Guide · Agent skill

How to use the Copilot Spaces Access agent skill

Updated 2026-10-29 · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

The copilot-spaces skill teaches an AI agent to find and load GitHub Copilot Spaces, which are shared collections of repositories, files, documentation and instructions kept by a team. Once a Space is loaded, the agent answers questions and writes code using that team's own standards rather than generic knowledge. This guide explains what the skill does, how to install it, how to trigger it with plain requests, and what to watch for before letting it change any data.

Copilot Spaces Accessgithub/awesome-copilot · MIT Download the skill

Quick start

1Check access. Confirm you can see GitHub Copilot Spaces and that the GitHub MCP server is connected with the two Copilot Spaces tools.
2Install the skill. Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
3Authenticate gh. Make sure the GitHub CLI is installed and logged in. For write access, add the user scope with gh auth refresh -h github.com -s user.
4Ask for a Space by name. Request a specific Space, such as loading the Accessibility copilot space, so the agent calls get_copilot_space.
5Ask a grounded question. Ask a question about the project and check that the answer cites the Space content.
6Review before writing. For any update or delete, read the current Space first and confirm the change, because overwrites and deletions cannot be undone.

What the copilot-spaces skill makes the agent do

An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file with instructions that an AI agent reads when a task matches the skill's description. This skill is about GitHub Copilot Spaces. A Space is a shared collection of repositories, files, documentation and instructions that grounds Copilot responses in your team's code and knowledge.

With the skill, the agent can list the Spaces you can access, load one Space's full context by owner and name, and then use that context to answer questions, generate code that follows team conventions, or follow a workflow the Space defines. The skill also covers creating, updating and deleting Spaces and their collaborators through the GitHub REST API, using the gh command line tool.

Discover Spaces you have access to
Load a Space's documentation, code context and custom instructions
Follow links in a Space to issues, repos or dashboards for more context
Create, update or delete Spaces and collaborators via gh api

What you need before installing

The skill depends on several pieces. Read-only use needs the GitHub MCP server, which provides the mcp__github__list_copilot_spaces and mcp__github__get_copilot_space tools, plus access to GitHub Copilot Spaces. Write operations need the GitHub CLI and a personal access token with the right scope.

The source also notes that the Spaces REST API is not yet in the public REST API docs and may require the copilot_spaces_api feature flag. If your account does not have it, write operations may not work.

GitHub account with access to GitHub Copilot Spaces
GitHub MCP server providing the two Copilot Spaces tools
GitHub CLI (gh) installed and authenticated
Personal access token with read:user scope for reads and user scope for writes
Possibly the copilot_spaces_api feature flag

gh auth refresh -h github.com -s user

How to install the skill

Download the copilot-spaces ZIP from this page and unzip it. The skill ships as a single file, SKILL.md. For a personal install, place the skill folder in ~/.claude/skills/. To scope it to one project, place it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder.

If you use the Claude apps, you can instead upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/copilot-spaces/
Project install: .claude/skills/copilot-spaces/ inside your repository
Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP

How to trigger the skill with natural requests

You do not need a special command. The skill is meant to activate when you mention a "Copilot space", ask to load a space, ask what spaces are available, or ask a question that should be answered from curated project material. Name the Space when you can, because names are matched exactly.

Good requests state the goal and the Space. For example, ask the agent to load a named Space and then answer a question from it. For changes, say which Space and what to change so the agent can find the right number.

"Load the Accessibility copilot space"
"What copilot spaces are available for our team?"
"Using the security space, what's our policy on secret scanning?"
"Write my weekly update using the PM Weekly Updates space"

Worked examples

Read-only tasks are the safest place to start. Loading a Space and asking questions about it changes nothing. In the source's example, the agent calls get_copilot_space for the Accessibility Space and then answers questions about accessibility standards from that content.

Spaces can also act as workflow engines. In the source's weekly-update example, the Space holds a template and step-by-step instructions. The agent follows them, pulls data from linked issues, shows a draft after each section so you can review it, and produces output in the format the Space defines.

Answer a policy question from a security Space
Draft a weekly update that follows a template stored in a Space
Ask the agent to find a Space for a topic or team
Update a Space's instructions after reading the current text

gh api users/{username}/copilot-spaces/{number} \
  -X PUT \
  -f general_instructions="New instructions here"

Safety notes: network access and write operations

The skill does not run scripts, but it does use the network. Its read tools call GitHub, and its write operations call the GitHub REST API through gh api. Write operations can overwrite a Space's instructions, and attaching resources replaces the entire resource list rather than adding to it. Deleting a Space is permanent.

Before any update or delete, confirm the Space owner and number, and read the current instructions first. Only use a token with the scopes you need, and review the command the agent proposes.

Updates to general_instructions overwrite the existing text
resources_attributes replaces the whole attached resource list
DELETE on a Space cannot be undone
Use this skill only where the Spaces REST API is available

Tips for reliable results

Space names are case-sensitive, so use the exact name returned by the list tool. Spaces can belong to a user or an organisation, so always provide both owner and name. Large Space content, 20KB or more, may be returned as a temporary file; the skill suggests searching it with grep or viewing specific line ranges instead of reading everything.

Copy the exact Space name from the list output
Always pass both owner and name
For large content, search the returned file rather than reading all of it

What people use it for

Onboarding a new engineer by loading the team's architecture Space and asking how services fit together
Checking code against an organisation's security or accessibility policy stored in a Space
Drafting a recurring weekly update that follows a template kept in a Space
Updating a team Space's instructions in bulk after a standards change

Frequently asked questions

What is a GitHub Copilot Space?

A Space is a shared collection of repositories, files, documentation and instructions maintained by a team. The skill lets an agent load that content so its answers follow your team's standards instead of generic knowledge.

How do I install the copilot-spaces skill?

Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one repository. You can also upload the ZIP in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

What do I need to use the copilot-spaces skill?

You need access to GitHub Copilot Spaces and the GitHub MCP server with its Copilot Spaces tools for reading. For writing, you also need the GitHub CLI authenticated with a personal access token that has the user scope. The source notes the copilot_spaces_api feature flag may be required.

Is the copilot-spaces skill free?

The skill is released under the MIT licence. The source does not describe pricing for GitHub Copilot Spaces, so check your own GitHub plan for access.

Why does the skill need gh api for some tasks?

According to the source, the MCP server only exposes read operations. Creating, updating, deleting Spaces and managing collaborators go through the Spaces REST API using gh api.

Why can't the skill find my Space or return anything?

The tools return nothing useful without access to the Space. Check that your account can see it, that you use the exact case-sensitive name, and that you pass the correct owner. The Spaces REST API may also need the copilot_spaces_api feature flag.

New agent skills, repos and AI tools — every week

The best new skills and open-source projects, the fastest-growing repos, and one free prompt. Five minutes to read. Unsubscribe anytime.

Our verdict

This skill suits developers and team leads who already keep project documentation and standards in GitHub Copilot Spaces and want answers grounded in them. It is less suitable if you have no GitHub access to Spaces, or if you want to change Space data casually, since overwrites and deletions are immediate and deletion is permanent.

Download the skill