Trilly Set-up guide

Printed from trilly.io/works-with/copilot. Steps change now and then, so check there for the latest.

GitHub Copilot skills: where to put the folder

Last checked 11 October 2026 against GitHub's own help pages. See the official guide

Yes, GitHub Copilot reads skills. Unzip the skill from Trilly and move its folder into ~/.copilot/skills in your home folder, where Copilot in VS Code and Copilot CLI both look. To share it with everyone on a repository, put it in .github/skills in the repository instead. Then ask as normal, or type / and the skill's name.

The steps

Download and unzip the skill
Choose who should have it
Move the folder in
Ask as normal, or call it by name

Two ways to add skills to GitHub Copilot

Link GitHub Copilot to Trilly once. Then ask GitHub Copilot for a skill. GitHub Copilot can. The Copilot app can't yet. Trilly hasn't tried linking from Copilot yet.
Download a skill and add it yourself. Step by step

Reads skills on its own: Yes.

What you need: GitHub Copilot in VS Code, a JetBrains IDE, Copilot CLI, the GitHub Copilot app or the cloud agent. Your organisation can block standalone skills with a VS Code policy, and On Copilot Business and Enterprise, MCP servers stay off until an admin turns them on.

Step by step

Download and unzip the skill
On the skill's Trilly page, press Add to my AI, choose GitHub Copilot and download the .zip. Unzip it to get one folder with SKILL.md inside.
Choose who should have it
Just you: ~/.copilot/skills in your home folder (~/.agents/skills works too). Everyone on a repository: .github/skills in that repository (.agents/skills or .claude/skills work too).
Move the folder in
Move the whole folder in, so you end up with ~/.copilot/skills/skill-name/SKILL.md. Don't rename the folder: VS Code quietly skips a skill whose name doesn't match its folder.
Ask as normal, or call it by name
Copilot uses the skill when your request matches it. In VS Code, type / in chat and pick the skill, or type /skills to see and manage your skills.

Connectors and browser helpers

Checked 12 October 2026. Each skill on Trilly says what it can do beyond the chat under "What you get". You choose: let your AI use your apps and do the clicking, or get a copy-ready version to paste yourself. What connected apps and browser helpers are

Connected apps. GitHub Copilot's connections are off until a company admin turns them on, and its cloud agent uses them without asking.

Browser helper. GitHub Copilot has no browser helper for websites. Skills still work in the chat.

Which folders each Copilot reads

Copilot	Project folders	Personal folders
Copilot in VS Code	`.github/skills/`, `.agents/skills/`, `.claude/skills/`	`~/.copilot/skills/`, `~/.agents/skills/`, `~/.claude/skills/`
Copilot CLI and the cloud agent	`.github/skills/`, `.agents/skills/`, `.claude/skills/`	`~/.copilot/skills/` or `~/.agents/skills/` only

~ means your home folder: on Windows that's C:\Users\your-name, on a Mac it's /Users/your-name. ~/.copilot/skills is the one personal folder every Copilot reads.

Be careful with the cloud agent

GitHub says Copilot's cloud agent uses connected tools (MCP servers) without asking you first. VS Code asks by default, and lets you choose Manual, Assisted or Allow all. Trilly checks every skill, and good skills tell the AI to stop before anything that sends, changes or deletes. Even so, keep the cloud agent to skills you've read.

Organisation policies

VS Code has a policy, ChatStrictPluginOnlyCustomization, that blocks standalone skills. If it's on, a skill folder won't load.
On Copilot Business and Enterprise, MCP servers in VS Code stay off until an organisation or enterprise admin turns them on. GitHub's MCP policy only covers those plans.

Updating and removing

To update, replace the folder with the new version from Trilly. To remove a skill, delete its folder.

Linking Copilot to Trilly

Copilot in VS Code can link to Trilly: add an MCP server (HTTP) named trilly with the address https://trilly.io/api/mcp, then sign in to Trilly when VS Code asks. The steps are at Link your AI. Copilot's cloud agent can't: GitHub says it can't use MCP servers that need a sign-in, and it uses connected tools without asking. Give the cloud agent skills as folders in the repository (.github/skills/) instead.

GitHub's and Microsoft's own pages: about agent skills, skills in VS Code and skills in Visual Studio.
Using Copilot in Word, Excel or Teams? See the Microsoft 365 Copilot guide.
Other coding tools: Claude Code, Codex and Cursor.
Using Copilot with a personal Microsoft account instead? See the Microsoft Copilot guide.

Skills to try with GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot reads the same skill folders (a SKILL.md file inside). These are a good place to start.

Late Invoice

by Trilly Business @trilly

Give it your invoice list. It works out the interest and fixed fee you can claim where you are, writes the demand letter and dates your next step.

Beats a well-prompted AI

A$29 a month

Save Late Invoice (log in first)

Etsy Shop Tune-Up

by Trilly Ecommerce @trilly

See which Etsy listings lose money after fees and Offsite Ads, which dead ones cost renewals, and the lowest price that keeps your margin.

Beats a well-prompted AI

A$29 a month

Save Etsy Shop Tune-Up (log in first)

Every Subscription and Bill, Found and Cut

by Trilly Money @trilly

Finds every recurring charge in a year of statements, what each costs you a year and what can go, then helps you cancel and switch.

Beats a well-prompted AI

A$29

Save Every Subscription and Bill, Found and Cut (log in first)

Flight Delayed or Cancelled

by Trilly Money @trilly

The exact amount each passenger is owed for a late or cancelled flight, claimed on the airline's own form and chased until it's paid.

Beats a well-prompted AI

A$19

Save Flight Delayed or Cancelled (log in first)

Black Friday and Cyber Monday War Room for Shopify

by Trilly Ecommerce @trilly

Discounts that keep your margin, stock that won't run out, honest sale prices and a day-by-day plan for Black Friday to Cyber Monday.

Beats a well-prompted AI

A$49

Save Black Friday and Cyber Monday War Room for Shopify (log in first)

Find Money You're Owed

by Trilly Money @trilly

Every official register searched under every name and old address, your money counted, each claim filled up to Submit and followed to payment.

Beats a well-prompted AI

A$19

Save Find Money You're Owed (log in first)

Google Ads and Meta Ads Wasted Spend Finder

by Trilly Business @trilly

See how much your Google and Meta ads spent on searches and Meta ad sets that never converted, with a negative keyword list that keeps your good searches.

Beats a well-prompted AI

A$49 a month

Save Google Ads and Meta Ads Wasted Spend Finder (log in first)

Shopify Profit Leak Finder

by Trilly Ecommerce @trilly

Find every place your Shopify store loses money, worked out from your own exports, ranked by what each costs you a month, with the fix.

Beats a well-prompted AI

A$29 a month

Save Shopify Profit Leak Finder (log in first)

Research Security Check for a Collaboration or Visitor

by Trilly Schools @trilly

A new collaboration or visitor checked on the official lists and the rules where the work happens, with approvals recorded before anything is shared.

Beats a well-prompted AI

A$99 a year

Example, shortened United States

Before anything is shared: no unpublished cathode data, materials or processes go to Hanbit or the student…

NSF training within 12 months before submission (window… Friday, Nov 20, 2026 (by when)

Your training (Mar 3, 2026) none now (by when)

Screen Hanbit and the student on the Consolidated Screening… Friday, Oct 30 (by when)

Save Research Security Check for a Collaboration or Visitor (log in first)

Workers' Compensation Claim

by Trilly Health Admin @trilly

Your work injury claim run in time: reported, the claim form filled, payments checked, a fair return-to-work plan, and disputes taken further.

Beats a well-prompted AI

A$79

Save Workers' Compensation Claim (log in first)

Student Work Experience

by Trilly Schools @trilly

Get every work experience placement ready before day one: forms signed in order, insurance and checks sorted, and no student turning up with nothing signed.

Beats a well-prompted AI

A$49 a year

Save Student Work Experience (log in first)

Unfair Dismissal Claim

by Trilly Home @trilly

The claim that fits where you worked, the deadline counted from the right day, the first legal step ready to lodge, and your evidence in order.

Beats a well-prompted AI

A$49

Save Unfair Dismissal Claim (log in first)

Questions people ask

Why doesn't Copilot see my skill?

VS Code skips a skill without telling you if its name has the wrong characters or doesn't match its folder, so keep the folder name exactly as Trilly gave it. Also check the folder: Copilot CLI and the cloud agent read personal skills only from ~/.copilot/skills or ~/.agents/skills, not ~/.claude/skills.

Does the cloud agent ask before using connected tools?

No. GitHub says Copilot's cloud agent calls MCP tools without asking for approval. Good skills tell your AI to stop and check with you before anything important, but read what a skill does before you use it there. It also can't use connectors that need a sign-in, such as Trilly's, so give it skills as folders.

My organisation only allows plugins. Can I still add a skill?

VS Code has a policy that blocks standalone skills. If your admin has turned it on, a skill folder won't load. Ask your admin how they share approved plugins.

Does Visual Studio read skills too?

Yes, Visual Studio 2026 reads skills. Microsoft's Visual Studio guide lists its folders.

Two ways to add skills to GitHub Copilot

Step by step

Connectors and browser helpers

Which folders each Copilot reads

Be careful with the cloud agent

Organisation policies

Updating and removing

Linking Copilot to Trilly

Related guides

Skills to try with GitHub Copilot

Questions people ask

Where to next