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Update custom agents instructions with GitHub standard tool aliases#2906

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pelikhan merged 2 commits intomainfrom
copilot/update-custom-agents-instructions
Oct 31, 2025
Merged

Update custom agents instructions with GitHub standard tool aliases#2906
pelikhan merged 2 commits intomainfrom
copilot/update-custom-agents-instructions

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Copilot AI commented Oct 31, 2025 •
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GitHub Copilot now defines standardized tool aliases for custom agents. The existing documentation used legacy tool names without mentioning the official aliases or migration path.

Changes

Tool Configuration Section

  • Document standard aliases: read, edit, search, pr, issue
  • Add MCP server tool prefix syntax (my-mcp-server/tool-name, my-mcp-server/*)
  • Note case-insensitive tool names and wildcard support ["*"]
  • Map legacy names to standard aliases with migration guidance

Examples Updated

  • All agent patterns now use standard tool aliases
  • Added Issue Management Agent and Pull Request Assistant patterns
  • Link to official GitHub documentation on tool aliases

Before:

tools:
  - createFile
  - editFiles
  - codeSearch
  - getFile

After:

# Standard aliases (recommended)
tools:
  - read
  - edit
  - search

# Legacy names still supported
tools: [createFile, editFiles, search]

# MCP server tools
tools: [read, edit, github-mcp/create_issue]

Backward compatibility maintained—legacy tool names continue to work.

Warning

Firewall rules blocked me from connecting to one or more addresses (expand for details)

I tried to connect to the following addresses, but was blocked by firewall rules:

  • docs.github.com
    • Triggering command: curl -s REDACTED (dns block)
    • Triggering command: python3 /tmp/fetch_docs.py (dns block)

If you need me to access, download, or install something from one of these locations, you can either:

Original prompt

Update custom agents instructions to integrate information about tools as documented in https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/reference/custom-agents-configuration#tool-aliases

✨ Let Copilot coding agent set things up for you — coding agent works faster and does higher quality work when set up for your repo.

@pelikhan
Update custom agents instructions with GitHub tool aliases documentation
2bc3615 
Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>
Copilot AI changed the title [WIP] Update custom agents instructions for tool integration Update custom agents instructions with GitHub standard tool aliases Oct 31, 2025
Copilot AI requested a review from pelikhan October 31, 2025 22:06
@pelikhan pelikhan marked this pull request as ready for review October 31, 2025 22:13
Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings October 31, 2025 22:13
Copilot AI reviewed Oct 31, 2025
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Pull Request Overview

This PR updates the custom agents documentation to reflect GitHub's new standardized tool aliases (read, edit, search, pr, issue) while maintaining backward compatibility with legacy tool names. The changes provide clear migration guidance and expand coverage to include MCP server tool syntax and new agent patterns.

Key Changes:

  • Replaced legacy tool names with standard aliases throughout all examples
  • Added comprehensive tool configuration section documenting aliases, legacy names, and MCP server syntax
  • Introduced two new agent patterns: Issue Management Agent and Pull Request Assistant

💡 Add Copilot custom instructions for smarter, more guided reviews. Learn how to get started.

@pelikhan pelikhan merged commit fedabd3 into main Oct 31, 2025
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@pelikhan pelikhan deleted the copilot/update-custom-agents-instructions branch October 31, 2025 22:13
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github-actions bot commented Oct 31, 2025

Agentic Changeset Generator triggered by this pull request.

@github-actions github-actions bot mentioned this pull request Apr 1, 2026
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Copilot AI mentioned this pull request Apr 1, 2026
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