copilot-assets 1.1.0

copilot-assets

A .NET global tool for installing and managing GitHub Copilot assets (prompts, agents, instructions, skills) in your projects.

Installation

dotnet tool install -g copilot-assets

Usage

Initialize Assets in a Project

cd your-project
copilot-assets init

This creates:

• .github/copilot-instructions.md - Repository context and instructions
• .github/prompts/ - Reusable prompt templates
• .github/agents/ - AI agent definitions
• .github/skills/ - Custom Copilot skills
• .github/.copilot-assets.json - Manifest file tracking installed version

Remote Template Configuration

Configure a custom GitHub repository as your template source:

# Set a remote template source
copilot-assets config set source owner/repo

# Set a specific branch (default: main)
copilot-assets config set branch develop

# View current configuration
copilot-assets config list

# Get a specific config value
copilot-assets config get source

# Reset to bundled templates
copilot-assets config reset

When configured, init and update commands will:

1. Fetch templates from your GitHub repository
2. Fall back to cached version if network fails
3. Use bundled templates if no cache exists

Authentication: Supports private repositories via:

• gh CLI (recommended): gh auth login
• Environment variables: GITHUB_TOKEN or GH_TOKEN

Selective Installation

# Install only prompts and agents
copilot-assets init --only prompts,agents

# Install everything except skills
copilot-assets init --exclude skills

# Just the instructions file (minimal)
copilot-assets init --only instruction

Interactive Mode

Review and select files individually or by folder using arrow-key navigation:

# Interactive installation - review each file/folder
copilot-assets init -i

# Interactive update - review only changed files
copilot-assets update -i

Features:

• Source Selection - Choose between default templates or remote repository with ←/→ arrows
• Folder Actions - For each folder, choose to add all, review one-by-one, or skip
• File Selection - For individual files, choose install/update or skip
• Visual Feedback - Color-coded status indicators (new files in green, modified in yellow)
• Summary - See total files selected and skipped before commit

Example workflow:

Select template source:
 → Default templates (included with tool)    Remote repository (GitHub)...

Using default templates

  copilot-instructions.md (new)
   Install   Skip 
  ✓ Added

  prompts/ (3 files, 3 new)
   Add all   Review one-by-one   Skip folder 
  ✓ Added 3 files

Summary: 4 to install, 0 skipped

Preview Changes (Dry Run)

copilot-assets init --dry-run

Update to Latest Version

# Update the tool itself
dotnet tool update -g copilot-assets

# Then update assets in your project
cd your-project
copilot-assets update

List Installed Assets

copilot-assets list

# Filter by type
copilot-assets list --type prompts

Verify Asset Integrity

# Check if any files have been modified
copilot-assets verify

# Restore modified files to original state
copilot-assets verify --restore

# Verify only specific type
copilot-assets verify --only prompts

Validate Asset Compliance

# Development mode
copilot-assets validate

# CI/CD mode (strict validation, JSON output)
copilot-assets validate --ci

JSON Output

All commands support --json for machine-readable output:

copilot-assets init --json
copilot-assets update --json
copilot-assets list --json
copilot-assets verify --json
copilot-assets validate --json

Diagnose Environment

copilot-assets doctor

Commands

copilot-assets init [options]       Initialize Copilot assets
copilot-assets update [options]     Update assets to latest version
copilot-assets config <command>     Manage remote template configuration
copilot-assets list [options]       List installed assets
copilot-assets verify [options]     Verify file integrity
copilot-assets validate [options]   Validate asset compliance
copilot-assets doctor               Check environment and diagnose issues
copilot-assets version              Display version information

Config Subcommands

copilot-assets config get <key>         Get configuration value (source, branch)
copilot-assets config set <key> <value> Set configuration value
copilot-assets config list              List all configuration
copilot-assets config reset             Reset to bundled templates

Global Options

• --json - Output results as JSON (all commands)

Command Options

init

• <path> - Target directory (default: current directory)
• -i, --interactive - Review and select files individually or by folder
• -f, --force - Overwrite existing files
• -s, --source <source> - Template source: 'default' or 'owner/repo[@branch]'
• --no-git - Skip Git operations (staging/commits)
• --only <types> - Install only specified types (instruction, prompts, agents, skills)
• --exclude <types> - Exclude specified types
• --dry-run - Preview changes without making modifications

update

• <path> - Target directory (default: current directory)
• -i, --interactive - Review and select files individually or by folder
• -f, --force - Force update even if already at latest version
• -s, --source <source> - Template source: 'default' or 'owner/repo[@branch]'
• --no-git - Skip Git operations
• --only <types> - Update only specified types
• --exclude <types> - Exclude specified types
• --dry-run - Preview changes without making modifications

list

• <path> - Target directory (default: current directory)
• --type <type> - Filter by asset type

verify

• <path> - Target directory (default: current directory)
• --restore - Restore modified files to original state
• --only <type> - Verify only specified type

validate

• <path> - Target directory (default: current directory)
• --ci - CI mode with strict validation and JSON output

config

• get <key> - Get configuration value (keys: source, branch)
• set <key> <value> - Set configuration value
• list - Show all configuration settings
• reset - Reset to default bundled templates

Template Sources

Default Templates (bundled)

• Included with the tool
• Always available offline
• Updated with tool releases

Remote Templates (configurable)

• Fetch from any GitHub repository
• Interactive source selection with arrow keys
• Supports custom organizational templates
• Supports private repositories with authentication
• Can override per-command with --source flag

Template Resolution:

• Interactive mode (-i): Prompts for source selection
• Command-line (--source): Uses specified source
• Configured remote: Uses saved configuration
• Default: Uses bundled templates

Installed Asset Structure

.github/
├── copilot-instructions.md          # Main instructions file
├── .copilot-assets.json             # Version manifest (auto-generated)
├── prompts/
│   ├── code-review.prompt.md
│   ├── generate-docs.prompt.md
│   └── generate-tests.prompt.md
├── agents/
│   ├── documenter.agent.md
│   └── reviewer.agent.md
└── skills/
    ├── analyze-file.skill.md
    └── refactor.skill.md

Uninstall

dotnet tool uninstall -g copilot-assets

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details