Leveling Up with GitHub Copilot Customization: Instructions, Prompts, Agents, and Skills
GitHub Copilot isn't "just" an autocomplete anymore. By the end of 2025, customization has become a game-changer - putting way more control in the developer's hands. Here's how I'm making it actually work for real-world projects:
🔧 Instructions (Chat "Customizations")
Now you can tweak Copilot Chat's behavior to your own needs - setting coding style, libraries to use, or even your review preferences. For example, I use instructions to always add type hints in my Python suggestions, and to nudge for readable variable names.
💬 Prompts
The art of prompt engineering has leveled up. In 2025, clear intent isn't just nice to have, it's crucial for context-rich suggestions. Writing out your thoughts, expected input/output, or edge cases right in comments gives Copilot a huge leg up for producing exactly what you want.
🤖 Agents
Agent Mode now lets Copilot automate full workflows. Need to refactor multiple files, scaffold test suites, or even coordinate with your CI pipeline? Agents handle multiphase tasks way quicker than manual steps. It's like having a smart junior dev who follows directions and learns from feedback.
🛠️ Skills
Copilot's Skills framework lets you bring your own custom tools, so it can interact with APIs, docs, and more. I've been experimenting with custom Skills that generate API documentation, or that enforce specific security patterns during code generation.
Putting It All Together
What's wild is how these features fit together. I've set up custom Skills, pointed Agents at them, and used tailored Instructions for consistent code style - all with plain language. Copilot isn't just suggesting: it's collaborating, guided by how I work.
If you've started customizing Copilot, what tweaks, agents, or skills have made the biggest difference for you? Drop your pro tips or stories of your Copilot leveling up below! 🚀
Learn More
Explore the awesome GitHub Copilot customizations repo for more inspiration and examples.
Topics: #GitHubCopilot #AIProgramming #DeveloperTools #Customization #AgentMode #PromptEngineering