasks that involve Prototyping.
How do I install Create Technical Spike in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill create-technical-spike -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/create-technical-spike in github/awesome-copilot) into .claude/skills/create-technical-spike in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Create Technical Spike in Codex?
Run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill create-technical-spike -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/create-technical-spike in github/awesome-copilot) into .agents/skills/create-technical-spike in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Create Technical Spike in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill create-technical-spike -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/create-technical-spike, .gemini/skills/create-technical-spike, .github/skills/create-technical-spike and .opencode/skills/create-technical-spike in your project.
What does Create Technical Spike need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Create Technical Spike is instructions for the agent only.
Does Create Technical Spike access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Create Technical Spike safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Create Technical Spike use?
Create Technical Spike is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Create Technical Spike use?
About 1.6k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 6.6k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Create Technical Spike?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Create Technical Spike: Digikey (aklofas/kicad-happy, 1.3k stars), Claimable Postgres (henryalouf/ruflow, 155 stars), Native Feel Cross Platform Desktop (yetone/native-feel-skill, 1.9k stars) and Compound Engineering Prototype (EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin, 25k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Create Technical Spike?
github (a GitHub organization, an official publisher) maintains it in github/awesome-copilot, which has 39,748 GitHub stars. The repository holds 417 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 7, 2026.
Source: github/awesome-copilot on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.