Official agent skill

Squad Commands Menu

by microsoft in microsoft/waza

Shows a categorized, interactive menu of common Squad operations, such as install, upgrade and team management, and collects arguments before running anything.

OfficialMITAuto-check passedAgent Workflows

Install Squad Commands Menu

skills CLI
$ npx skills add microsoft/waza --skill squad-commands -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install microsoft/waza squad-commands --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/waza.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.copilot/skills/squad-commands .claude/skills/squad-commands && 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/

Facts

Skill name
squad-commands
GitHub stars
1.4k
Used in
1 other repo
Token cost
~2.7k tokens
SKILL.md length
1,227 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
16
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Shows a categorized, interactive menu of common Squad operations, such as install, upgrade and team management, and collects arguments before running anything.

  • Works in 5 steps: Category-level menu first. Present… → Drill-down. After selection, show… → Direct match skips the menu. If the user… → …
  • Asking what Squad can do or which commands are available
  • SKILL.md covers Menu Presentation Rules, Install & Upgrade, Team Management and Issues & PRs, plus 3 more sections
  • Calls gh

What it does

When you ask what Squad can do, or type something like squad commands or help, the agent reads this catalog and offers it as a menu. It shows category names first as a choice list, then the operations inside the category you pick. If your request already matches one entry, such as upgrading with a particular state backend, it skips the menu and goes straight to collecting arguments. A markdown table replaces the choice list when the ask_user tool is missing, and sub-menus include a way back and a cancel option.

Each catalog entry lists the phrases that trigger it, a one-line summary, whether it runs a shell command or edits a file, the command itself, its arguments with choices and defaults, whether to confirm first, and platform caveats. Arguments are gathered one at a time, and saying the defaults are fine skips the rest. Entries visible include squad upgrade, squad init, which is safe to repeat, and a switch of the state backend among worktree, git-notes, orphan and two-layer, which edits .squad/config.json after confirmation.

When your agent uses it

  • Asking what Squad can do or which commands are available
  • Upgrading the Squad CLI and choosing a state backend in one step
  • Initializing Squad in the project you are working in
  • Changing where Squad stores its mutable state

Example prompts

  • “Show me the squad commands menu.”
  • “What can Squad do in this project?”
  • “How do I upgrade Squad with the git-notes state backend?”
  • “Switch the Squad state backend to orphan.”

Requirements

  • The Squad CLI
  • A terminal, which in VS Code means the integrated terminal

Workflow steps

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

  1. Category-level menu first. Present category names as an ask_user choice list
  2. Drill-down. After selection, show operation titles in that category as a second ask_user list.
  3. Direct match skips the menu. If the user says "how do I upgrade with state backend," match to the specific entry and go straight to…
  4. Compact fallback. If ask_user is unavailable, render as a markdown table instead.
  5. Back / Cancel. Include "← Back to categories" in sub-menus. Include "Cancel" in confirmation prompts. Respect "never mind" / "cancel" at…

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 774df00. 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:

    • gh

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use gh, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.

    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

Squad Commands Menu loads about 2.7k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 45 tokens; SKILL.md has 1,227 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~45
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2.7k

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/waza at commit 774df00, republished under its MIT licence (© microsoft). 1,227 words, ~2,673 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/squad-commands/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
squad-commands
description
Categorized catalog of common Squad operations. Coordinator reads this file and presents it as an interactive menu when the user asks for available commands or help.
domain
squad-operations
confidence
high
source
first-party
triggers
squad commands, what can squad do, show me squad options, slash commands

Menu Presentation Rules

When the user triggers this skill ("squad commands", "help", "what can squad do", etc.):

  1. Category-level menu first. Present category names as an ask_user choice list:
    📋 Squad Commands — pick a category:
    1. Install & Upgrade
    2. Team Management
    3. Issues & PRs
    4. Plugins & Skills
    5. Model & Cost
    6. Sessions & State
  2. Drill-down. After selection, show operation titles in that category as a second ask_user list.
  3. Direct match skips the menu. If the user says "how do I upgrade with state backend," match to the specific entry and go straight to argument collection.
  4. Compact fallback. If ask_user is unavailable, render as a markdown table instead.
  5. Back / Cancel. Include "← Back to categories" in sub-menus. Include "Cancel" in confirmation prompts. Respect "never mind" / "cancel" at any point.

Argument collection: For entries with args, iterate the list sequentially. Use ask_user with choices when choices is provided; free-text prompt otherwise. If the user says "just do it" or "defaults are fine," skip remaining args and use their defaults.

Confirmation template:

⚠️ This will {action-description}.
{what will change}
Proceed? (yes / no)

Install & Upgrade

Upgrade Squad CLI
  • intent: upgrade squad, update squad, install latest version, get new version
  • summary: Upgrade Squad CLI to the latest version for your channel
  • action: shell
  • command: squad upgrade
  • args:
    • state-backend: Which state backend? | choices: {worktree, git-notes, orphan, two-layer} | default: (keep current)
  • confirm: false
  • platform_caveats: Requires terminal. In VS Code, open the integrated terminal and run the command directly.
Initialize Squad
  • intent: set up squad, initialize squad, create team, start squad in this project
  • summary: Scaffold Squad in the current directory (idempotent)
  • action: shell
  • command: squad init
  • args: (none)
  • confirm: false
  • platform_caveats: Requires terminal. Recommend a standalone terminal for best results.
Switch State Backend
  • intent: switch state backend, change state storage, use git-notes, use orphan branch
  • summary: Change where Squad stores mutable state (config.json)
  • action: file-edit
  • command: .squad/config.json → stateBackend
  • args:
    • stateBackend: Which state backend? | choices: {worktree, git-notes, orphan, two-layer} | default: (keep current)
  • confirm: true
  • platform_caveats: May require migration if switching away from worktree. Show current value and new value before confirming.

Team Management

Add Team Member
  • intent: add team member, hire agent, add agent, add developer, recruit
  • summary: Add a new agent to the team roster
  • action: coordinator
  • command: Add Team Member flow (Init Mode / Team Mode)
  • args:
    • role: What role should this agent fill? (e.g., Frontend Dev, Backend Dev, QA Engineer)
    • name: Preferred name or casting universe? | default: (auto-cast from active universe)
  • confirm: false
Remove Team Member
  • intent: remove team member, fire agent, delete agent, remove developer
  • summary: Remove an agent and delete their charter and history files
  • action: coordinator
  • command: Remove Team Member flow
  • args:
    • member: Which team member to remove? (name or role)
  • confirm: true
Reassign Roles
  • intent: reassign role, change role, swap roles, update team member role
  • summary: Update a team member's role in team.md and their charter
  • action: coordinator
  • command: Update team.md roster + charter.md
  • args:
    • member: Which team member?
    • newRole: New role?
  • confirm: false
Show Roster
  • intent: show roster, who is on the team, list team members, show team, capability profile
  • summary: Display the current team roster and capability profile
  • action: coordinator
  • command: Direct Mode — read team.md, answer
  • args: (none)
  • confirm: false

Issues & PRs

Connect GitHub Repo
  • intent: connect github, enable issues, set up issues, link repository, github issues mode
  • summary: Connect this project to GitHub Issues via gh auth
  • action: coordinator
  • command: GitHub Issues Mode (connection flow)
  • args: (none)
  • confirm: false
  • platform_caveats: Requires gh auth login to have been run in the terminal.
Triage Issues
  • intent: triage issues, review issues, assign issues, label issues
  • summary: Run the Lead triage flow on open GitHub issues
  • action: coordinator
  • command: GitHub Issues Mode → Lead triage
  • args: (none)
  • confirm: false
Activate Ralph
  • intent: activate ralph, start ralph, ralph go, start work monitor, start auto-work
  • summary: Activate Ralph — Work Monitor — to pick up and run queued issues
  • action: coordinator
  • command: Ralph — Work Monitor triggers
  • args: (none)
  • confirm: false
Set Ralph Polling Interval
  • intent: set ralph interval, change ralph timing, how often does ralph check, ralph every N minutes
  • summary: Tell Ralph how frequently to poll for new work
  • action: coordinator
  • command: Ralph trigger: "Ralph, check every N minutes"
  • args:
    • interval: How often should Ralph poll? (in minutes) | default: 10
  • confirm: false
Start Squad Watch
  • intent: start watch, squad watch, monitor issues, watch for issues, auto-triage
  • summary: Start squad watch to continuously poll and triage issues
  • action: shell
  • command: squad watch
  • args:
    • interval: Poll interval in minutes | default: 10
  • confirm: false
  • platform_caveats: CLI-only — long-running foreground process. Not viable in VS Code without an integrated terminal. Run: squad watch --interval {n} in your terminal.

Show full SKILL.md (494 more words)Show less

Plugins & Skills

Browse Plugin Marketplace
  • intent: browse plugins, explore plugins, what plugins are available, plugin marketplace
  • summary: Browse available plugins in the Squad marketplace
  • action: shell
  • command: squad plugin marketplace browse
  • args:
    • name: Plugin name to search for | default: (browse all)
  • confirm: false
Add Marketplace Plugin
  • intent: add plugin, install plugin, get plugin from marketplace
  • summary: Add a plugin from the marketplace to this Squad
  • action: shell
  • command: squad plugin marketplace add
  • args:
    • plugin: Plugin owner/repo (e.g., owner/plugin-name)
  • confirm: false
Remove Marketplace Plugin
  • intent: remove plugin, uninstall plugin, delete plugin
  • summary: Remove an installed marketplace plugin
  • action: shell
  • command: squad plugin marketplace remove
  • args:
    • name: Plugin name to remove
  • confirm: true
List Marketplace Plugins
  • intent: list plugins, show installed plugins, what plugins do I have
  • summary: List all plugins registered in this Squad
  • action: shell
  • command: squad plugin marketplace list
  • args: (none)
  • confirm: false
List Installed Skills
  • intent: list skills, show skills, what skills are installed, skill catalog
  • summary: List all skills installed in .squad/skills/ and .copilot/skills/
  • action: coordinator
  • command: Direct Mode — list .squad/skills/ and .copilot/skills/ directories
  • args: (none)
  • confirm: false

Model & Cost

Set Default Model
  • intent: set default model, change model, use gpt-4, use claude, switch model
  • summary: Set the default model for all agents in config.json
  • action: file-edit
  • command: .squad/config.json → defaultModel
  • args:
    • model: Model name (e.g., gpt-4o, claude-sonnet-4.5, o3)
  • confirm: false
Override Per-Agent Model
  • intent: set model for agent, agent model override, use different model for one agent
  • summary: Set a model override for a specific agent in config.json
  • action: file-edit
  • command: .squad/config.json → agentModelOverrides.{agentName}
  • args:
    • agent: Agent name (must match name in team.md)
    • model: Model name (e.g., gpt-4o, claude-sonnet-4.5)
  • confirm: false
Clear Model Preference
  • intent: clear model, reset model, remove model preference, use default model
  • summary: Remove a model override from config.json (reverts to system default)
  • action: file-edit
  • command: .squad/config.json → remove defaultModel or agentModelOverrides.{agentName}
  • args:
    • scope: Clear default or a specific agent? | choices: {default model, specific agent} | default: default model
    • agent: Agent name (only if scope = specific agent)
  • confirm: false

Sessions & State

Catch-Up Summary
  • intent: catch me up, what happened, status, what did the team do, session summary
  • summary: Summarize recent agent activity and key decisions
  • action: coordinator
  • command: Session catch-up flow (lazy scan)
  • args: (none)
  • confirm: false
Show Recent Decisions
  • intent: show decisions, recent decisions, what decisions were made, decision log
  • summary: Display recent entries from .squad/decisions.md
  • action: coordinator
  • command: Direct Mode — read decisions.md, answer
  • args: (none)
  • confirm: false
Archive Old Decisions
  • intent: archive decisions, clean up decisions, move old decisions, compact decisions
  • summary: Move old decisions from decisions.md to decisions-archive.md
  • action: coordinator
  • command: Move entries older than threshold from .squad/decisions.md → .squad/decisions-archive.md
  • args:
    • olderThan: Archive decisions older than how many days? | default: 30
  • confirm: true
Summarize Agent History
  • intent: summarize history, what did agent do, agent history, compress history
  • summary: Spawn an agent to summarize and compress a team member's history file
  • action: coordinator
  • command: Spawn agent with history.md summarization task
  • args:
    • member: Which team member's history to summarize?
  • confirm: false

© microsoft, 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 .copilot/skills/squad-commands of microsoft/waza.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 774df00

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 microsoft/waza, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

Compare with similar skills

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Categories

Questions about Squad Commands Menu

What does Squad Commands Menu do?

Shows a categorized, interactive menu of common Squad operations, such as install, upgrade and team management, and collects arguments before running anything. When you ask what Squad can do, or type something like squad commands or help, the agent reads this catalog and offers it as a menu. It shows category names first as a choice list, then the operations inside the category you pick.

When should I use Squad Commands Menu?

Squad Commands Menu fits situations like: asking what Squad can do or which commands are available; upgrading the Squad CLI and choosing a state backend in one step; initializing Squad in the project you are working in; changing where Squad stores its mutable state.

How do I install Squad Commands Menu in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add microsoft/waza --skill squad-commands -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.copilot/skills/squad-commands in microsoft/waza) into .claude/skills/squad-commands in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Squad Commands Menu in Codex?

Run `npx skills add microsoft/waza --skill squad-commands -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.copilot/skills/squad-commands in microsoft/waza) into .agents/skills/squad-commands in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Squad Commands Menu 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/waza --skill squad-commands -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/squad-commands, .gemini/skills/squad-commands, .github/skills/squad-commands and .opencode/skills/squad-commands in your project.

What does Squad Commands Menu need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Squad Commands Menu needs the command-line tools its instructions call (gh). Our summary lists: The Squad CLI; A terminal, which in VS Code means the integrated terminal.

Does Squad Commands Menu access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use gh, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Squad Commands Menu 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 Squad Commands Menu use?

Squad Commands Menu 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 Squad Commands Menu use?

About 2.7k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 11k 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 Squad Commands Menu?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Squad Commands Menu: Show Me Your Work Decision Log (cursor/plugins, 10k stars), Darwin Skill Optimizer (alchaincyf/darwin-skill, 6.2k stars), Microsoft Skill Creator (MicrosoftDocs/mcp, 1.9k stars) and Loop Constraints Enforcer (cobusgreyling/loop-engineering, 11k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Squad Commands Menu?

microsoft (a GitHub organization, an official publisher) maintains it in microsoft/waza, which has 1,403 GitHub stars. The repository holds 16 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 6, 2026.

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