Official agent skill

Skill Authoring

by microsoft in microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure

Guidelines for writing Agent Skills that comply with the agentskills.io specification.

OfficialMITAuto-check passedAgent Workflows

Install Skill Authoring

skills CLI

$ npx skills add microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure --skill skill-authoring -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure skill-authoring --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/skill-authoring .claude/skills/skill-authoring && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.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/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "skill-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure/tree/main/.github/skills/skill-authoring into .claude/skills/skill-authoring/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "skill-authoring", 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

$skill-installer install https://github.com/microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure/tree/main/.github/skills/skill-authoring

Type 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.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure --skill skill-authoring -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure skill-authoring --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/skill-authoring .agents/skills/skill-authoring && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "skill-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure/tree/main/.github/skills/skill-authoring into .agents/skills/skill-authoring/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "skill-authoring", 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.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure --skill skill-authoring -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure skill-authoring --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/skill-authoring .cursor/skills/skill-authoring && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "skill-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure/tree/main/.github/skills/skill-authoring into .cursor/skills/skill-authoring/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "skill-authoring", 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

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure.git --path .github/skills/skill-authoring

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure --skill skill-authoring -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure skill-authoring --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/skill-authoring .gemini/skills/skill-authoring && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.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/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "skill-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure/tree/main/.github/skills/skill-authoring into .gemini/skills/skill-authoring/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "skill-authoring", 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.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure skill-authoring

Installs 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).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure --skill skill-authoring -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/skill-authoring .github/skills/skill-authoring && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.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/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "skill-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure/tree/main/.github/skills/skill-authoring into .github/skills/skill-authoring/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "skill-authoring", 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.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure --skill skill-authoring -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure skill-authoring --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/skill-authoring .opencode/skills/skill-authoring && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "skill-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure/tree/main/.github/skills/skill-authoring into .opencode/skills/skill-authoring/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "skill-authoring", 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: skill-authoring
GitHub stars: 255
Token cost: ~839 tokens
SKILL.md length: 284 words
Files: 14 (incl. references)
Skills in repo: 56
Repo updated: Oct 7, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: MIT

At a glance

Guidelines for writing Agent Skills that comply with the agentskills.io specification.

Works in 5 steps: No broken links - All referenced files… → No orphaned references - All reference… → Token budgets - References under 1000… → …
Tasks that involve Skill authoring
SKILL.md covers When to Use, Constraints, Structure and Progressive Disclosure, plus 3 more sections
Calls npm

What it does

Skill Authoring is an agent skill from microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Guidelines for writing Agent Skills that comply with the agentskills.io specification. WHEN: "create a skill", "new skill", "write a skill", "skill template", "skill structure", "review skill", "skill PR", "skill compliance", "SKILL.md format", "skill frontmatter", "skill best practices".

Its SKILL.md is about 840 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 16 other files, including reference files (for example `references/CHECKLIST.md`, `references/REFERENCE-LOADING.md` and `references/guidelines/README.md`).

It sits in Agent Workflows, covering Skill authoring. The repository describes itself as: GitHub Copilot for Azure. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

Tasks that involve Skill authoring

Example prompts

“create a skill”
“new skill”
“write a skill”
“/skill-authoring”

Workflow steps

5 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

No broken links - All referenced files exist
No orphaned references - All reference files are linked
Token budgets - References under 1000 tokens (split if exceeded)
No duplicates - Consolidate repeated content
No out-of-place guidance - Service-specific content belongs in service-specific references

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit d8f4f4e. 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
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
- npm
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
Links to these hosts (documentation or services it may open):
- agentskills.io
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

Skill Authoring loads about 839 tokens when it runs, and up to ~6.9k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 76 tokens; SKILL.md has 284 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~76
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~839
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them: ~6.9k

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 microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure at commit d8f4f4e, republished under its MIT licence (© microsoft). 284 words, ~839 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/skill-authoring/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 13 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.

name: skill-authoring
description: Guidelines for writing Agent Skills that comply with the agentskills.io specification. WHEN: "create a skill", "new skill", "write a skill", "skill template", "skill structure", "review skill", "skill PR", "skill compliance", "SKILL.md format", "skill frontmatter", "skill best practices".
license: MIT
metadata.author: Microsoft
metadata.version: 1.0.2

Skill Authoring Guide

This skill provides guidance for writing Agent Skills that comply with the agentskills.io specification.

When to Use

Creating a new skill for this repository
Reviewing a skill PR for compliance
Checking if an existing skill follows best practices
Understanding token budgets and progressive disclosure

Constraints

name: 1-64 chars, lowercase + hyphens, match directory
description: 1-1024 chars, ≤60 words, explain WHAT and WHEN
Use WHEN: with quoted trigger phrases (preferred over USE FOR:)
Avoid DO NOT USE FOR: unless the skill has trigger overlap with a broader skill (see frontmatter guidelines)
Use inline double-quoted strings (not >- folded scalars)
SKILL.md: <500 tokens (soft), <5000 (hard)
references/*.md: <1000 tokens each

Structure

SKILL.md (required) - Instructions
references/ (optional) - Detailed docs
scripts/ (optional) - Executable code

Frontmatter: name (lowercase-hyphens), description (WHAT + WHEN)

Progressive Disclosure

Metadata (~100 tokens) loads at startup. SKILL.md (<5000 tokens) loads on activation. References load only when explicitly linked (not on activation). Keep SKILL.md lean.

Reference Loading

References are JIT (just-in-time) loaded:

Only files explicitly linked via [text](references/file.md) load
Link to files, not folders - [Recipes](references/recipes/README.md) not [Recipes](references/recipes/)
Each file loads in full (not sections)
No caching between requests - write self-contained files
Use recipes/services patterns for multi-option skills

See REFERENCE-LOADING.md for details.

Validation

bash

# Run from the scripts directory
cd scripts
npm run references              # Validate all skill links
npm run tokens -- check         # Check token limits

Integrity Checks

When reviewing or authoring skills, verify:

No broken links - All referenced files exist
No orphaned references - All reference files are linked
Token budgets - References under 1000 tokens (split if exceeded)
No duplicates - Consolidate repeated content
No out-of-place guidance - Service-specific content belongs in service-specific references

See Validation for detailed procedures.

Reference Documentation

Guidelines - Detailed writing guidelines
Token Budgets - Limits and splitting guidance
Reference Loading - How references load
Checklist - Pre-submission checklist
Validation - Link and reference validation
agentskills.io/specification - Official spec

Files

SKILL.md and 13 other files (references) in .github/skills/skill-authoring of microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure.

SKILL.md
references/CHECKLIST.md
references/REFERENCE-LOADING.md
references/guidelines/README.md
references/guidelines/frontmatter.md
references/guidelines/structure.md
references/guidelines/writing-tips.md
references/token-budgets.md
references/validation/README.md
references/validation/broken-links.md
references/validation/duplicates.md
references/validation/orphaned-refs.md
references/validation/out-of-place.md
references/validation/token-splitting.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit d8f4f4e

Compare with similar skills

Skill Authoring 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 Authoring compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Skill Authoring this skillmicrosoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure	255	—	~839	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
Skill CreatorAzure/azqr	794	89 repos	~8.2k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	yesterday
Claude Code Skill Developer Guidediet103/claude-code-infrastructure-showcase	10k	10 repos	~3.5k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	2 mo ago
Darwin Skill Optimizeralchaincyf/darwin-skill	6.2k	1 repos	~4.7k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	19 days ago
Claude Code Command Developmentanthropics/claude-plugins-official	37k	10 repos	~4.8k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	today
Claude Code Plugin Structureanthropics/claude-plugins-official	37k	10 repos	~3.4k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	today

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Questions about Skill Authoring

What does Skill Authoring do?

Guidelines for writing Agent Skills that comply with the agentskills.io specification. Skill Authoring is an agent skill from microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure, published by the product's own GitHub organization.io specification.

When should I use Skill Authoring?

Skill Authoring fits situations like: tasks that involve Skill authoring.

How do I install Skill Authoring in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure --skill skill-authoring -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.github/skills/skill-authoring in microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure) into .claude/skills/skill-authoring in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Skill Authoring in Codex?

Run `npx skills add microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure --skill skill-authoring -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.github/skills/skill-authoring in microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure) into .agents/skills/skill-authoring in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Skill Authoring 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 microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure --skill skill-authoring -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/skill-authoring, .gemini/skills/skill-authoring, .github/skills/skill-authoring and .opencode/skills/skill-authoring in your project.

What does Skill Authoring need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Skill Authoring needs the command-line tools its instructions call (npm).

Does Skill Authoring access the network?

SKILL.md names 1 domain. As links in the text: agentskills.io. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Skill Authoring 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 Skill Authoring use?

Skill Authoring is published under the MIT licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Skill Authoring use?

About 839 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.4k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 6.1k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Skill Authoring?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Skill Authoring: Skill Creator (Azure/azqr, 794 stars), Claude Code Skill Developer Guide (diet103/claude-code-infrastructure-showcase, 10k stars), Darwin Skill Optimizer (alchaincyf/darwin-skill, 6.2k stars) and Claude Code Command Development (anthropics/claude-plugins-official, 37k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Skill Authoring?

microsoft (a GitHub organization, an official publisher) maintains it in microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure, which has 255 GitHub stars. The repository holds 56 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 7, 2026.

Source: microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Install Skill Authoring

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

Skill Authoring Guide

When to Use

Constraints

Structure

Progressive Disclosure

Reference Loading

Validation

Integrity Checks

Reference Documentation

Files

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure

Related

Questions about Skill Authoring