Documentation

How to Use Copilot AgentOps

Copilot AgentOps is a curated accelerator for GitHub Copilot. It combines a reusable GitHub repository of instructions, prompts, agents, skills, hooks, and collections with an MCP server that makes discovery available directly inside VS Code.

Library-first VS Code MCP integration Curated best practices

What Is Inside

The Copilot AgentOps Library, Organized for Reuse.

Agents

Specialized Copilot personas that focus on distinct workflows or tools, ready for Copilot coding agent and VS Code sessions.

Agents guide

Prompts

Task-specific prompts designed for analysis, generation, and acceleration across SDLC stages.

Prompts guide

Instructions

Coding standards and best practices that apply automatically to matching files and repositories.

Instructions guide

Hooks

Automated workflows triggered by events during Copilot coding agent sessions.

Hooks guide

Skills

Bundled resources and instructions that deliver specialized AI capabilities for repeatable tasks.

Skills guide

Collections & Cookbook

Curated bundles of prompts and instructions plus practical recipes you can paste into workflows immediately.

Collections Cookbook

Repository Structure

Know Where Everything Lives.

copilot-agentops/
├── prompts/          # Task-specific prompts (.prompt.md)
├── instructions/     # Coding standards and best practices (.instructions.md)
├── agents/           # AI personas and specialized modes (.agent.md)
├── collections/      # Curated collections of related items (.collection.yml)
├── hooks/            # Event-driven automation for Copilot coding agent
├── skills/           # Bundled capabilities and resources
├── cookbook/         # Practical recipes and examples
├── plugins/          # Installable plugins generated from collections
└── scripts/          # Utility scripts for maintenance

Install MCP Server

Enable In-Editor Discovery in VS Code.

Open MCP Settings

In VS Code, open the Command Palette and choose MCP: Open User Configuration to open your mcp.json file.

Add the Copilot AgentOps Server

Add the following block inside the top-level servers object.

{
  "servers": {
    "copilot-agentops": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "ajilantony/copilot-agentops:latest"]
    }
  }
}

Start the MCP Server

Click Start in the MCP panel to pull the Docker image and run the server locally. You will see the available tools and prompts listed in VS Code.

Prerequisite: Docker must be installed and running to launch the MCP server.

Quick Start

See the MCP Server Running in VS Code.

1. Add the Server Configuration

After updating your mcp.json, open the MCP panel and confirm the Copilot AgentOps server appears in the list.

VS Code MCP panel showing the Copilot AgentOps server configuration — MCP server listed in VS Code.

2. Start the Container

Click Start to pull the Docker image. Once running, the MCP panel lists the available tools and prompts.

MCP server running in VS Code with tools and prompts listed — Tools and prompts ready to use.

Use the Accelerator

Apply Reusable Assets in Everyday Workflows.

Custom Agents

Choose a custom agent when assigning a GitHub issue to Copilot coding agent, or activate it inside VS Code sessions.

Prompts

Use the slash command in Copilot Chat to access prompts.

/copilot-agentops create-readme

Instructions

Instructions automatically apply to files that match their patterns, keeping standards consistent across repos.

Hooks

Use hooks to automate workflows on sessionStart, sessionEnd, and userPromptSubmitted events.

Need Deeper Guides?

Explore the full documentation in the repository for step-by-step guidance on each asset type.

Open Copilot AgentOps Open MCP server