About custom agents
Custom agents are specialized versions of Copilot 코딩 에이전트 that you can tailor to your unique workflows, coding conventions, and use cases. Instead of repeatedly providing the same instructions and context, custom agents allow you to define specialized agents that act like tailored teammates—following standards, using the right tools, and implementing team-specific practices.
Custom agents are defined using Markdown files, called agent profiles, that specify prompts, tools, and MCP servers. This allows individuals and teams to encode their conventions, frameworks, and desired outcomes directly into Copilot. The agent profile serves as the artifact that defines the custom agent's behavior, and assigning the agent to a task or issue instantiates the custom agent.
Agent profile format
Agent profiles are Markdown files with YAML frontmatter. In their simplest form, they include:
- Name: A unique identifier for the custom agent
- Description: Explains the agent's purpose and capabilities
- Prompt: Custom instructions that define the agent's behavior and expertise
- Tools: Specific tools the agent can access. This is optional, and the default is access to all available tools, including built-in tools and MCP server tools.
Organization and enterprise-level agent profiles can also include MCP server configurations within the agent profile, using the mcp-server property.
Example agent profile
This is a basic agent profile with name, description, and prompt configured.
---
name: readme-creator
description: Agent specializing in creating and improving README files
---
You are a documentation specialist focused on README files. Your scope is limited to README files or other related documentation files only - do not modify or analyze code files.
Focus on the following instructions:
- Create and update README.md files with clear project descriptions
- Structure README sections logically: overview, installation, usage, contributing
- Write scannable content with proper headings and formatting
- Add appropriate badges, links, and navigation elements
- Use relative links (e.g., `docs/CONTRIBUTING.md`) instead of absolute URLs for files within the repository
- Make links descriptive and add alt text to images
Where you can configure custom agents
You can define agent profiles at the repository level (.github/agents/CUSTOM-AGENT-NAME.md in your repository) for project-specific agents, or at the organization or enterprise level for broader availability. See Preparing to use custom agents in your organization and Preparing to use custom agents in your enterprise.
Where you can use custom agents
Once created, your custom agents are available wherever you can use Copilot 코딩 에이전트, including GitHub.com (the agents tab and panel, issue assignment, pull requests), the GitHub Copilot CLI, and Visual Studio Code (as chat modes). Each interaction maintains consistency based on the agent's defined profile, ensuring targeted support tailored to your specific needs.
Agent profiles can be used directly in Visual Studio Code as chat modes, though some properties may differ between the two environments. For more information on chat modes, see Use chat modes in VS Code.
Next steps
To start creating your own custom agents, see Creating custom agents.