Open a Desk
Sets up a persistent journal-based workspace folder so an agent can resume a workstream across sessions.
- Repository
- github/awesome-copilot
- Stars
- 40,703
- Licence
- MIT
- Files
- 1 file
What it does
When installed, the agent can create a new named workstream folder inside a workshop directory, containing a journal.md file that records the desk's purpose and scope, plus an empty .signals folder for structured JSON output. Later sessions that point at that desk read the journal first to pick up where work left off, and the skill tells the agent not to overwrite an existing journal. It only sets up storage; it does not start or run any sessions itself.
Great for
- Developers organising a multi-workstream agent workshop who want each topic to keep its own memory
- Teams using the Copilot-style desk, journal and signals workflow described in the file
- People who want a simple persistent notes file per project that an agent reads at the start of each session
Skip it if
- Users who just want a one-off answer or a single coding task; the skill adds folder structure that isn't needed
- Anyone without the surrounding 'workshop' tooling: the file references signal-write and desk-journal skills that are not included here, so the workflow is incomplete on its own
- Shared or sensitive projects where journal files may accumulate confidential context, since the journal is plain Markdown that persists between sessions
Try asking
- “Open a new desk called api-review for reviewing our REST API changes”
- “Create a desk named security-scan covering the payments repositories”
- “Set up a cloud-workshop desk and write its first journal entry with the purpose and next steps”
Install in 3 steps
- 1
Download the skill
The ZIP contains the 1 original files, the MIT licence and an attribution note.
desk-open.zip - 2
Add it to your agent
Claude Code (all projects)
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && unzip desk-open.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/Claude Code / Agent SDK (this project only)
mkdir -p .claude/skills && unzip desk-open.zip -d .claude/skills/Claude apps (web/desktop): Settings → Capabilities → Skills → Upload skill, and choose the ZIP.
- 3
Ask for the task
No special command needed — the agent reads the skill's description and loads it when your request matches. Try one of the prompts above.
Get better results
- Pick short kebab-case desk names and keep each desk focused on one topic, as the skill recommends
- Write a clear purpose and next step in the first journal entry, since future sessions rely on it entirely
- To restart a desk fresh, rename or archive the existing folder first rather than asking the agent to overwrite it
What's inside
- SKILL.md
Redistributed unmodified from github/awesome-copilot under the MIT licence. The assessment was drafted with AI from the skill's files on 2026-10-29. Skills can instruct your agent to run code — read SKILL.md and any scripts before installing.